Autophagy is an intracellular pathway for degradation that allows for the recycling of cellular components inside lysosomes to sustain tissue homeostasis. Countless effort has been devoted to help unravel the molecular mechanisms that regulate this pathway, but many questions remain unresolved. Therefore, this conference program gathers an interdisciplinary group of scientists to address the current and future challenges in the field such as discussions on the existence of non-canonical forms of the pathway and how selectivity is achieved. This conference also addresses the minimal requirements to generate functional autophagosomes and the molecular bases of autophagy regulation. One of the major themes of this conference is a session which reviews how model systems such as plants, worms and mice help to unravel the physiological roles of this essential pathway and why this research can also be applied to find new therapies for human diseases. For example, while it is now clear that many human pathologies have alterations in autophagy, how scientists could potentially manipulate the pathway in vivo is a major challenge that will be addressed at this conference. Finally, this conference provides a unique frame to display the current research and future challenges of the field during physiological and pathological conditions.