ICAR 2024 will include plenary sessions, parallel sessions, workshops and poster sessions. Plenary sessions will feature one invited speaker and talks selected from submitted abstracts. Following the success of ICAR 2022, the program will include a panel discussion with people affected by ataxia and an interactive debate session.  

There has been tremendous progress in the past few years regarding our understanding of DNA replication in eukaryotes, both yeast and mammals. Many important questions in the field are poised to be answered within the next decade. These include understanding DNA replication at the biochemical and three-dimensional protein structure levels. In addition, studies using high throughput technologies at the cellular and organismal levels are poised to answer how accurate replication of the genome is ensured by controlling origin firing in space and time.

Session topics

• DNA replication stress

• DNA replication biology

• High-throughput technologies

• Disease development

The response to DNA damage consists of a complex network of cellular pathways that are activated following damage and which includes cell cycle checkpoints, DNA repair, DNA damage tolerance and engagement of innate immunity. Failure to properly respond to DNA damage leads to genomic instability, an underlying cause of various human genetics syndromes and many age-related diseases, such as cancer for which the DDR is an attractive therapeutic target. This EMBO Workshop will cover various aspects of the causes that drive genomic instability as well as the mechanisms ensuring genome maintenance, their link to human diseases and their potential as therapeutic targets.

This meeting will focus on the discussion of the role of chromatin architecture, epigenetics, stem and single cell biology in cancer and other diseases. The talks will cover a broad range of topics, including chromosome organisation, long-range interactions, chromatin assembly, stem cell regulation/differentiation, RNA-based mechanisms, transcription regulation, DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation, exploiting the power of genome engineering technologies, single-cell approaches, cutting edge epigenomics and imaging approaches and novel cell systems such as organoids.

While insightful new research on the molecular mechanisms that govern a variety of DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint pathways has led to an expansion of our understanding of DNA damage response pathways in humans, it also offers new approaches for cancer prevention and treatment. The purpose of this conference is to accelerate the translation of basic research findings into clinical practice. 

Recent years have provided an amazing advancement in the field of the ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like modifications (Ubls), as the technologies to detect them in different biological settings have improved significantly. Further, our understanding of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) as a key player in essentially every aspect of biology and its potential to impact human health is now undergoing dramatic revolution in the ability to harness this system to clinical applications with the emergence of numerous proteolytic-targeting chimeras, as therapeutic modalities for human diseases ranging from cancer to infectious disease, autoimmunity and neurodegeneration. The exceptional interest in this field stems from the central role of these modifications in cell, tissue, and organismal homeostasis.

This workshop will explore the role Ub and Ubls play in different biological settings, in physiology and pathology to reveal new insight into the mechanisms that they regulate and disease-associated aberrations. The primary goals of this EMBO Workshop will be:

i) Present an overview of current knowledge with the latest research discoveries and cutting-edge approaches

ii) Foster the development of trainees and junior scientists

iii) Discuss opportunities to accelerate translational research and therapeutic development

Transcription and Chromatin UK brings together the rich transcription and epigenetics community in the UK and leading experts from abroad. It will feature all aspects of transcription and chromatin regulation in multiple model organisms and disease models, including the role of short- and long-range chromatin interactions, 3-dimensional genome organisation, DNA and chromatin modifications, non-coding RNAs, RNA polymerase mechanics and chromatin metabolism.

Most talks will be selected from abstracts and interspersed with invited speaker presentations, discussing the latest breakthroughs in transcriptional and epigenetic regulation. The meeting is organised to promote discussion and interaction during talks and poster sessions. This conference is a 'must-attend' for anyone interested in cutting-edge research in transcription and chromatin, particularly for early-career researchers.

Research in the field of DNA replication is progressing at a remarkable rate. Innovations in biochemical reconstitution, structural biology, proteomics and DNA sequencing-based technologies are helping to rapidly advance our understanding of this fundamental process. 

