Due to high occupancy levels at the conference hotel, spaces for our 5th Epigenetics Conference are now subject to hotel availability and cannot be guaranteed.

However, if you are still interested in attending, please email Rosie to enquire about availability and next steps.

Synopsis

Our ability to read, interpret and manipulate the genome has entered an era defined by single-cell resolution, 3D chromatin organization, and the integration of cell-intrinsic gene regulation, metabolic inputs and environmental challenges with human disease biology. Epigenetic mechanisms - considered as the “regulators of the regulators” - sit at the centre of efforts to understand development, aging and the molecular origins of disease. At the same time, the boundaries between chromatin biology, nuclear metabolism, transcriptional regulation, stem cell and cancer biology have largely dissolved. Modern research demands a fully integrated perspective.

The 5th Epigenetics: From Mechanisms to Therapies meeting will bring together leading scientists driving this transformation. This edition will highlight how chromatin organisation, nuclear architecture, gene regulatory networks, metabolism and RNA-based mechanisms converge to shape cell identity and plasticity across development, homeostasis and disease. A major focus will be placed on single-cell and spatial genomics, cutting-edge epigenomic technologies and new cellular models, as well as on epigenetic mechanisms modulating cancer, neurodevelopmental and neurological diseases.

Inspirational Speaker & Workshop Mentor

Sir Tony Kouzarides (Gurdon Institute)

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Karen Adelman (Harvard Medical School)
RNA QUALITY CONTROL IN DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE
Geneviève Almouzni (Institut Curie)
SPEAKING OF HISTONE VARIANTS AND THEIR CHAPERONES TO SHAPE CHROMATIN
Effie Apostolou (Weill Cornell Medical College)
DISSECTING MECHANISMS THAT CONTROL POSTMITOTIC RESETTING OF CELL IDENTITY
Adrian Bracken (Trinity College Dublin)
POLYCOMB-MEDIATED GENE REGULATION IN DEVELOPMENT AND CANCER
Yael David (MSKCC)
FROM MECHANISM TO MEDICINE: DECODING CHROMATIN AND CELL FATE WITH CHEMICAL PRECISION
Angelika Feldmann (German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ))
IS TIMING EVERYTHING? FROM DYNAMIC GENOME FOLDING TO GENE REGULATION
Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf (Van Andel Institute)
ENVIRONMENTAL PERTURBATION REVEALS HIDDEN MODALITIES OF EPIGENOMIC REGULATION
François Fuks (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
RNA MODIFICATIONS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Charles Gersbach (Duke University)
DECODING AND PROGRAMMING THE EPIGENOME FOR SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
Johannes Gräff (EPFL)
EPIGENETIC INFORMATION ENCODING IN THE BRAIN
Ernesto Guccione (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
PRMT5 REGULATES TELOMERASE BIOLOGY AT MULTIPLE NODES TO MAINTAIN TELOMERE INTEGRITY IN HUMAN CELLS
Cigall Kadoch (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School)
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF MAMMALIAN SWI/SNF CHROMATIN REMODELING COMPLEXES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Andreas Ladurner (LMU Munich)
ALLOSTERIC TARGETING OF A PARP1-ACTIVATED CHROMATIN REMODELER FOR CANCER THERAPY
Lluis Morey (University of Miami)
POLYCOMB MUTATIONS IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
Elisa Oricchio (EPFL)
FROM EPIGENETIC SIMILARITY TO TRANSCRIPTIONAL DIVERSITY: INSIGHTS FROM SINGLE-CELL EPITRANSCRIPTOMICS
Diego Pasini (IEO)
POLYCOMB-MEDIATED CONTROL OF CELL IDENTITY AND TISSUE HOMEOSTASIS
Ramin Shiekhattar (University of Miami)
INTEGRATOR COMPLEX IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Ali Shilatifard (Northwestern University)
THE LONG ROAD OF TRANSCRIPTION: ELONGATION CONTROL IN AGING, DISEASE AND CANCER
Sara Wickstrom (Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine)
MECHANICAL REGULATION OF CHROMATIN AND CELL STATES
Wei Xie (Tsinghua University)
ESTABLISHING THE EPIGENOME WHEN LIFE BEGINS
Fides Zenk (EPFL)
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN NEURODEVELOPMENT WITH SINGLE-CELL EPIGENOMICS

Key Sessions

• 3D genome folding, enhancer-promoter communication and long-range chromatin interactions
• Transcriptional and post-transcriptional control of cell fate
• Nuclear metabolism and its impact on chromatin function
• Epigenetic reprogramming and metabolism, regeneration, and cancer
• Mechanistic insights from single-cell multi-omics and spatial biology
• Chromatin-associated diseases, including cancer, neurological disorders and developmental syndromes
• Emerging technologies in chemical biology, genome engineering and integrative computational approaches

Reflecting the diversity and dynamism of the field, our invited speakers include pioneers of chromatin and transcription research as well as innovators in single-cell genomics, gene regulation, computational biology, disease modelling, as well as neurobiologists and cancer biologists.

Young scientists will be prominently featured through numerous short talks selected from submitted abstracts, interactive poster sessions and dedicated discussion time. Each session is designed to stimulate cross-disciplinary exchange, foster new collaborations and encourage bold, forward-looking ideas. The program has also allocated ample time for exchanging ideas and discussing novel hypotheses at the end of each session, as well as time for informal interactions and networking.

Target Audience

This conference is ideal for researchers - PhD students, postdocs, group leaders and clinician-scientists - working in gene regulation, chromatin architecture, nuclear biology, epigenetics, stem cell and developmental biology, cancer research and single-cell technologies.

Colleagues from biotech and pharma, particularly those focused on epigenetic therapies, precision oncology, regenerative medicine, computational biology, genome engineering, and emerging diagnostics, will find a rich environment for scientific exchange and strategic insight.