Name: Industry careers for molecular bioscientists
Start: 2020-12-10
End: 2020-12-10
Location: Online

10 December

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Industry careers for molecular bioscientists

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Webinar

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Time: 13:00 – 14:00

The latest webinar in our Biochemistry Focus series is organized in association with ELRIG and explores career options in industry for bioscientists. Our panel comprises representatives working in industry, in a few different roles, who have entered the sector through various routes. This event will provide attendees with the opportunity to gain an insight into working in industry and offer the chance to ask questions directly to our panel.

This session will be chaired by Malcolm Weir, Executive Vice Chairman at Sosei Heptares and Chair of the Biochemical Society’s Industry Advisory Panel. Our panellists at this event are:

Gerard Collins is Human Resources Director at Sosei Heptares, an international biopharmaceutical group focused on the design and early development of new medicines originating from its proprietary GPCR-targeted StaR® technology and structure-based drug design platform capabilities

Scott Cribbes is the Business Development Director – EMEAI at Nexcelom Bioscience and sits on a working group for ELRIG. Having worked in research labs in academia, biotech, pharma and diagnostics for a decade, he moved to a more commercial role where he became an application specialist and has also dabbled in product management and marketing!

Panchali Goswami is a Scientific Investigator at GlaxoSmithKline. On completing her PhD in structural biology, Panchali changed fields and undertook post-doctoral training in biomarker discovery and clinical proteomics, and later post-doctoral training where she studied protein complexes involved in DNA replication. With this multidisciplinary scientific background, she made a smooth transition to the pharmaceutical industry where she is part of a team studying health and disease related macromolecues to support the development of medicines.

Jennifer Mitchell is a Research Scientist at Redx Pharma and a board member of ELRIG. She completed her integrated undergraduate and Masters degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Liverpool, and took on a graduate industrial role as an Associate Scientist working for a biotech company. After two years, Jennifer went back to academia to complete a PhD and is now working back in industry at Redx Pharma.

Join us for this free webinar! Click the link to register and find out more.

07 December - 09 December

All Day

Low molecular weight thiols: lessons learned and new perspectives – online conference

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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ONLINE CONFERENCE

Thiol redox reactions are implicated in a diverse range of physiological processes and are often dysregulated in human pathologies such as cancer, neurodegeneration and metabolic disorders. Low-molecular-weight (LMW) thiols play an essential role in maintaining the cellular redox homeostasis and exert important functions in cell growth, metabolism and detoxification pathways. This conference will be one of the first to focus on the versatile family of LMW thiols in health and disease, a family which contains structurally and functionally diverse molecules with a range of evolutionary histories.

This meeting will be run online – see the website to find out more.

02 December

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

The sociology of the anti-vaccine movement

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 17:00 – 18:00

Scepticism and misinformation relating to vaccines is not new. The benefits of all our present routinely used vaccines outweigh any risks. In relatively recent times there has been a ‘war on science’ and, relating to this, is the present anti-vaccine movement. Today, social media is a major contributor to vaccine misinformation. A recent Gallup poll noted that public support for vaccines today is significantly lower than it was in 2001. Social scientists have presented the problem of the anti-vaccine movement quite well; but mechanisms for addressing it are far from clear.

Professor James Cherry from UCLA will speak at this webinar, discussing a longer-term approach for physicians and other health care workers, to introduce epidemiological education in school as well as in college.

As a distinguished research Professor of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Professor Cherry has been involved in research related to vaccine preventable diseases for over 50 years. Following his infectious diseases fellowship training, Professor Cherry established one of the first formal pediatric infectious diseases fellowship programs in the world of which numerous trainees have gone on to be leaders in pediatric infectious diseases in the US and in other countries. He is also the senior editor of Feigin and Cherry’s Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases which is now in its 8th edition.

Our second invited speaker is Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. With a nursing and health visiting background, Helen joined UCL in 1986 to work on The Peckham Report a national study of the determinants of childhood vaccine uptake; vaccine acceptance has continued to be her main focus.

In the UK, uptake of childhood vaccines is high overall but there is considerable variation between and within areas. In this presentation, Helen will discuss factors affecting vaccine uptake including anti vaccine sentiment along with interventions to improve uptake. In particular, the issue of mandatory vaccination will be addressed.

This webinar will be chaired by Professor Rosalind Smyth, Director of the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

Invited speakers:

– Professor James Cherry, UCLA
– Helen Bedford, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health

26 November

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Developments in Industrial Biotechnology

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15:00 – 16:00

At this webinar, we will hear from researchers working in the field of industrial biotechnology.

Speakers and topics will include:

“Microscale bioreactors mimicking industrial scale conditions to speed up bioprocess”
Dr Leonardo Rios Solis – SynthSys Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, University of Edinburgh

“Metabolic engineering of Cupriavidus necator H16 for the sustainable production of monomers and biopolymers”
Dr Katalin Kovacs – Synthetic Biology Research Centre Nottingham

“Engineering microbial production strains towards de novo production of gatekeeper (2S)-flavanones”
Dr Mark Dunstan – SYNBIOCHEM, University of Manchester

Join us for this free webinar – click the link to register and find out more.

20 November

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Digital Biology: Advanced computational approaches to biological design and engineering

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15:00-16:00

At this webinar, we will hear from researchers using advanced computational approaches to examine existing – and engineer novel – biological processes.

These approaches have led to the recent discovery of a druggable pocket in the electron cryo-microscopy structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. We will be joined by one of the leaders of the team who made this discovery, Professor Christiane Berger-Schaffitzel, to hear about the finding and what it could mean for treating Covid-19.

We will also be joined by Dr Nicole Pearcy who has developed genome scale metabolic models of industrial chassis engineered for the sustainable production of platform chemicals and biofuels. These models are invaluable tools for simulating a bacterium’s metabolic behaviour at the systems level.

09 November

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Inflammasomes and plant resistosome

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 14:00 – 15:00

Inflammasomes are vital molecular complexes that initiate the inflammatory response in response to infection and tissue damage, by promoting the processing and release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. In particular, dysregulated or inappropriate activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is implicated in the worsening of numerous non-communicable diseases including atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, making it an attractive therapeutic target. After completing his PhD, Jack Green began his postdoc at the University of Manchester, focusing on understanding mechanisms regulating activation of inflammasomes, with a particular interest in the NLRP3 inflammasome. Following this work, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to further explore his work in this field and Jack will speak at this webinar on how ion flux regulates inflammation and the role of Cl- in NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

The plant resistosome and the inflammasome share important similarities, reflecting the importance of studies in different kingdoms and how this can lead to new and very important discoveries. Plants and animals detect and respond to pathogens with intracellular nucleotide-binding leucine rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors. Plant NLRs often co-operate as pairs or networks, with “sensors NLRs” responsible for detecting the pathogen and “helper NLRs” executing downstream immune responses which typically culminate in programmed cell death. Following Jack’s presentation, Cian Duggan from Imperial College London will discuss the plant resistosome, exploring how this ancient cell-intrinsic self-destructive machinery can eliminate pathogen spread.

This event will be chaired by Gloria Lopez-Castejon, a Welcome Trust and Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Research Fellow at the Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and inflammation (University of Manchester), and a member of the Biochemical Society’s Research Area IV – Cells. We are delighted to provide this opportunity for Jack and Cian – both early career researchers – to share their work with the biosciences community.

Invited speakers:

Jack Green, University of Manchester, UK.
Cian Duggan, Imperial College London, UK.

02 November

All Day

Practical Python for beginners: a biochemist’s guide

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Training Events & Courses

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An increase in the complexity and scale of biochemical data has created many opportunities for biochemists to exploit data visualisation, modelling and machine learning methods in knowledge discovery. Leveraging such power requires at least some coding which can be a daunting prospect for many biochemists.

The online course aims to support researchers at any career stage to learn the core skills which underlie the application of Python to complex, real-world research problems. ‘Practical Python for beginners: a Biochemist’s guide’ was developed by an experienced team of Python trainers and early career researchers with first-hand experience of learning Python for biochemical problems, based at the University of York.

The course is designed to take approximately 5 hours and is divided into small chunks that can be tackled at the learner’s own pace. Learners have the opportunity to interact with each other and the course trainers. No previous coding experience is required.

