Synopsis

While alterations to DNA underlie genome evolution and antibody diversification, genome instability drives many disorders, including cancer, developmental abnormalities, and neurodegeneration. DNA damage and other genome-threatening replication blocks are generally overcome by a number of DNA repair pathways. The choice of DNA repair pathways, specifically the reliance on error-prone vs. error-free is both intriguing and confounding. Moreover, the deregulation of repair pathway choice can trigger pathological processes. In this conference, we will discuss the delicate equilibrium of genome maintenance pathways, addressing how natural processes such as replication and transcription can threaten genome stability, how the genome can be altered in cancer, signatures of genome instability in human disease, and how cells control the inherent plasticity of their replication and repair machinery. We aim to bring together scientists from diverse fields who are interested in understanding the many processes impacting DNA metabolism and the molecular and biophysical principles that maintain the balance between genome stability and plasticity.

Key Sessions

• Genome Signatures and Evolution
• Tissue Specific Repair and Mutagenesis
• Transcription-Replication Driven Mutation
• Transposable Elements
• DNA Sensing and Inflammation
• CRISPR/Cas9 and DNA Repair

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Andrea Ablaser (EPFL)
Karen Adelman (Harvard University)
Kathleen Burns (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Keith Caldecott (University of Sussex)
Alberto Ciccia (Columbia University)
Jacob Corn (ETH Zürich)
Cecilia Cotta-Ramusino (Tessera Therapeutics)
Titia de Lange (Rockefeller University)
Daniel Durocher (Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute)
Marcin Imielinski (NYU Langone Health)
Gaëlle Legube (CBI Toulouse)
John Maciejowski (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
Houra Merrikh (Vanderbilt University)
Serena Nik-Zainal (University of Cambridge)
KJ Patel (University of Oxford)
Elizabeth Pollina (Washington University in St Louis)
Nitika Taneja (Erasmus Medical Center)
Alessandro Vindigni (Washington University)
Johannes Walter (Harvard University)
Joanna Wysocka (Stanford University)
Joe Yeeles (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biomedicine)

Target Audience

The meeting, which addresses fundamental questions that pertain to genome instability, is expected to appeal to basic science researchers, including students and postdocs. In addition, the various topics covered will be of interest to translational and clinical investigators in academic institutions and industry.

Educational Need

Genomic integrity is the foundation of human health with a plethora of diseases emerging from any dysfunction in the cellular machinery that maintains our genome. In this conference we focus on emerging areas in the field of genome biology that have gained significant prominence in recent years, specifically, large scale studies on genome evolution and mutational signatures combined with the interplay of DNA metabolism, RNA metabolism and DNA repair in the context of sub-nuclear compartments. We anticipate that attendees at all levels, students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty will be exposed to radical new concepts and cutting-edge technology that will define the genome stability field in the upcoming years. The conference is being designed to facilitate interaction of  trainees with senior scientists, and promote scientific collaborations. 

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