Building on the success of the inaugural 2022 UK DNA Replication Meeting, The Biochemical Society invites you to join us in Cambridge for the second UK DNA Replication Meeting. Discussion topics will include: 

• Replisome assembly and replication initiation 

• Regulation of replication in space and time 

• Replication fork progression 

• Chromatin replication 

• DNA replication stress 

• DNA replication and human disease 

• Replication of telomeres and termination 

To maintain genome integrity, cells have developed a complex signaling network, known as the DNA damage response or DDR, that regulates DNA replication, DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoints. Failure to properly respond to DNA damage leads to genomic instability which is an underlying cause of various human genetics syndromes and associated with many age-related diseases, such as cancer or neurodegeneration.

Over the recent years, it has become evident that RNAs and transcription are major players in the maintenance of genome stability. Not only, they are considered as main threats that challenge DNA integrity, by interfering with DNA replication but are they also now recognized as an integral component of the mechanisms that repair DNA damage arising on the genome. 

The program of the proposed meeting is designed to cover these topics, from the mechanisms that trigger instability on transcribing genomic loci including through the formation of R-loops, to the direct role of RNAs and transcription in repair mechanisms and in disease onset.

The meeting will cover the following topics:
1. RNA:DNA hybrids: the good and the bad
2. Transcription-replication conflict as a source of genome instability
3. Transcription-induced genetic instability and RNA in diseases
4. RNAs and transcription in DNA damage repair
5. RNAs and transcription in chromatin, chromosome dynamics and nuclear compartmentalization
6. RNAs and Telomere maintenance

The aim of the conference is to present and discuss the results of the latest research on all relevant aspects of DNA polymerases, including their structure, biochemistry, genetics, role in mutagenesis and pathogenesis, as well as their applications in molecular biology, biotechnology and medicine. 

The conference will provide an excellent opportunity to present the latest research on DNA polymerases and bring together a diverse group of leading scientists from around the world.

The DNA Polymerases meeting is a chance to integrate the scientific community in the field and provide an opportunity to freely exchange ideas, establish collaborations, as well as present and discuss the results with a broad panel of specialists.

A cell’s hereditary material is comprised of nucleic acids, which allows living organisms to pass on the genetic information from one generation to next. The Nucleotides in both DNA and RNA are comprised up of a sugar, a nitrogen base, and a phosphate molecule.

Nucleic acids are long chains of nucleotides joined together by phosphodiester bonds. Nucleic acids comprised of: deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA and RNA having slight difference in their chemical composition, yet play importantly different biological roles.

This online meeting (webinar) will provide an excellent opportunity for science professionals with multidisciplinary backgrounds to review current developments, exchange ideas and challenges at the interface of physics, chemistry, and biology of nucleic acids and their therapeutics.

Topoisomerases are nuclear enzymes that control the dynamic genome structures in all living organisms, regulating the winding of the DNA double helix and untangling DNA and RNA for cells to carry out the required functions for life. Many antibacterial and anticancer drugs listed as essential medicines by the World Health Organization focus on interfering with topoisomerase actions.

FIU faculty and students are collaborating with scientists from other research organizations to illuminate the details of topoisomerase mechanism of action, as well as identify (or design) novel small molecules that can target these enzymes in cancer or bacterial cells for the development of new medicines.

This international conference would provide a venue for outstanding scientists from across academia, government and industry to discuss new ideas and unpublished results at the very frontier of genome dynamics in biology and medicine.

This long-running conference will explore the latest discoveries in recombination, a fundamental DNA repair process that plays essential roles in the replication, maintenance, evolution, and transmission of the genome. As the sole meeting dedicated to this specific field of research, presentations will focus on mechanisms of homologous recombination in various cellular contexts, genome instability, and links between recombination and human disease, especially aging and cancer. The program will convene diverse scientists from all career stages studying multifarious aspects of recombination and genome maintenance, using a wide range of biological systems and experimental approaches. 