The successful learner will be able to:

explain the rationale for scripting
use the IPython command line as a calculator and to assign variables
use the basic data types and some simple functions
create lists and select elements from them
explain what a library is, import a Python library and use functions it contains
read biochemical data from a file into a Python
understand computing concepts such as what is meant by the working directory, absolute and relative paths and be able to apply these concepts to data import
analyse and visualise biochemical data using powerful Python packages such as NumPy, Pandas, Sklearn and Matplotlib

02 November - 30 November

All Day

The Changing landscape of research on ageing – ON DEMAND

29 October

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Neurobiology of chronic pain – mechanisms, management, and in-between

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15:00 – 16:00

Chronic pain is defined as pain experienced for a period of six months or longer and there are currently 28 million people in the UK that live with pain. NaV1.7 is a key ion channel in pain signaling. Gain-of-function mutations in the human NaV1.7 gene produce sensory neurons hyperexcitability associated with severe pain; whereas loss-of-function mutations generate congenital insensibility to pain syndromes. Efforts to develop NaV1.7 inhibitors for pain therapeutics have consistently failed.

Post-translational modifications of NaVs and/or auxiliary sub-units and protein-protein interactions have been reported as NaV-trafficking mechanisms. It was recently identified that modification of the axonal collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2) by a small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) controls both trafficking and currents of NaV1.7.

Speakers at this webinar will present an innovative approach of focusing on a unique mechanism of action of compounds that involve an indirect targeting to control surface expression and activity of the NaV1.7 channel. At this event, you will hear how researchers are capitalizing on this unique pathway for NaV1.7 regulation and have identified compounds designed to inhibit enzyme interactions to block relevant proteins. Over 266 compounds have been identified in this manner and these presentations will explore some of the results where there has been inhibition of interactions, anti-allodynic activities without loss of motoric performance or sympathetic side effects. Animal pharmacological studies have also indicated where some of the compounds displayed extended duration of action compared with morphine upon intrathecal administration to rats. Additional studies demonstrated inhibition of NaV1.7 currents in human and porcine sensory neurons, thus increasing likelihood of translational success and ‘de-risking’ compound selection.

We are pleased to welcome Dr Eilís Dowd, Lecturer in Pharmacology at National University of Ireland, Galway, and Neuronal Signaling journal Associate Editor, as chair of this webinar, along with speakers, Professor Rajesh Khanna who will discuss channeling chronic pain, and Professor David Finn who will speak on pain and negative affect.

Invited speakers:

Professor Rajesh Khanna, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Neuronal Signaling journal Associate Editor
Professor David Finn, Professor and Head of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Principal Investigator, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Centre for Pain Research at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

21 October

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Novel frontiers of Adipose tissue in health and disease

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15:00-16:00

This webinar will address current and emerging concepts on Adipose Biology in health and disease. Adipose tissue consists of white and brown; whose functions are to store excess energy and burn energy to maintain core body temperature, respectively. This classification into brown and white is simplistic as adipose tissue is a heterogeneous organ with the capability to interconvert between white, brown and beige in response to various physiological stimuli. Adipose tissue consists of multiple cell types including adipocytes, progenitors, immune cells and endothelial cells that interact and communicate with one another to maintain tissue homeostasis. At the whole-body level, adipose tissue supplies fatty acids as fuel through the biochemical process of lipolysis. From a therapeutic standpoint, there is much interest in studying adipose tissue as brown fat has great capacity to burn excess energy for the treatment of obesity and the dysfunction of white fat is implicated in numerous metabolic diseases.

Our invited speakers will be Dr Gregory Steinberg, who is a professor of medicine at McMaster University and also the founding co-director of the McMaster Centre for Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research; and Dr Emilio Mottillo, an Assistant Scientist in the Hypertension and Cardiovascular Research Division at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

Join us at this webinar, which is chaired by Dr Camilla Scheele, an Associate Professor at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research in Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr Scheele is a molecular biologist known in the field for her pioneering studies on adipose progenitors from brown adipose tissue of adult humans.

Invited speakers:

Dr Gregory Steinberg, Professor of medicine at McMaster University in Ontario (Canada)
Dr Emilio Mottillo, Assistant Scientist in the Hypertension and Cardiovascular Research Division, Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan (USA)

14 October

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Open Access – ask me anything!

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15:00 – 16:00

Join us on 14 October, ahead of Open Access Week, to ask your questions to a panel comprising perspectives from an institution, researchers at different stages of their career and a publisher.

The transition to open access (OA) is accelerating, from the launch of Plan S in 2018 to the introduction of transformative publishing deals and flipping journals. This free online event will discuss what today’s rapid evolution to OA means for the global research community.

The timing of this webinar coincides with the anniversary of the publication of the Biochemical Society’s position statement on Open Scholarship. Join us for this panel discussion to discover the progress made in this changing landscape and demystify the terminology. Our panellists all engage with OA but represent different aspects of the research community. Attending this event will provide you with the opportunity to ask the questions you always wanted to and find out more about latest developments and what lies ahead.

This webinar will be chaired by Dr David Pye, Honorary Policy Officer, Chair of the Biochemical Society’s Policy Advisory Panel, and Head of Chemical Sciences at the University of Salford.

Panellists include:

Dr James Brown, Lecturer in Cell Biology, University of Limerick
Dr Simon Kerridge, Director of Research Policy & Support, University of Kent
Malavika Legge, Director of Publishing, Portland Press, and Chair of the Society Publishers’ Coalition
Dr Helen Walden, Professor of Structural Biology, University of Glasgow

12 October

All Day

Introduction to public engagement and science policy

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Training Events & Courses

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FREE for members

To communicate beyond the lab requires a different set of skills. In this online course ‘Introduction to Public Engagement and Science Policy’, we will explore how the molecular biosciences can contribute to UK policy, and share tools that can be used to engage the public effectively.

This course is ideal for early to late career bioscientists who wish to learn more about science policy and public engagement. Each module will be around 2 hours.

The course modules will cover:

Introduction to science communication
Science in policy-making – a guide to the UK landscape
Public engagement activities
Evaluation of impact

You will have access to the module for one year, and lead educators will reply to your comments in the first 6 weeks, so you’re encouraged to complete the course during this time.

07 October

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

A decade in biology: what have the biosciences done for us?

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15:00 – 16:30

Celebrating the last 10 years of the Royal Society of Biology (RSB), we are delighted to welcome four speakers to our latest webinar, providing a series of talks showcasing what the biosciences have done for us.

At this event, we will welcome Dr Karl Frontzek, a consultant neuropathologist and senior researcher at the Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Switzerland. His scientific work is focused on immunological aspects of prion diseases.

Our second invited speaker will be Dr Kim Hardie. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham where her research group aims to decipher the complexity of polymicrobial biofilms, especially in the context of serious chronic infections and antimicrobial effectiveness. Finally, we will hear from Dr Oliver Elemento, who directs the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, an Institute that focuses on using genomics and informatics to make medicine more individualized.

Invited speakers:

Dr Karl Frontzek, Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich
Dr Kim Hardie, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham
Dr Oliver Elemento, Englander Institute for Precision Medicine

05 October - 01 November

All Day

Drug repurposing – ON DEMAND

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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Drug repurposing represents a promising approach to find new therapeutic uses for existing drugs. This conference was originally held in November 2019 and the speaker presentations are now available to watch on demand. These talks highlighted 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 focused on showcasing such efforts and exploring recent drug repurposing studies.

The field of drug repurposing provides a natural opportunity to combine the strengths of the academic and industrial field. Anyone from the scientific community from either sector, as well as clinicians, are encouraged to attend this conference.

These talks will be available from Monday 5 October until Sunday 1 November 2020. During this time, registrants will be able to submit questions for the speakers.

30 September

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

A brief history of biopharmaceuticals – scientific drivers for adoption of large molecule therapeutics

24 September

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

The biopharma drug development pathway: origins and comparison with small molecule discovery

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 3:00 – 4:00 pm (BST)

The biopharma drug development pathway: origins and comparison with small molecule discovery

In this webinar, Professor Alexander Breeze will provide a historical context for the development of modern biopharmaceutical drug discovery pathways. He will compare and contrast the evolution of biologics (large molecule) development with that of ‘traditional’ small molecule pharma R&D, from which the biopharmaceuticals processes have largely been modelled and adapted.

