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Cellular mechanisms driven by phase separation – Course and Conference Office

EMBO | EMBL Symposium

Cellular mechanisms driven by phase separation

Overview
Speakers
Sponsors
About

This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg, with the option to attend virtually.

Registration is not yet open for this event. If you are interested in receiving more information please register your interest.

Symposium overview

The realisation that intracellular phase transitions underlie the formation of membrane-less compartmentalisation in cells has transformed our understanding of cellular organisation. While the existence of membrane-less organelles, such as nucleoli, stress granules, and Cajal bodies had been known for a long time, it had remained largely unclear until recently how they were formed, maintained, and regulated. Biomolecular condensates are often highly dynamic, and continuously exchange their components with the surrounding environment. These properties enable tight, cooperative regulation of compartmentalisation, concentration of biomolecules and fast adaptive responses. Beyond large intracellular bodies, the same physical principles are emerging as organising principles for a wide range of subcellular bodies including heterochromatin, super-enhancers, and membrane receptor clusters. Moreover, new insights into biology are emerging hand-in-hand with the development and application of condensed matter physics to provide a quantitative framework to interpret and predict how cells form and regulate biomolecular condensates.

To take full advantage of these newly emerging principles, we need to develop new tools and approaches to characterise the emergent properties of phase-separated states and their impact on biological function. This requires a combination of cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, structural biology, biophysics, soft matter physics, and polymer physics. This combination of disciplines will allow researchers to synergistically decipher how novel functions and pathologies emerge from the process of phase separation in biological systems, and what molecular underpinnings facilitate and regulate this key process.

This conference will bring together scientists from diverse fields, thinking environments, and scientific backgrounds. By doing so, we hope to foster new discoveries and nurture a new generation of scientists who challenge the boundaries of existing fields and think outside the box to tackle important emerging problems in the life sciences

What past participants say about the Symposium

“I have never been to a conference where every single talk was relevant, exciting, and well done. This is particularly phenomenal given the interdisciplinary nature of this field.” – Carlos Castaneda, Syracuse University, USA

“Although Intrinsically Disordered Proteins and Phase Separation have been around for a number of years, this meeting felt like the kick-off for a novel area in molecular biology.” – Roland Dosch, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany

“This was the best conference I have attended in years, bringing together biophysicists and biologists in an exciting and challenging format. I learnt a lot and have made great contacts for new collaborations.” – Sarah Mizielinska, Kings College London, UK

Keynote Speakers

Tanja Mittag

St. Jude Children’s Hospital

USA

Rohit Pappu

Washington University in St. Louis

USA

Speakers

Serena Carra

University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Italy

Amy Gladfelter

Duke University

USA

Maria Hondele

University of Basel

Switzerland

Tony Hyman

“Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics”

Germany

Ankur Jain

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

USA

Tuomas Knowles

University of Cambridge

Hyun Kate Lee

University of Toronto

Canada

Edward Lemke

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Germany

Timothy Nott

University of Oxford

Mike Rosen

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

USA

Ritwick Sawarkar

University of Cambridge

Ben Schuler

University of Zurich

Switzerland

Yongdae Shin

Seoul National University

Korea

Agnes Toth-Petroczy

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics

Germany

Stephanie Weber

McGill University

Canada

Scientific Organisers

Simon Alberti

Dresden University of Technology

Germany

Sara Cuylen-Häring

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Dorothee Dormann

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Germany

Alex Holehouse

Washington University in St. Louis

USA

Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities

We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities, with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget. Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg. View other conferences, or contact sponsorship@embl.de for further information.

If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event, please visit our media partnerships webpage.

Request a sponsorship brochure

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About

EMBO | EMBL Symposia promote scientific communication and collaboration in the European research area. They provide scientists with a platform to discuss and exchange ideas on forward-looking topics and new developments in the life sciences.

Topics emphasise upcoming developments and the interdisciplinary nature of related fields. Jointly funded and organised by EMBO and EMBL – and complementary to their respective courses, workshops, and conference programmes – the symposia promote scientific communication and collaboration.

All symposia are held in the EMBL Advanced Training Centre (ATC) in Heidelberg, Germany, or virtually.