Helicases and nucleic-acid based machines are involved in all aspects of nucleic acid metabolism. Their malfunction is frequently associated with human diseases. In the past, research on helicases was mainly focused on the mechanism of individual enzymes. Recent developments in several complementary fields extend the scope of these studies. Advances in structural biology has helped to better understand their mechanism and the partners that they involve. Single molecule approaches in vitro and in vivo improve the understanding of the processes where they are involved. With the genomics and transcriptomics studies, the helicase functions are scrutinized at large scale to better appreciate their impact on cellular functions. This meeting aims at bringing together researchers from these emerging fields and promoting strong exchanges.