In this presentation, we will explore the scientific and clinical challenges, attrition/risk profiles, economic drivers, and licensing approaches across the key stages in discovery and development for the two contrasting modalities of therapeutic agent.

Along the way, Professor Breeze will touch on the factors behind the rapid rise in prominence of biopharmaceuticals, as well as the reasons that, despite this apparent conquest by biologics, small molecule therapeutics will remain an important tool in the clinician’s armoury.

21 September

All Day

R for Biochemists 101

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Category

Biochemical Society Events

Training Events & Courses

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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.

The course is 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

The estimated time of completion for each module is one hour, however, participants will be able to learn at their own pace and will benefit from the interaction with the course lead educator and other fellow participants. Dr Paul Brennan will reply to your comments and queries for five weeks. After this time, you’ll be able to still access the course, but the interaction with the course leader won’t be available.

17 September

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Genes regulating ageing and the quest for immortality, co-hosted by BSRA

Organiser

Joint Event

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 14:00 (BST)

This is a joint webinar with the British Society for Research on Ageing.

Ageing has a profound impact on human society and modern medicine. Although its causes remain largely mysterious, hundreds of genes are now known to regulate ageing in model organisms. Genes can increase longevity by up to 10 fold and delay the process of ageing as a whole in animal models. Applying this knowledge to improve human health would have huge benefits. Besides, lifespan varies dramatically between similar species: mice die of old age at 3-4 years of age, dogs cannot live more than 30 years, yet humans can live over 100 years and some animals can live even longer. The study of species with exceptional longevity or disease resistance may help treat and prevent human diseases.

In this webinar, Professor Joao Pedro de Magalhaes, Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, will share his research into the biology of ageing.

11 September

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

How to deliver biomolecular science honours research projects with limited lab bench time – Part II

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15:00 (BST)

Due to social distancing, shielding and travel restrictions, lab time and bench space will be limited for many final year biomolecular science undergraduates in the 2020/2021 academic year. To meet the aims and learning objectives of final year honours research projects under these conditions, projects will require adaptation. In this two-part webinar series, researchers who have successfully delivered – and students who have undertaken – biomolecular science undergraduate projects under restricted lab time conditions will share their experiences.

In Part II, we will be joined by Dr Aysha Divan, Associate Professor in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Leeds, who will talk about her experience of running non-traditional research projects under the constraints of limited access to the lab.

03 September

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Reprogramming of the epigenome in embryogenesis

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Online

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Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 12:00 – 13:00 (BST)

This webinar will explore embryonic development in mammalian and non-mammalian species, focusing on the comparison of epigenetic reprogramming between species. More specifically, from a non-mammalian perspective, inheritance and developmental reprogramming of non-CpG methylation in zebrafish will be covered. We will then provide an insight to early mammalian development, from fertilization to gastrulation with a focus on epigenetic dynamics and transcriptional regulation. The exciting area of zygotic genome activation and the transfer of control from the mother (oocyte) to embryo will also be discussed.

This is perhaps one of the most fascinating and important fields of biology as it pertains to how much of life is created and there is still a lot to learn on the complexity underlying these processes.

Our invited speakers will be Dr Melanie Eckersley-Maslin, BBSRC Discovery Fellow at the Babraham Institute (UK) and Dr Ozren Bogdanovic, Senior Research Fellow at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

Join us at this webinar, which is chaired by Professor Marnie Blewitt, who jointly leads the Epigenetics and Development Division at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and she is also an Associate Editor for the Biochemical Society Transactions journal.

24 August

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

How to deliver biomolecular science honours research projects with limited lab bench time – Part I

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15:00 (BST)

Due to social distancing, shielding and travel restrictions, lab time and bench space will be limited for many final year biomolecular science undergraduates in the 2020/2021 academic year. To meet the aims and learning objectives of final year honours research projects under these conditions, projects will require adaptation. In this two-part webinar series, researchers who have successfully delivered – and students who have undertaken – biomolecular science undergraduate projects under restricted lab time conditions will share their experiences.

In Part I, we will be joined by Dr Douglas Houston, Senior Lecturer in Computational Biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh, and his student, Vincent Blay, who will share their experiences of supervising and completing research projects under limited lab space and time. They will tell us what worked well for them, what they would rethink in the future, and answer your audience questions.

06 August

All Day

Non-academic careers for molecular bioscientists

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

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Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15.00 (BST)

If you’re reaching the end of your studies or completing a piece of research and considering what happens next, then why not register to attend our latest webinar? At this event, you will hear from qualified scientists who have chosen a non-academic route for their career.

James Brown, who has a background in biochemistry, and has previously worked as a school teacher, is now Public Engagement Project Management Officer at the University of Warwick, and he will discuss the wonderful world of science communication. Emma Pettengale achieved a Masters in Biomedical Sciences and since 2008 has worked in scientific publishing. Saleha Patel has previously worked in academia and for the last three years has worked as Senior Research Scientist at AstraZeneca; at this event she will be providing an insight to working in industry. Neil Jones, a cell biologist by training, now leads a group focused on target validation and disease positioning at CRUK – Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories.

This webinar will be chaired by Helen Watson, Associate Professor of Bioscience at the University of Plymouth, and Chair of the Society’s Education, Training & Public Engagement Committee, who introduce the variety of career options. The format of this webinar has been devised so that each panellist will provide a short overview of their career path, followed by an extended Q&A session so that attendees can find out more and gain a better understanding into the wide range of non-academic careers available.

29 July

All Day

From diagnosis to therapy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Online

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Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 2pm (BST)

Professor Dame Kay Davies from the MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre will present her work in this field at the latest webinar organized by the Biochemical Society and Portland Press. Kay is the 2020 recipient of the Biochemical Society’s Centenary Award and her lecture will provide a summary of the current status of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) therapy with a particular focus on those genetic strategies which have been taken forward to the clinic.

Genetic approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of inherited muscle diseases have advanced rapidly in recent years. Most of the advances have occurred in the treatment of DMD, a muscle wasting disease where affected boys are typically wheelchair bound by 12 years of age and generally die from respiratory failure or cardiomyopathy in their twenties. DMD is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene encoding the large cytoskeletal protein which associates with other proteins at the muscle membrane to form the dystrophin-associated protein complex (DAPC). In the absence of dystrophin, the DAPC is lost, making the muscle membrane more susceptible to contraction-induced injury. The identification of the gene causing DMD in 1986 resulted in improved diagnosis of the disease and the identification of hotspots for mutation. However there is currently no effective treatment.

There are several promising genetic therapeutic approaches at the preclinical stage or in clinical trials including exon-skipping, read-through of stop codons, delivery of dystrophin minigenes and the modulation of expression of the dystrophin related protein, utrophin.

This webinar will be chaired by Dr Augustin Amour, Adaptive Immunity Project Leader at GSK and member of the Society’s Clinical & Translational Research Theme Panel.

16 July

All Day

Disassembly of the replicative helicase in eukaryotic cells

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Online

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Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 15:00 – 16:00 (BST)

Dr Sara Priego Moreno is one of the Biochemical Society’s 2020 Early Career Research Awards recipients. Her research has focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern the poorly characterized termination stage of eukaryotic DNA replication. Using egg extracts from the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis to run in vitro DNA replication reactions, Sara was able to characterize for the first time the biochemistry underlying one of the most important events taking place during replication termination: Replisome disassembly upon replication forks convergence.

During this webinar, Sara will explain the current knowledge built from the last six years of research in regards to the mechanisms of CMG disassembly and their importance for the maintenance of genome integrity as well as emerging questions and future directions.

Join us for this lecture, chaired by Dr Martin Pool from the University of Manchester and the Biochemical Society’s Local Ambassador Representative.

09 July

All Day

2020 Thudichum Medal Lecture: Alpha-synuclein, a central player in neurodegenerative diseases

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

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Biochemical Society Events

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Time: 14:00 – 15:00 (BST)

Professor Maria Grazia Spillantini is the 2020 Thudichum Medal recipient, which is awarded to honour eminent scientists who have made outstanding contributions to neurochemistry and related subjects. Maria Grazia is Professor of Molecular Neurology in the Clinical School of the University of Cambridge and her work focusses on the molecular neuropathology of diseases characterised by tau and alpha-synuclein aggregates. With her collaborators, she identified alpha-synuclein as the major component of the filaments that form the Lewy bodies in Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, and described one of the first mutations in the Tau gene leading to frontotemporal dementia and Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17. At this webinar, Maria Grazia will give her Thudichum Medal lecture, entitled Alpha-synuclein, a central player in neurodegenerative diseases, presenting her research into the causal involvement of alpha-synuclein in disease development.

