Over the last ~5 years, cryo-electron microscopy single-particle reconstruction and tomography have resulted in an extraordinary amount of structural information of respiratory membrane complexes, the value of which is yet to be fully explored. Even more recently, the importance of membrane protein dynamics, formation of supercomplexes and organisation within microbial (inner membrane) or mitochondrial cristae has been highlighted. These new insights have shaken the classical view of respiratory chains. An interdisciplinary evaluation of these results with experts from neighbouring fields such as protein-protein interactions, computational biology, dynamic membrane transport mechanisms and lipid biophysics is now needed to retain and even accelerate this momentum. Translation to the clinical sciences or an enhanced understanding of the structural dynamics for the functional properties of respiration and transport can also provide an opportunity to open up new fields of research.

The programme is designed to bring leaders in the fields of molecular respiration together with scientists working at the forefront of membrane transport, membrane structural biology and lipid biochemistry to create a more complete understanding of respiration and transport and explore further the relationship between function and disease.

This two-day meeting will focus on new advancements and technological developments in mass spectrometry for studying the structure and function of membrane proteins. It will bring together MS practitioners and structural biologists from academia and industry and will include sessions across many aspects of structural mass spectrometry of membrane proteins.

The conference programme will focus on the ever-growing developments and applications of structural mass spectrometry of membrane proteins and their complexes, as well as new advancements and technological developments in mass spectrometry.

Lab-on-a-chip devices allow precise control over liquid handing at microscopic scales and are applied in anything that involves liquid handing from enzyme-catalysed reaction chemistry to synthesis of smart biomaterials, point-of-care clinical diagnostics, and biomedical studies on cells and tissue.

This 2-day training event will provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art approaches to lab-on-a-chip, from materials and fabrication to biochemical and biomedical research applications. With hands-on sessions building on the talks, this event will be a unique opportunity to explore what has been highlighted in recent years as a hot research topic in biomedicine and the biosciences. The programme will also include a session focused on an industry perspective of these technologies, their clinical applications and 3R strategies for in vivo models.

This meeting gathers renowned experts who will highlight recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cAMP signalling in nano-scale compartments and how such local signalling regulates key cellular and physiological processes in the cardiovascular system. A further focus will be the relevance of cAMP signalling compartments as pharmacological targets for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Cutting-edge methodology such as the use of various high-resolution imaging techniques and advanced biosensors, animal models, and the current state of drug development, will be discussed.

The meeting brings together established and younger scientists, and aims at providing a platform for investigators in the early stages of their career to present their latest research and provides ample opportunities for networking.

R for Biochemists 101 aims to equip early career researchers with the information, tools and techniques to use R. It is suited to beginners that want to use the programming software but have little or no experience.

The course will focus on getting data in R, manipulating and visualizing them using various methods. Each module will use a biochemical experiment and data as a starting point.

Divided in 5 modules:

• Draw a protein standard curve using base R and ggplot2
• Extracting data from objects
• Drawing an enzyme kinetics plot
• Customizing and reusing plots with R
• Getting your data into R for exploration

Course Terms & Conditions >

This training event aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the pre-clinical drug discovery process. Designed and delivered by experts from industry and academia, the event is suitable for recent graduates, PhD students and early career scientists interested in working in the pre-clinical drug discovery industry.

The course focused on small molecule target identification and validation, hit-to-lead and lead optimisation, as well as on pre-clinical drug development and toxicology. ‘Key aspects of modern drug discovery’ comprises lectures, case studies, group discussions and a drinks reception to encourage networking and collaboration among delegates and speakers.

Programme coordinators:

• Rick Davies, AstraZeneca
• Jacqui Piner, GSK
• John Unitt, Sygnature Discovery
• Heather Wallace, University of Aberdeen
• John Ladbury, University of Leeds
• John Colyer, University of Leeds

Sponsored by:

Supported by:

                      RSB >                                                         BPS >

The interplay between cell signaling and intracellular trafficking is implicated in fundamental cellular processes including cell growth and motility, whereas aberrant membrane trafficking events and signaling pathways are frequently associated with malignant transformation and cancer.

The aim of this scientific conference is to merge advanced topics in cancer cell signaling together with emerging research themes in lipid metabolism, intracellular organelles and membrane trafficking. We will discuss oncogenic pathways and signaling networks as therapeutic targets and highlight their regulation by endomembranes and trafficking events.