Focusing on cutting-edge advances from early-career investigators (particularly those from historically excluded groups), attendees will hear a wide array of keynotes, presentations, and panel discussions, as well as opportunities for short talks and networking. 

Goals and Takeaways

• Mechanisms of homologous recombination, from initiation to completion.

• Genome rearrangements, specifically regarding mechanisms and consequences.

• The interplay between recombination with other cellular processes.

Program Topics

• Molecular mechanisms that underpin each step in the recombination reaction 

• Telomere metabolism, genome rearrangements, aging, and tumorigenesis 

• Replication- and transcription-associated recombination

• Meiotic recombination, gamete quality, and fertility

• Regulation of recombination by post-translational protein modification 

• The role of chromatin structure on recombination and DNA damage signaling

This conference aims to include recent progress in translating human genetic discoveries into functional characterization of genome wide association study (GWAS) regions that encode risk for complex human diseases. This symposium will highlight a number of exemplary functional studies of GWAS loci, examine how single cell data can accelerate translation of genetic associations, and how we can expand our catalogs of causal genes using the new CRISPR-Cas9 screening tools.

Despite substantial improvements in recent decades, the prognosis for those cancer patients who suffer from metastatic disease and depend on systemic drug therapy remains poor. Both intrinsic resistance and the formation of acquired drug resistance substantially affects the efficacy of cancer drugs. The advancement of precision medicine approaches holds promise for both the effective guidance of therapies to patients that will respond and the ability to monitor this tumour response. This will require the successful interpretation of ‘omics’ data and a close collaboration between pre-clinical researchers, clinicians, and computational biologists in both academia and industry to develop these strategies. This conference will bring together and showcase cancer researchers from these areas, who will present and discuss the latest advances in understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer, the identification of biomarkers of drug sensitivity/resistance and how they can be linked to precision medicine approaches.
Topics to include:

•    Molecular mechanisms of resistance and treatment response
•    Genomics, systems biology and tumour evolution
•    Models of tumour resistance
•    Immuno-oncology and therapy
•    Biomarkers of treatment and response

We have reached a fascinating point in our research on the ubiquitin system’s function, physiology and roles in disease. The attachment of ubiquitin to a protein in the cytosol was first identified as a means to enable degradation of proteins in the cytosol by the proteasome. It was much later that it was discovered that the ubiquitin system fulfils another crucial cellular function: through the dynamics offered by ubiquitination and subsequent deubiquitination it gives a multitude of signalling pathways the required plasticity to initiate but also to limit their signalling output in an exquisitely controlled manner. Whereas certain signalling-related functions employ ubiquitin’s proteasome-targeting function, e.g. the activation of NF-kB following degradation of I-kB, most signalling-related functions of the ubiquitin system are mediated by different types of ubiquitin chains acting as scaffolds for the recruitment of signalling modules to protein complexes which serve as platforms for the triggering of specific signalling complexes.

Rather than discussing mainly structural aspects of the ubiquitin system, this conference is dedicated to the study of functional roles of the ubiquitin system, how it works to ensure normal signal transduction, what are the pathological consequences when it is perturbed and how can we harness our knowledge of the ubiquitin system therapeutically for more efficacious treatment of diseases with high unmet clinical need, including cancer, chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders as well as neurodegenerative diseases.

Importantly, this conference aims to become the go-to forum at which the most current and up-to-date therapeutic avenues that emerge from the study of the ubiquitin system will be presented and discussed.

The Chromatin Structure and Function GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

The packaging of eukaryotic genomes into chromatin is central to cell identity and genome maintenance. Defects in chromatin regulation are strongly linked to human disease, including cancer and neurodegeneration. The 2024 Gordon Conference on Chromatin Structure and Function will cover a broad territory of fundamental questions, ranging from how nucleosomes, the building blocks of chromatin, are assembled, modified and mobilized, to how higher-order chromatin states regulate distinct cellular states across the lifetime of both simple and highly complex organisms. The chromatin field has been advancing rapidly on conceptual and technical fronts due to novel interdisciplinary and orthogonal approaches, ranging from genomics and chemical biology to integrated structural approaches. The talks will thus also highlight the importance of working across disciplines such as biochemistry, chemistry, cell biology and physiology to enable deeper and more comprehensive understanding of how defects in chromatin regulation contribute to disease.