This lecture will be chaired by Stefan Roberts, Professor of Cancer Biology at the
University of Bristol, and the Biochemical Society’s Honorary Meetings Secretary.

29 June - 19 July

All Day

Organ-on-a-chip: current gaps and future directions – ON DEMAND

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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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 changer solutions and progressively increase our capacity to gain greater insight into mechanisms of human disease, toxicity and early efficacy assessment of new therapies.

This conference was originally held in December 2019 and the speaker presentations are now available to watch on demand. These talks will review where the current state of the art is, where the bottle necks are and where the future directions lay. Join us online to 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 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 the 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.

The talks will be available from Monday 29 June until Sunday 19 July 2020. During this time, registrants will be able to submit questions for the speakers.

26 June

All Day

Human Cell Atlas: Mapping the human body one cell at a time

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Webinar

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Time: 14:00 – 15:00 (BST)

Dr Sarah Teichmann is the 2020 GlaxoSmithKline Award recipient, which is made in recognition of research leading to new advances in medical science. She is Head of Cellular Genetics at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and her work focuses on deciphering the immune system with genomics and bioinformatics approaches. The Human Cell Atlas (HCA) is an ambitious global initiative aiming to create a comprehensive reference map of all human cells—the fundamental units of life—as a basis for both understanding human health and diagnosing, monitoring, and treating disease. Co-founded by Dr Teichmann and Dr Aviv Regev from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in the US, the HCA was launched in London in 2016. The HCA’s ground-breaking approach is providing unprecedented understanding of human cells and tissue architecture in health and diseases including COVID-19 infection, cancer, respiratory and auto-immune disease.

This lecture will be chaired by Colin Bingle, Professor of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Sheffield, and Chair of the Biochemical Society’s Awards Committee. Join us for this webinar to hear about Sarah’s awarding-winning research and how the HCA initiative promotes a richer understanding of the cellular basis of health and disease.

22 June

All Day

Using technology for effective teaching in HE

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Training Events & Courses

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The course is aimed at anyone teaching or supporting teaching in bioscience at Higher Education, from early career to experienced lecturers, interested in embedding relevant technology in their practice to improve students’ learning. The course will be informed by evidence and will include case studies and online discussions among participants, who will be encouraged to share their experiences.

The course is composed of five modules:

E-portfolios for evidencing professional practice
Supporting assessment and feedback through digital technologies
Online test: different approaches to enhance student learning
Using your VLE to support teaching
Making the most of the tools in your VLE

Discussions among participants and with lead educators will be central to the course, and delegates will have the opportunity to share their experiences by posting case studies outlining how they use technology in their teaching and what works best for them.

Completing this course will help colleagues working towards various levels of fellowship of the HEA.

11 June

All Day

Building gene drives to beat malaria

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Webinar

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Time: 15:00 – 16:00 (BST)

Dr Andrew Hammond was one of the 2020 Early Career Research Awards recipients. He completed his PhD at Imperial College London working on gene drives. Gene drives are genetic modifications with incredible potential to modify entire populations of the malaria mosquito for sustainable vector control. Andrew’s PhD research established CRISPR and gene drive technologies in the African malaria mosquito, including the first demonstration that gene drives can invade insect populations. During his postdoctoral training, Andrew investigated the molecular basis of evolved resistance to the technology, and incorporated this understanding to build the first gene drive capable of eliminating entire populations of laboratory-contained mosquitoes.

This lecture will be chaired by Sheila Graham, Professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Glasgow. Join us for this webinar to hear about Andrew’s work and how knowledge of genomic conservation, sex-determination and DNA-repair have guided the development of a new tool to combat malaria.

04 June

All Day

Cellular Therapy

03 June

All Day

ACE2: friend or foe

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Webinar

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Time: 2pm – 3pm (BST)

Professor Rhian Touyz from the University of Glasgow, and Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Science, will chair this hour-long webinar which will explore Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) – the major enzyme responsible for conversion of Ang II into Ang-(1-7), and receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus (CoV)-2, which causes Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19.

The programme will cover the historical background and ACE2 discovery, and explore the enzymatic and non-enzymatic functions of ACE2. Other speakers include Professor Anthony Turner from the University of Leeds and Professor Michael Bader from The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine.

04 May

All Day

Practical Python for beginners: a Biochemist’s guide

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Training Events & Courses

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An increase in the complexity and scale of biochemical data has created many opportunities for biochemists to exploit data visualisation, modelling and machine learning methods in knowledge discovery. Leveraging such power requires at least some coding which can be a daunting prospect for many biochemists.

The online course aims to support researchers at any career stage to learn the core skills which underlie the application of Python to complex, real-world research problems. ‘Practical Python for beginners: a Biochemist’s guide’ was developed by an experienced team of Python trainers and early career researchers with first-hand experience of learning Python for biochemical problems, based at the University of York.

The course is designed to take approximately 5 hours and is divided into small chunks that can be tackled at the learner’s own pace. Learners have the opportunity to interact with each other and the course trainers. No previous coding experience is required.

The successful learner will be able to:

explain the rationale for scripting
use the IPython command line as a calculator and to assign variables
use the basic data types and some simple functions
create lists and select elements from them
explain what a library is, import a Python library and use functions it contains
read biochemical data from a file into a Python
understand computing concepts such as what is meant by the working directory, absolute and relative paths and be able to apply these concepts to data import
analyse and visualise biochemical data using powerful Python packages such as NumPy, Pandas, Sklearn and Matplotlib

30 March

All Day

R for Biochemists 101 – 2020

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Category

Biochemical Society Events

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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.

The course is 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

The estimated time of completion for each module is one hour, however participants will be able to learn at their own pace and will benefit from the interaction with the course lead educator and other fellow participants. Dr Paul Brennan will reply to your comments and queries for six weeks. After this time, you’ll be able to still access the course, but the interaction with the course leader won’t be available.

24 February

All Day

Introduction to public engagement and science policy

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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24 February 2020

FREE for members

To communicate beyond the lab requires a different set of skills. In this online course ‘Introduction to Public Engagement and Science Policy’, we will explore how the molecular biosciences can contribute to UK policy, and share tools that can be used to engage the public effectively.

This course is ideal for early to late career bioscientists who wish to learn more about science policy and public engagement. Each module will be around 2 hours.

The course modules will cover:

Introduction to science communication
Science in policy-making – a guide to the UK landscape
Public engagement activities
Evaluation of impact

You will have access to the module for one year, and lead educators will reply to your comments in the first 6 weeks, so you’re encouraged to complete the course during this time.

27 January - 28 January

All Day

Using technology for effective teaching in HE

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Training Events & Courses

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Starting: 27 January 2020

The course is aimed at anyone teaching or supporting teaching in bioscience at Higher Education, from early career to experienced lecturers, interested in embedding relevant technology in their practice to improve students’ learning. The course will be informed by evidence and will include case studies and online discussions among participants, who will be encouraged to share their experiences.

Topics include using e-portfolios for evidencing professional practice and approaches to enhance assessment and feedback.

Discussions among participants and with lead educators will be central to the course, and delegates will have the opportunity to share their experiences by posting case studies outlining how they use technology in their teaching and what works best for them.

Completing this course will help colleagues working towards various levels of fellowship of the HEA.

09 December - 10 December

All Day

Synthetic Biology UK 2019

02 December

All Day

Organ-on-a-Chip: Current Gaps and Future Directions

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

GSK’s Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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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 reviewed where the current state of the art is, and where the bottle necks and future directions lay.

Participants attending this event benefited 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 was encouraged to attend this conference and explore this new exciting and promising area of research.

20 November - 22 November

All Day

Transcription in Health and Disease

18 November - 19 November

All Day

Drug Repurposing

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

IET Birmingham: Austin Court, Birmingham, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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Drug repurposing represents a promising approach to find new therapeutic uses for existing drugs. This two-day meeting provided 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 wanted 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 encouraged 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.