The attendants will be exposed to the most advanced topics at the interface between oncogenic signaling and membrane trafficking including:

1. Phosphoinositides Signaling and conversion in the endolysosomal system
2. Lysosomal signaling, Iron Metabolism and Ferroptosis
3. RTK signaling and RTK-associated drug resistance (cMet, AXL, EGFR etc)
4. Non-receptor tyrosine kinases and integrin trafficking
5. System analysis of Signaling networks in cancer and targeted therapies.
6. EMT, Stemness, and Metastasis

This training event will explore strategies to engineer proteins for structural and functional studies. Discussions will focus on construct optimization, novel thermostability assays, crystallization tools and ‘tricks of the trade’ to enable structure determination. This event is ideal for graduate students in the biomedical sciences, anyone embarking on a structural biology project and those interested in generating soluble and functional expression of proteins using recombinant techniques.

Topics covered will include:

• cryo-EM preparation for membrane proteins
• optimization of proteins for NMR studies
• engineering of protein-DNA samples for structure determination
• novel and established methods for evaluating purity and homogeneity of macromolecules

Participants will gain a better understanding of the purity and characteristics of proteins samples needed for crystallization, cryo-EM and NMR studies, and of the current strategies to optimize solubility, purity, and homogeneity of proteins for structural and functional studies, including bioinformatics tools and post-production modifications.

Programme coordinators:

• Dr Amir Khan, Trinity College Dublin
• Dr Rivka Isaacson, King’s College London

During this two-day small-scale conference, the attendants will have the opportunity to hear international senior experts in the field of maternal obesity and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The program is framed to allow for intensive questioning and interaction with the speakers.

Also, young and established researchers are invited to present their research related to the themes in posters and oral communication sessions. The best abstracts will be awarded a special prize! The organisers aim for a low impact and healthy meeting focussing on accessibility for public transport, a healthy meeting environment and time for social activities and interaction.

Learn more and register via the link to the right

Drug repurposing represents a promising approach to find new therapeutic uses for existing drugs. This two-day meeting will provide a platform to highlight some of the latest developments in the field of drug repurposing.

There is a need for more systematic and strategic approaches and resources, and this meeting wants to highlight and showcase such efforts besides recent drug repurposing studies.

The field of drug repurposing provides a natural opportunity to combine the strengths of the academic and industrial field. Therefore, we encourage scientists from both sectors, as well as clinicians, to attend this meeting and use it as a networking opportunity and an interdisciplinary forum for discussion.

This meeting is designed to gather scientists working in transcription across all domains of life including eukaryotes, archaea and bacteria. The meeting will encompass all aspects of transcription control including basic mechanisms, epigenetics, chromatin organisation and long-range gene control.

Our aim is to provide a platform to bring together transcription researchers working in a diverse range of settings that include development, signalling, disease states (including cancer) and viral infections to share new and exciting developments and knowledge and to develop links and contacts.

Organ-on-a-Chip is a hot topic and one of keen interest to many scientists working in translational sciences. Whilst the technology is still in its infancy, Organ-on-a-Chip is expected to deliver game changing solutions and progressively increase our capacity to gain greater insight into mechanisms of human disease, toxicity and early efficacy assessment of new therapies. There are many Organ-on-a-Chip start-ups that have developed within academic institutions and are now attracting interest and financial investment. This conference will review where the current state of the art is, and where the bottle necks and future directions lay.

Participants attending this event will benefit from hearing a candid and critical perspective on the technology by leading academics, end users, regulators and manufacturers, and determine if the technology is currently able to replace more conventional approaches and, if not, where the remaining gaps are. Anyone from the scientific community who is either already working in this area of complex in vitro systems or who is interested in learning more is encouraged to attend this conference and explore this new exciting and promising area of research.

Synthetic biology is a convergence of multiple fields that can generate both improved understanding of biological systems as well as cutting-edge biotechnology.

Synthetic Biology UK 2019 will explore the unique opportunities of research in a number of areas of synthetic biology, establishing likely future directions and facilitating discussion about appropriate strategies. It will provide an excellent framework for younger scientists and engineers to learn about burgeoning new areas of activity, including the engineering of microbial communities and of microbial-plant interactions.

Small G proteins of the Ras superfamily regulate a plethora of cell signalling pathways and impact on most biological processes. Deregulation of these proteins and their pathways often results in disease, such as cancer and genetic disorders, and plays a role in infection by pathogenic organisms.

This conference will gather renowned experts to discuss research covering all five families of small G proteins, to highlight recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of small G protein function, and to generate new ideas, collaborations and scientific strategies from diverse inputs. This will include the Ras family, involved in cell growth, the Rho family, which drive cytoskeletal rearrangements, the Arf and Rab families, which play a role in vesicle trafficking and Ran, which is responsible for nuclear transport.