The meeting will cover a whole breadth of topics related to radiation research, and will provide a fantastic platform for interdisciplinary learning and development of collaborations with the radiation research community in the UK. We will have exciting talks from both national and international experts in the field, as well as opportunities for early career researchers to present through talks and posters.

Topics to be covered:

• Molecular Responses to Radiation

• Radiotherapy and the Immune Response

• Radiation Physics and Mathematical Modelling

• Protons and high-LET radiation

• Advanced radiotherapy technologies

• Radiation Protection and the Nuclear Industry

• Tumour Microenvironment and Hypoxia Signalling

• Radiopharmaceuticals

Maintenance of genome integrity lies at the heart of cell homeostasis. While DNA repair mechanisms have received significant attention since more than half a century, the contribution of the chromatin environment and nuclear organization to genome maintenance has only begun to emerge over the past decade. It is evident that chromatin, being the actual substrate for repair, replication and transcription machineries, is heavily remodeled following damage detection and exerts a key function in both targeting and regulating repair at different genomic loci.

The third edition of this EMBO Workshop continues to bring together an outstanding group of scientists from around the world, including young researchers as well as leaders in the field, to cover the following topics central to our understanding of chromatin function in nuclear organization and genome maintenance: (i) DNA repair in nuclear/chromatin domains, (ii) histone modifications following damage: writers, reader, erasers, (iii) nucleosome modification following DNA damage (remodellers, chaperones and histone variants), (iv) replication stress and endogenous damage, (v) transcription and RNA in DNA repair, and (vi) chromatin movement and physical constraints.

The Mutagenesis GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

The 2024 Gordon Research Conference on Mutagenesis will focus on the underlying causes and consequences of mutations. The genomes of all organisms are consistently under attack by both endogenous and endogenous mutagens, which can change the genetic code. These changes can cause various diseases such as cancer and antimicrobial resistance development. One important feature of the conference will be bringing together of scientists studying a wide range of questions in the field of mutagenesis and are employing diverse range of cutting-edge approaches across various species.

The conference will focus on the fundamental molecular and genetic mechanisms that drive various genome alterations. The meeting will explore the physiological and pathological consequences of mutagenesis in human health, antibiotic resistance development, adaptive and innate immunity, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer. The major focus of the meeting will be to explore how major processes such as DNA replication and transcription contribute to mutagenesis. Furthermore, the inherent properties within the DNA itself such as sequence context or secondary structures that make certain regions of the genome more susceptible to mutagenesis and genetic alterations will be discussed. The conference will include talks by established and young investigators that are leaders in the field, as well as talks selected from submitted abstracts. The conference will also include extensive poster sessions coupled with ample time for discussion and networking between participants at all career stages in an inclusive and diverse atmosphere.

The 2024 Annual Congress of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR 2024) is a four day congress dedicated to basic, preclinical and translational cancer research across a wide breadth of topics. It will highlight the latest research and bring together the cancer research community to inspire innovation and build knowledge, connections and collaborations.

This Symposium will give the entire scientific and medico-scientific community an opportunity to come together and exchange about science, particularly in the context of the advancements in cancer research. With over 700 expected participants at this major event, you will be interacting with scientists from all walks of science,  both the fundamental and  the translational: geneticist, physicists, immunologists, chemists, chemical biologists, clinicians, and specialists in immunotherapy, DNA repair or immune cell metabolism.      

The University of Cambridge and the Centre for Genomic Regulation are delighted to announce a new conference, Genome Regulation and Cellular Fates in Homeostasis and Disease, to be held on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th May 2024 at CaixaForum Madrid.The conference will be chaired by Dr Renée Beekman, Professor Brian Huntly and Dr David Lara-Astiaso and include two days of talks by world leaders in the field of genome regulation and cell fate.