05 November - 06 November

All Day

Maternal obesity and pre-eclampsia: common pathways

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

OBA Congress, Public Library Amsterdam, Netherlands

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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

Also, young and established researchers were invited to present their research related to the themes in posters and oral communication sessions. The best abstracts were awarded a special prize! The organisers aimed 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

04 November - 05 November

All Day

Engineering recombinant proteins for structural and functional studies

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

London, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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This training event explored strategies to engineer proteins for structural and functional studies. Discussions were focused on construct optimization, novel thermostability assays, crystallization tools and ‘tricks of the trade’ to enable structure determination. This event was 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 included:

• 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 gained 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

21 October - 24 October

All Day

Cell Signaling and Intracellular Trafficking in Cancer Biology: Interplay, Targeting and Therapy

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Molecular Biotechnology Centre

Turin, Italy

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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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 was to merge advanced topics in cancer cell signaling together with emerging research themes in lipid metabolism, intracellular organelles and membrane trafficking. We discussed oncogenic pathways and signaling networks as therapeutic targets and highlight their regulation by endomembranes and trafficking events.

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

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

17 October - 18 October

All Day

Key aspects of Modern Drug Discovery

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

BioCity, Nottingham, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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This training event aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the pre-clinical drug discovery process. Designed and delivered by experts from industry and academia, the event was 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’ comprised 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

Supported by:

RSB > BPS >

16 September - 18 September

All Day

Nanodomains in cyclic nucleotide signalling: from mechanisms to therapeutic approaches

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London, London, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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This meeting gathered renowned experts who highlighted 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 was 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, were discussed.

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

29 August - 30 August

All Day

Structural Mass Spectrometry of Membrane Proteins

28 August - 31 August

All Day

85th Harden Conference: Dynamic Membrane Complexes: Respiration and Transport

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Gustav Stresemann Institute, Bonn, Germany

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Harden Conference

Scientific Meetings

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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 was 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.

18 July - 20 July

All Day

The PI3K/PTEN pathway: from basic science to clinical translation

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Palace Hotel, Buxton, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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This conference was focused on the biology and signalling of the class I isoforms of PI3K, their downstream targets such as Akt/PKB and the drugs that have been generated to interfere with their function in disease. The speaker programme brought together researchers to bridge the gap between basic science and translation, as well as industry figures who will provide an update on their PI3K programmes, and clinicians to share their feedback from some of the clinical trials.

This exciting event aimed to provide a forum to share the latest discoveries, expand on the understanding of the basic biology science and signalling and examine novel translational opportunities, including neuroprotection and the treatment of rare diseases driven by PI3K pathway deregulation.

16 July

All Day

Practical Python: Resources for analysing biological data with Python

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

University of York, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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This practical event explored the use of modern Python and associated resources for analysing and exploring biological data in the big data world. This course was ideal for any beginner/intermediate user of Python, with or without prior experience in other programming languages.

During this session, participants focused on how best to solve problems using this resource. The course will cover data handling and manipulation using the Pandas library, visualisation with the Matplotlib/Pyplot library and machine learning and statistics with the Scikit-learn library. Live demonstrations were given, as well as an open session for questions. By the end of the course, participants should be able to install a Python IDE, read data in many formats, and apply some visualisation and analysis techniques.

15 July - 17 July

All Day

Protein engineering II: from new molecules to new processes

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

University of York, York, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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The ability to engineer proteins to tackle new challenges has had a transformational effect across the biological and physical sciences, in both industrial and academic settings. The rate at which new methods are being developed shows no sign of slowing. This timely meeting will cover recent developments in the engineering of proteins.

Themes include new methods such as computational design, high throughput screening, and genetic code expansion, targets such as new biotherapeutics, scaffolds and catalysts, and the applications to which these are being applied, including diagnostics and sensing, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology.

As such this was an interdisciplinary meeting that demonstrated the state-of-the-art of the field, and brought together a diverse set of researchers, making this an ideal forum for the exchange of new ideas.

03 July - 05 July

All Day

Translation UK 2019

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Strathclyde Business School, Glasgow, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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This event has sold out. To be added to the waiting list please email
Conferences >
———

Translation UK is an annual meeting for a research community interested in understanding the mechanisms and control of mRNA translation and its implications for development, disease, agriculture and biotechnology.

It aimed to:

Provide a forum for UK and European scientists working in this field to meet, present their latest findings and exchange ideas and potentially establish new research collaborations.
Provide opportunities for junior researchers to present their work and engage with leaders in this research field.
Invite speakers to enhance the meeting program and the stature of the UK translation field.

Topics in this meeting were invited to submit to our journal, Biochemical Society Transactions, or other publication published by Portland Press, the wholly-owned trading subsidiary of the Biochemical Society.

01 July - 03 July

All Day

Redox Signalling in physiology, ageing and disease

Organiser

Joint Event

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Location

Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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A joint Biochemical Society and BSRA Scientific Conference

The goal of this meeting was to bring biochemists, cell and systems biologists investigating redox-signalling mechanisms in a variety of systems, together with those working on the biological mechanisms underlying ageing and age-associated diseases. As such this meeting provided an interdisciplinary forum for discussion of new approaches to the study of redox regulation, the mechanisms involved, and the role of redox dysregulation in health, ageing and disease.

Topics included:

Biological sources and metabolism of reactive oxygen species
Tools for measuring ROS, redox changes and elucidating redox-signalling mechanisms
Redox-regulated physiological processes and stress responses
Biochemistry of redox-signalling; thiol oxidation, redox-relays, redoxin systems and glutathione
The roles of ROS in ageing and disease

17 June - 19 June

All Day

Deubiquitylases: from mechanism to physiology

29 April

The Changing Landscape of Research on Ageing: Models, Mechanisms and Therapies

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Beatson Institute for Cancer Research

Glasgow, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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A Biochemical Society Scientific Meeting

The number of aged individuals in the World’s population is growing. Improvements in health span have not matched the increase in the average human lifespan. Consequently, there is an urgent need to address the associated increase in age related morbidities and to understand and separate natural ageing processes from processes specific to morbidities, in order to improve health span.

This meeting captured the cutting-edge of the field of Geroscience, covering a broad front of exciting research into aspects of mammalian ageing, from hallmarks including cellular senescence and nutritional and epigenetic dysregulation, through to progeric diseases, gerontogens and emerging therapies to address these. As ageing is a process, it is important to address the underpinning mechanisms and how these interplay over the life course and in the general population, to mitigate the impact of psychosocial and socioeconomic and environmental issues caused by a growing demographic of the aged in society.

This symposium explored gaps in knowledge between the basic science and both its clinical and social translational applications. Critically, it explored emerging environmental factors, including the microbiome, and how these interplay with the genome and epigenetic landscape of ageing. The symposium was designed to be suitable for basic scientists, clinical scientists, health professionals and industry.

View full programme here.

This event was also live streamed for those unable to get to Glasgow. If you wish to attend online please select ‘live stream’ during registration.

As an online delegate you can watch a private live stream of the talks from the comfort of your office or home via a personalised link, ask questions to speakers and network with other remote delegates.

Topics in this meeting were invited to submit to our journal, Biochemical Society Transactions, or other publication published by Portland Press, the wholly-owned trading subsidiary of the Biochemical Society.

Oral communication slots are available at this meeting.

All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, were invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration as an oral communication.

Grants and Bursaries

The Biochemical Society offers a programme of grants and bursaries supporting research, attendance at scientific conferences and the sponsorship of events.

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

03 April - 05 April

All Day

2nd UK Workshop on Membrane proteins: solubilisation and biophysical characterisation

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Nottingham

UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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This three-day training event for early career researchers focussed on the function on biological membranes and on the biophysical techniques available to study their components in the context of biology and biotechnology. The event comprised lectures, computer and laboratory-based practical sessions. Participants left the event with new knowledge and protocols that will allow them to use biophysical techniques for studying components of biological membranes in their research.

Topics included:

Solubilisation, purification of lipid nanoparticles (SMALPs)
Structural elucidations, cryo-EM & crystallography
Spectroscopy of membranes and membrane proteins, circular dichroism & EPR
Modelling membranes and membrane proteins
Validation of membrane protein structures
Lipidomics and membrane protein mass spectroscopy
Single-molecular and single-enzyme studies of membrane proteins

19 March

All Day

Practical Python: Resources for analysing biological data with Python

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Online

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Training Events & Courses

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View Programme

This introductory course was aimed at biochemists, physiologists, pharmacologists and those working across more than one discipline. This practical half-day session explored the use of modern Python and associated resources for analysing and exploring biological data in the big data world. This course was ideal for any beginner/intermediate user of Python, with or without prior experience in other programming languages.

