All spaces for this conference have been filled and so we have had to close registration before the deadline. If you would like to be added to our wait list, please contact Rosie to be notified if a slot becomes available. 

This conference is a continuation of the DNA Replication as a Source of DNA Damage series.

The maintenance of genome integrity is critical for the suppression of several pathological disorders in humans, including cancer, infertility and neurodegeneration. Moreover, the accumulation of unrepaired errors in DNA is commonly cited as a likely cause of tissue and organismal ageing. Destabilization of the genome can occur as a result of several cell intrinsic or extrinsic factors, including errors arising during DNA replication or chromosome segregation, as well as exposure of cells to agents that induce DNA damage. In this conference, we aim to bring together scientists studying DNA replication, DNA repair and chromosome segregation with those interested in how chromosomal instability can influence human pathology. Moreover, we aim to show how high throughput and high content screening methods can be used as a discovery tool both for basic science applications and to identify potential therapeutic modalities.

Key Sessions

• Pathways for repair of DNA damage and disrupted DNA replication forks
• Screening tools for analysis of genome maintenance pathways and for development of new therapeutics
• Chromosome fragility caused by difficult-to-replicate loci – sources and roles of DNA repair proteins
• Chromosome instability as a driver of tumorigenesis, neurodegeneration and ageing
• Exploitation of defects in chromosome maintenance in cancer treatment

Student Offer

Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity for students! Fully paying 'single' or 'shared' registrants can bring a student for only €882. Unfortunately, Postdocs are not eligible for this offer. Both registration packages include; accommodation for the 14, 15, 16 October 2023 (on a shared basis for students) and a food and beverage package for the conference period. Once registered, please contact Rosie Johnson to obtain a special registration link for your student.

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Monica Bettencourt-Dias (Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência)
CENTROSOME REGULATION IN DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE
Thijn Brummelkamp (Netherlands Cancer Institute)
TRAITMAP: LINKING GENES TO CELLULAR TRAITS IN HAPLOID HUMAN CELLS
Keith Caldecott (University of Sussex)
DNA STRAND BREAK REPAIR AND HUMAN DISEASE
Vincenzo Costanzo (IFOM)
CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF DNA REPLICATION STRESS IN VERTEBRATE ORGANISMS
Daniel Durocher (Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute)
PROBING DNA REPAIR WITH SYNTHETIC LETHALITY
Daniel Gerlich (Institute of Molecular Biotechnology)
THE ROLE OF CHROMOSOME CONFORMATION IN DNA DOUBLE-STRAND BREAK REPAIR
Thanos Halazonetis (University of Geneva)
MAPPING DNA REPLICATION ORIGINS IN NORMAL AND CANCER CELLS
Andrew Jackson (University of Edinburgh)
RIBONUCLEOTIDE EXCISION REPAIR - GENOME INSTABILITY, MUTAGENESIS, AND INFLAMMATION
Steve Jackson (CRUK-Cambridge Institute)
CELLULAR RESPONSES TO DNA DOUBLE-STRAND BREAKS:  MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS AND THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS
Ana Losada (Spanish National Cancer Research Center)
CONTRIBUTION OF COHESIN MUTATIONS TO AGGRESSIVE EWING SARCOMA
Niels Mailand (Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research)
DEFINING THE ESSENTIAL ROLES OF SUMOylation IN CHROMOSOME STABILITY
Marcos Malumbres (Spanish National Cancer Research Center)
UNCONVENTIONAL CDKS IN GENOME STABILITY
René Medema (Netherlands Cancer Institute)
(UN)TANGLING DNA REPAIR AND EPIGENETICS
Serena Nik-Zainal (MRC Cancer Unit)
RECENT INSIGHTS INTO MUTATIONAL SIGNATURES FOLLOWING EXPERIMENTAL DISSECTION
Andre Nussenzweig (National Institutes of Health)
NEURONAL GENOME STABILITY AND PLASTICITY 
Mark O'Connor (AstraZeneca)
TARGETING REPLICATION STRESS IN CANCERS AS A THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY
KJ Patel (University of Oxford)
METABOLIC ORIGINS OF ENDOGENOUS DNA DAMAGE AND MUTATION
Christopher E. Pearson (The Hospital for Sick Children)
MOLECULAR CAUSE OF FRA9A IN AN UNSTABLE LOCUS
Zuzana Storchova (TU Kaiserslautern)
CELLULAR CONSEQUENCES OF CHROMOSOME GAINS AND LOSSES
Steve West (Francis Crick Institute)
CRYO-EM STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS OF PROTEINS INVOLVED IN RECOMBINATIONAL DNA REPAIR

Target Audience

This meeting will appeal to Molecular/Cell Biologists/Geneticists & Biochemists interested in genome stability. Researchers interested in the molecular basis of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and ageing and those with an interest in high throughput genetic and pharmacological screening methods will also find the conference highly relevant along with those wishing to exploit genome maintenance abnormalities in tumour cells for therapeutic benefit.

Educational Need

Chromosome instability is involved in several human diseases and is a feature of natural ageing. This conference will bridge fundamental studies on the mechanisms by which cells maintain genome stability with applications of these studies aimed at the development of new therapies. Hence, the conference will bridge basic biology and clinical applications in this rapidly advancing field. Attendees should be able to obtain a full picture of the current status of the field, as well as to interact with prominent research leaders driving the clinical application of the latest research.

AstraZeneca has provided a sponsorship grant towards this independent Programme.

All spaces for this conference have been filled and so we have had to close registration before the deadline. If you would like to be added to our wait list, please contact Rosie to be notified if a slot becomes available. 

Please see below opportunties for financial support for students, short talk, and poster presenters. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Conference Manager, Rosie Johnson.

Student Offer

Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity for students! Fully paying 'single' or 'shared' registrants can bring a student for only €882. Unfortunately, Postdocs are not eligible for this offer. Both registration packages include; accommodation for the 14, 15, 16 October 2023 (on a shared basis for students) and a food and beverage package for the conference period. Once registered, please contact Rosie Johnson to obtain a special registration link for your student.

Short Talk & Poster Grants

We have set aside several €500 grants to support short talk and poster presenters. To be considered, please ensure you have registered for the meeting, submitted an abstract (must have been accepted for a short talk or poster), and emailed Rosie Johnson a short statement as to why you think you should receive a grant. Grants will be awarded post-conference.