The three themes of the meeting will focus on (1) novel approaches allowing the complex interplay of DNA topoisomerases and DNA topology to be tackled; (2) recent advances in structural biology of topoisomerases and the application of single-molecule technologies that will promote exciting new understanding of topoisomerases at a detailed molecular level; and (3) the development of novel therapeutics that target topoisomerases and how advances in proteomics/genomics are enabling new insights into the cellular roles of topoisomerases and their significance in human cancers.