During this session, participants focused on how best to solve problems using this resource. The course covered data handling and manipulation using the Pandas library, visualisation with the Matplotlib/Pyplot library and machine learning and statistics with the Scikit-learn library. Live demonstrations were given, as well as an open session for questions. By the end of the course, participants were able to install a Python IDE, read data in many formats, and apply some visualisation and analysis techniques.

This half-day training workshop ran alongside the Life Sciences 2019: Post-translational modifications and cell signalling meeting.

17 March - 18 March

All Day

Life Sciences 2019: Post-translational modification and cell signalling

10 December

2018 Industry and Academic Collaboration Award Lecture: Validating disease targets using open access chemical probes

Organiser

Biochemical Society

Location

Brighton and Sussex Medical School Teaching Building

Sussex University, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

The inaugural Industry and Academic Collaboration Award was awarded in 2018 to Stefan Knapp from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, the Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences at Frankfurt University as well as at the Structural Genomics Consortium at Oxford University.

His research team made a major contribution to the understanding of structural mechanisms regulating signalling molecules such as protein kinases, phosphatases, acetylation dependent reader domains of the bromodomain family and the exploitation of this knowledge for the development of highly specific inhibitors. In the framework of a large collaborative network involving many academic research groups and industry, he pioneered the development of protein interaction inhibitors targeting bromodomains that function as lysine acetylation dependent reader domains of the epigenetic code as well as highly specific allosteric inhibitors modulating kinase function.

The lecture, entitled ‘Validating disease targets using open access chemical probes’ took place at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School Teaching Building, University of Sussex, UK.

Programme:

16:00-17:00 Award presentation and lecture: Validating disease targets using open access chemical probe

17:00-18:00 Drinks reception

22 November - 23 November

Young Life Scientists’ Symposium 2018 – Genome Integrity: a lifetime’s challenge

19 November - 20 November

Synthetic Biology UK 2018

Organiser

BrisSynBio

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Location

We the Curious

Bristol, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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A Joint Biochemical Society and BrisSynBio Scientific Meeting

SBUK was the premiere UK synthetic biology meeting, bringing together all flavours of synthetic biology to foster a cohesive, vibrant and multidisciplinary community that is inclusive, open to innovation, collaboration and supportive of young talent.

The University of Bristol hosted SBUK 2018, bringing a unique focus on synthetic biology approaches to biomolecular design and engineering.

The scientific programme showcased some of the very best of the UK and international synthetic biologists. Particular attention was devoted to oral and poster presentations from early career scientists, with dedicated sessions for networking, and a vibrant social programme.

Some Topics in this meeting were invited to submit to our journal, Biochemical Society Transactions, or other publication published by Portland Press, the publishing arm of Biochemical Society.

16 November

Shaping Your Career in Molecular Biosciences: Taking a Wider View

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Technology and Innovation Centre

Glasgow, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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This half-day event was open to anyone looking to progress their career in molecular bioscience.

Participants had the opportunity to attend sessions on a range of topics, including:

Marketing yourself to different audiences
Mapping your job applications based on the advert and criteria
Moving between academia and industry
What skills you can gain on an internship or placement

The event followed the Young Life Scientists’ Symposium (YLS) on Molecular Neuropharmacology in Health & Wellbeing on 15 November.

Grants and Bursaries

The Biochemical Society offers a programme of grants and bursaries supporting research, attendance at scientific conferences and the sponsorship of events.

Please note that there is was no abstract submission for this event.

29 October - 30 October

Key Aspects of Modern Drug Discovery

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Charles Darwin House

London, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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This training event aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the pre-clinical drug discovery process. Designed and delivered by experts from industry and academia, the event was 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’ comprised lectures, case studies, group discussions and a drinks reception to encourage networking and collaboration among delegates and speakers.

Speakers included:

Rick Davies, AstraZeneca
Jacqui Piner, GSK
John Unitt, Sygnature Discovery
Heather Wallace, University of Aberdeen
Rupert Satchell, Sygnature Discovery
Andy Davis, AstraZeneca
John Ladbury, University of Leeds

The event was developed in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry, and supported by the Royal Society of Biology and the British Pharmacological Society.

10 September - 12 September

Acylation of intracellular and secreted proteins: mechanisms and functional outcomes

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Location

Old Ship Hotel

Brighton, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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A Biochemical Society Scientific Meeting

Programme Co-ordinators:

Luke Chamberlain (University of Strathclyde, UK)

Tony Magee (Imperial College, UK)

Protein acylation events are crucial lipidation processes playing a fundamental role in cell physiology. Recently there has been a surge of interest in two acylation pathways: S-acylation, the modification of intracellular proteins by fatty acids attached to cysteine, and the acylation of secreted proteins including Ghrelin, Wnts and Hedgehogs. Although these two acylations occur on different sides of cell membranes and are catalysed by different enzyme families (zDHHC and MBOAT respectively), research into each pathway informs the other. These acylation pathways have seen important advances over recent years that make this meeting particularly timely, including: new insight into the enzymology and regulatory effects of these lipid modifications; seminal 3D structures of acylating enzymes; development of novel chemical biology-based methodologies that have supported new breakthroughs; and the identification of links between acylation and disease and the potential for pharmaceutical intervention.

The aims of the meeting were to provide a forum for the discussion of new discoveries in the field of protein acylation and to accelerate new discoveries by supporting the development of new collaborations and exchange of ideas and technical expertise. The specific learning objectives were:

To highlight the structure and function of enzymes that catalyse S-acylation and the acylation of soluble secreted proteins
To understand how the attachment of fatty acids onto proteins impacts their trafficking and function
To dissect how cell physiology and intracellular signalling is regulated by protein acylation
To understand how acylation enzymes can be targeted as a therapeutic strategy in a variety of disorders
To exemplify how new chemical biology approaches and other technological developments can be used to advance discovery in the protein acylation field

Topics in this meeting were invited to submit to our journal, Biochemical Society Transactions, or other publication published by Portland Press, the wholly-owned trading subsidiary of the Biochemical Society.

Oral communication slots were available at this meeting.

All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, were invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration as an oral communication.

Student Bursaries were available for this meeting.

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

10 September

All Day

R for Biochemists 101 2018

09 September - 12 September

84th Harden Conference: Single-molecule bacteriology

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Lady Margaret Hall

Oxford, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Harden Conference

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Single-molecule imaging has revolutionised our ability to study molecular processes underlying bacterial cell function. Using single fluorescent molecules to break the optical microscopy limit (~200 nm), we can achieve resolutions of ~20 nm in living cells, a scale previously accessible only by electron microscopy. New fluorescent proteins and dyes, ultrasensitive microscopy, and image-analysis software have also helped us visualise reactions, interactions and motions inside single bacteria; we can follow single protein machines as they function, and observe fine cellular structures transforming during the cell cycle. In a sense, we are “re-discovering” bacteria with a new set of eyes.

This toolbox is ideal for quantitative biology; we can count molecules, and monitor their intracellular location, mobility and kinetics inside cell populations. Combined with powerful modelling, imaging transforms our understanding of bacteria as complex systems and synthetic-biology vectors.

With this interdisciplinary meeting, we showcased the most exciting developments in this young field to a UK and European audience. In selecting speakers, we aimed at scientists using cutting-edge single-molecule imaging to study mechanisms inside single cells. We also aspired to connect world-leading physicists/engineers driving rapid progress in methods with microbiologists applying advanced imaging to long-standing questions in bacteriology. Overall, the meeting helped to build a multidisciplinary community working on key mechanisms of bacteria life.

The meeting covered structural/mechanistic studies of processes using super-resolution imaging and single-molecule methods (tracking, bleaching, co-localisation, FRET). Many processes involve nucleic acids (chromosome organization, DNA replication, repair, recombination, and segregation, gene expression, CRISPR mechanisms), whereas others relate to signal transduction, cell division, cell-wall biosynthesis, and motility. The meeting also explored new quantitative in vivo techniques applicable to bacteria: theoretical approaches (modelling stochastic gene expression), microfluidics, site-specific labelling, cytological profiling, high-throughput approaches). A third theme involved studies of clinical/commercial significance (biofilms, pathogenic bacteria, bacterial persistence, antibiotic resistance).