Telomeres are specialized structures that protect the ends of linear chromosomes in eukaryotes. Research in this area has revealed that telomere maintenance is critical for stem cell function and normal tissue homeostasis but is also hijacked in cancers as a means to cellular immortality. This EMBO Workshop will explore the latest advances in telomere basic biology, its involvement in organism homeostasis and disease, as well as its impact on ecology and evolution. By providing an ideal forum for open discussions, this Workshop will foster new and exciting collaborations between discovery scientists and clinicians, and provide a welcoming environment for new and young researchers to engage in this highly dynamic area of science.

Topics to be covered include:

• Structural organization of telomeres

• Telomeric chromatin and transcription

• Telomere and telomerase regulation

• Mechanisms counteracting replication stress and damage at telomeres

• Consequences of telomere dysfunction

• Pathogenesis and therapeutic perspectives of telomeropathies

• Telomere ecology and evolution

Topics:

• Epigenetics and Chromatin

• Genome Topology and Chromosome Folding

• Nuclear Locales: Structures, Bodies, Condensates

• 4D Nucleome Structure and Function

• Nuclear Genome during Development, Physiological Transitions, and Disease

• Nuclear Genome and RNA Biology

• Emerging Technologies

• Dynamics and Mechanics of Nuclear Processes

The EACR Conference on Cancer Genomics was widely recognised as the premier European conference dedicated to cancer genomics. In 2024, we are renaming the conference and evolving its content to cover the latest exciting developments: machine learning and artificial intelligence, single cell and spatial analysis of cancers, cell plasticity, cancer immune genomics, data integration and convergence, epigenetics, and genomic instability.

Technological and theoretical advances have driven recent insights into mutational processes active across various biological scales. From species to tissues, through clonal lineages and specific genomic features, we’ll come together at this conference to explore the wider significance of mutagenesis and genetic variation.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for ~10 million deaths in 2020 (source: WHO). The number of cases increases as the population ages in regions such as Europe and Southeast Asia. It is a public health priority to tackle this burden, by developing better prognostic and therapeutic tools.

The past decades have greatly increased our knowledge of cancer biology. For instance, advances in sequencing technologies have revealed the complexity of the mutational landscape in tumors and shed light on the heterogeneity and clonal evolution of malignancies.

Besides these advances in genetics, a parallel revolution has occurred in cancer epigenetics. It has become overwhelmingly clear that epigenetic phenomena, in other words, phenomena that modify genome activity without modifying the underlying sequence, play key roles in cancer initiation and progression. While epigenetic abnormalities drive cancer, they also open up new prognostic and therapeutic avenues.

The core objective of theis EMBO Workshop on Chromatin Biology in Cancer 2024 is to bring together outstanding researchers, from all around the world, at all stages in the field of epigenetics/chromatin biology with a focus on cancer for the exchange of ideas and information.

The rapid development of CRISPR/Cas-based technologies makes it possible to modulate genomes with relative ease. These tools can help us understand how genetic variation influences phenotype and thereby answer long-standing questions in biology that impact human health, laying the foundations for precision medicine for heritable diseases and cancer treatment.

Our fifth conference will provide a forum for biomedical researchers from academia and industry working on high throughput screening, genome engineering, and variant effect interpretation to discuss perturbations at scale to understand genomes.

This year’s meeting will highlight recent advances enabled by emerging technologies and models, including computational approaches and designing DNA for function. Discussions will focus on the recent discoveries in precision genome editing, coding and non-coding variation and genetic interactions. A panel discussion will probe how generative modelling and other applications of machine learning are shaping the present and future of the field, and impacting experimentation.

The programme will also include short oral presentations selected from abstracts, posters, poster pitches, discussion sessions and networking opportunities for a highly interactive meeting.