Programme coordinators

Achillefs Kapanidis, University of Oxford, UK
Meriem El Karoui, University of Edinburgh, UK
Stephan Uphoff, University of Oxford, UK
Jie Xiao, John Hopkins University, USA

Unique to the Biochemical Society, Harden Conferences are residential research conferences covering a specialist topic.

The conferences bring together scientists from various backgrounds with a common interest in – but varying approaches to – the topic of the conference.

To maintain a suitably high level of discussion and presentation at the conference, it is desirable that participants be experienced in the field covered; most of the participants will be expected to have postdoctoral or equivalent experience, although Ph.D. students will also be welcome.

View full programme here.

The planned scientific sessions feature speakers invited by the Organizers and, in addition, time is left for extensive discussion and for short contributions, including posters, by other conference participants.

We offer a limited number of bursaries to assist younger members of the Biochemical Society to attend the conferences.

02 September - 04 September

Biennial International LRRK2 Meeting

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

The Botanical Garden

Padua, Italy

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Leucine Rich Repeat Kinase 2 has emerged as a major genetic determinant of Parkinson’s disease, placing this multidomain enzyme at the core of research efforts for the development of both disease modifying therapies as well as disease related biomarkers. Given the success of the previous LRRK2 focused meetings, we launched a third edition of this event where the latest biochemical, cellular and translational LRRK2 research was discussed in the frame of future clinical applications.

Topics included:

LRRK2 genetics
LRRK2 structural biology
LRRK2 animal models
LRRK2 in immune function
LRRK2 intracellular pathways
LRRK2/alpha-synuclein interaction in Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis
LRRK2 in neuronal function
LRRK2 substrate and effectors
LRRK2 pathways to clinic
LRRK2 in other diseases

View full programme here.

Abstract deadline: Abstract submission has now closed.

Oral communication slots were available at this meeting. All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, are invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration as an oral communication.

Student Bursaries are available for this meeting.

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

02 August - 03 August

Structure and Mechanisms of Membrane Proteins

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Maple House

Birmingham, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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A Biochemical Society Scientific Meeting

Registration is now closed.

This timely two-day meeting brought together membrane protein structural biology experts to present their recent work on membrane proteins involved in different aspects of human health, disease and cellular functions. The talks covered the structure and mechanism of membrane protein transporters, channels and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The meeting brought together experts from both academia and industry to foster collaborative efforts.

View the full programme here.

Oral communication slots were available at this meeting. All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, were invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration as an oral communication.

Grants and Bursaries

The Biochemical Society offers a programme of grants and bursaries supporting research, attendance at scientific conferences and the sponsorship of events.

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

Publishing

Topics in this meeting were invited to submit to our journal, Biochemical Society Transactions, or other publication published by Portland Press, the wholly-owned trading subsidiary of the Biochemical Society.

31 July - 01 August

Experimental Techniques for Studying Proteins and Lipids in Biological Membranes

09 July - 12 July

Small G proteins in cellular signalling and disease 2018

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Clare College

Cambridge, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Small G proteins regulate a plethora of cell signalling pathways thus impacting on most biological processes. As a result of their broad spread cellular influence, the deregulation of these proteins and their pathways often results in disease, especially cancer. The interest, both academic and commercial, in these proteins has always been intense, but with the instigation of the Ras Initiative by the NCI in 2013, interest is newly invigorated. Hopes are high that new ways being developed will successfully target cancers driven by mutant Ras.

Topics in this meeting were invited to submit to our journal, Biochemical Society Transactions, or other publication published by Portland Press, the wholly-owned trading subsidiary of the Biochemical Society.

Oral communication slots were available at this meeting. All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, were invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration as an oral communication.

View full programme here.

Grants and Bursaries

The Biochemical Society offers a programme of grants and bursaries supporting research, attendance at scientific conferences and the sponsorship of events.

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

04 June - 06 June

All Day

The Biology and Physics of Bacterial Chromosome Organisation 2018

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Golden Tulip

Leiden, The Netherlands

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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Abstract Submission open for POSTERS ONLY: 4 May

In the recent years, collaborations between biologists and physicists have generated key discoveries regarding our understanding of bacterial chromosome structure. This conference will recognize the role of inter-disciplinary work and foster new collaborations and ideas.

New approaches and technologies have revolutionized the field of bacterial chromosome biology in the last fifteen years. For example, super-resolution microscopy is now being used to visualize previously unresolved structure, genomic tools have enabled the capture of new types of proximity information on a genomic-scale and polymer physics models allow researchers to tackle questions that go far beyond the traditional biological description of chromosome structure.

View programme.

The Biochemical Society offered the Members registration fee to members of the Netherlands Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NVBMB:https://nvbmb.kncv.nl) for this meeting.

Topics in this meeting were invited to submit to our journal, Biochemical Society Transactions, or other publication published by Portland Press, the wholly-owned trading subsidiary of the Biochemical Society.

Oral communication slots were available at this meeting. All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, were invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration as an oral communication.

Grants and Bursaries

The Biochemical Society offers a programme of grants and bursaries supporting research, attendance at scientific conferences and the sponsorship of events.

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

03 June - 07 June

83rd Harden Conference: Autophagy – from Molecules to Disease II

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

Chesford Grange

Warwickshire, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Harden Conference

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Autophagy continues to be one of the most exciting and topical subjects in biology. Since the first Autophagy Harden Conference (the 68th Harden, held in 2010), our understanding of the basic regulatory mechanisms and the physiological roles of autophagy in health and disease has advanced substantially.

Recent years have seen an impressive diversification in autophagy techniques and model systems, as well as seeing autophagy knowledge put to many novel practical applications, including disease intervention for which novel autophagy modulators are in the pipeline. This meeting brought together experts in the autophagy field from across the world to present cutting edge research on the molecular control of autophagy and the roles of autophagy in immunity, physiology and disease.

View programme.

Oral communication slots are available at this meeting.

All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, were invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration as an oral communication.

Unique to the Biochemical Society, Harden Conferences are residential research conferences covering a specialist topic.

The conferences bring together scientists from various backgrounds with a common interest in – but varying approaches to – the topic of the conference.

COST Members

A limited number of TransAutophagy Cost members were eligible to attend on a subsidized basis.

Priority was given to early career investigators (ECIs) and members from ITC.

Please contact Jon Lane (Jon.Lane@bristol.ac.uk) or Sharon Tooze (Sharon.Tooze@crick.ac.uk) with a statement of interest and CV before the end of March if you are interested in attending.

Harden Bursaries

A limited number of bursaries were available to assist younger members of the Biochemical Society to attend the conferences.

Preference was given to senior graduate students (or those who gained their Ph.D. in the last 5 years) and restricted to members of the Biochemical Society.

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

19 April - 20 April

30th Annual UK RNA Polymerase focused meeting

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Location

Charles Darwin House

London, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

Scientific Meetings

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A Biochemical Society Scientific Meeting

There are many of active research groups in the UK working with RNA polymerases. The 30th Annual Meeting provided a networking and collaborative opportunity for researchers, and provided a platform for early-career researchers to present their latest lab research.

With an aimed to strengthen UK activity in the field, this ‘workshop’ style meeting gave it the unique position of being the only meeting in the UK dedicated to this topic

Abstract deadline: Closed

Earlybird registration deadline: 15 February 2018

Registration is now closed

Oral communication slots are available at this meeting

All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, were invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration as an oral communication.

Grants and Bursaries

The Biochemical Society offers a programme of grants and bursaries supporting research, attendance at scientific conferences and the sponsorship of events.

Member’s Discount

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

17 April - 20 April

New Horizons in ESCRT Biology

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Location

Royal Holloway

University of London, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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A Biochemical Society Scientific Meeting

The Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) machinery is an essential membrane-remodelling complex that is conserved throughout evolution as far back as archaea. Since their discovery in 2001 as regulators of cargo sorting to the yeast vacuole, work on the ESCRT machinery has exploded as our understanding of this machinery’s role in remodelling different membranes has grown.

In addition to their classical role in endosomal sorting, this machinery is co-opted to perform similar membrane-remodelling events allowing HIV-1 release, release of exosomes and microvesicles, membrane abscission during cytokinesis, neuronal pruning, repair of damaged regions of plasma membrane and regeneration and repair of the nuclear envelope.

Given the explosion of ESCRT-biology, many researchers are new to the field and benefited from this meeting’s speakers, who comprised some of the leading active researchers who have been part of the wealth of exciting new discoveries in ESCRT research in recent years.

Topics covered included:

ESCRTs in cell division – cytokinesis and nuclear envelope remodelling
Viral exploitation of the ESCRT-machinery
Biochemical assembly of ESCRTs
Cargo sorting to the MVB
Membrane Trafficking
Emerging ESCRT functions

View programme.

Topics covered in this meeting were invited to submit to our journal, Biochemical Society Transactions, or other publication published by Portland Press, the wholly-owned trading subsidiary of the Biochemical Society.

12 April - 13 April

Evolving Molecular Bioscience Education

Organiser

Biochemical Society

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Location

University of Chester

UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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A Biochemical Society and FEBS Training Event

This two-day training event was aimed at anyone teaching or supporting teaching in Higher Education, from early career researchers to established professors. The aim of the course was to share best practice and novel ideas with bioscience HE educators, to equip students with the key skills needed to succeed in their careers and enhance their experience. The event comprised lectures, hands-on sessions, group discussions and poster presentations.

Topics included:

Evaluating teaching practice through pedagogical research
Engaging students in undergraduate research projects
Teaching and assessing large cohorts using interactive and engaging methods
Teaching postgraduate and international students

03 April - 04 April

BMP Signalling in Cancer II

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Location

St Anne's College

Oxford, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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A Biochemical Society Scientific Meeting

Abstract deadline: closed

Registration: closed

Earlybird registration deadline: 31 January 2018

BMPs (body morphogenetic proteins) are members of the TGF-β family, which bind to and activate multiple receptor serine/threonine kinases. The BMP pathway regulates tissue development and regeneration. It has become clear that BMP signalling can be co-opted for both tumour initiation and promotion. These effects are strongly related to its role in regulating stem cells. Like TGF-β, BMP signalling can act as a tumour suppressor or tumour promoter, dependent on the microenvironmental context. For example, overexpression of the antagonist, Gremlin1 can promote colorectal cancer, while activating mutations in the BMP receptor kinase ALK2 drive a fatal paediatric glioma.

The aim of this conference was to explore the mechanisms of BMP signal transduction and to discuss how genetic and epigenetic alterations result in aberrant signalling and how this leads to cancer. Microenvironmental control of cancer cell function is a research area of intense interest and as a key mesenchymal-epithelial signalling pathway, BMP signalling is emerging as a key therapeutic target. We aimed to discuss in detail how to manipulate the pathway, both positively and negatively with small molecules or biologics.

Topics in this meeting were invited to submit to our journal, Biochemical Society Transactions, or other publications published by Portland Press, the wholly-owned trading subsidiary of the Biochemical Society.

The deadline for Oral communication abstracts is now closed for this meeting. All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, are invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration.

Student Bursaries were available for this meeting.

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

19 March - 21 March

The Dynamic Cell III

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Location

Manchester Conference Centre

Manchester, UK

Category

Biochemical Society Events

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A Joint Biochemical Society and BSCB Scientific Meeting

The Dynamic Cell III provided a showcase for the latest cell biological research exemplifying the use of dynamic methods to interrogate cellular function and to explore mechanisms of cell motility and cell – cell interactions.

For those unable to travel to Manchester we were delighted to offer remote conference places at this meeting.

Watch a private live stream of the talks from the comfort of your office or home via a personalised link, ask questions to speakers and network with other remote delegates.

Topics

Cytoskeletal regualtion of cell division
Cell migration and the extracellular matrix
Cytoskeletal dynamics
Cell – cell interactions
Imaging and probing cell function

Oral communication slots were available at this meeting. All attendees, particularly researchers in the early stages of their career, were invited to submit a poster abstract for consideration as an oral communication.

Grants and Bursaries

The Biochemical Society offers a programme of grants and bursaries supporting research, attendance at scientific conferences and the sponsorship of events.

Not a member of the Biochemical Society? Join today and save up to £100 on your registration fee.

11 December - 13 December

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

New Approaches for Investigating Nascent Peptide Folding

27 November - 28 November

All Day

13:30 – 14:00	(S001) Silent polymorphic mutations (sSNP) speak out: alterations of protein function and folding by sSNPs Zoya Ignatova – Universitat Hamburg, Germany
14:00 – 14:30	Translation Rate and Protein Fate Patricia Clark – University of Notre Dame, USA
14:30 – 14:50	(OC006) The ribosome restrains molten globule formation in stalled nascent flavodoxin Carlo van Mierlo – Laboratory of Biochemistry; Wageningen University, Netherlands
14:50 – 15:10	(OC004) Kinetic and structural comparison of the co-translational and refolding pathways of HaloTag Avi Samelson – University of California, San Francisco, United States

15:40 – 16:10	(S002) Co-translational folding of alpha helical membrane proteins in lipid bilayers Paula Booth – Kings College London, UK
16:10 – 16:30	(OC002) Disulfide formation during nascent polypeptide folding Philip Robinson – University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

	(P001) The Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane Protein Complex (EMC) cooperates with the Sec61 translocon to enable the biogenesis of polytopic membrane proteins Matthew Shurtleff – University of California, San Francisco
	(P003) Isolation of RNCs as a strategy to characterise ribosomal heterogeneity in M. tuberculosis Beth Sawyer – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
	(P005) Translational Termination Factors catalyse the Release of the Nascent Chain on a Proline Codon in the 2A- coding mRNA Man Balola – Mosul University, United Kingdom
	(P007) The ribosome modulates cotranslational folding depending on protein size and net charge Jose Arcadio Farias Rico – Stockholm University, Sweden
	(P009) NMR measurements of dynamics and protein-ribosome interactions in ribosome–nascent chain complexes Christopher Waudby – University College London, United Kingdom
	(P011) The mechanism of cotranslational recognition of nascent substrate proteins by the translocation ATPase SecA Damon Huber – University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
	(P013) Assembly in the translation milieu imposes evolutionary constraints on homomeric proteins Eviatar Natan – The Aleph Lab
	(P015) Insights into Ribosome Force Profile Assays: Releasing the Stall Carolina Mendonca – University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

09:30 – 10:00	(S003) Structural and mechanistic insight into nascent-polypeptide mediated translational stalling Daniel Wilson – University of Hamburg, Germany
10:00 – 10:30	Structures of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Ribosomal Complexes Involved in Initiation, Maturation and Targeting of Proteins to Membranes Nenad Ban – ETH Zurich, Switzerland
10:30 – 10:50	(OC005) Origins of the Mechanochemical Coupling of Peptide Bond Formation and Protein Synthesis Edward O’Brien – Penn State University, USA

11:30 – 12:00	(S004) Cotranslational protein folding Gunnar von Heijne – Stockholm University, Sweden
12:00 – 12:30	Principles of Protein Structural Ensemble Determination Michele Vendruscolo – University of Cambridge, UK
12:30 – 13:00	Kinetics of peptide and protein aggregation Alexander Buell – University of Düsseldorf, Germany

14:00 – 14:30	(S005) Regulation of Human Translation Termination by Factors bound to the mRNA 3’Untranslated Region Christiane Berger-Schaffitzel – University of Bristol, United Kingdom
14:30 – 15:00	(S006) Structural studies of protein folding on the ribosome Lisa Cabrita – University College London, United Kingdom
15:00 – 15:20	(OC001) The translating human mitochondrial ribosome in action – snapshots observed by cryo-EM Shintaro Aibara – Science for Life Laboratory / Stockholm University, Sweden

	(P002) Investigating the insertion and folding of alpha helical membrane proteins into lipid bilayers using a cell free expression system Nicola Harris – King’s College London, United Kingdom
	(P004) Elongation Nascent Peptides in All-Atom Molecular Dynamics Simulations Michal H. Kolar – Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany
	(P006) Developing cell-free expression for studies of co-translational membrane protein folding Grant Pellowe – King’s College London, United Kingdom
	(P008) A component of the ribosome exit tunnel is required for Hox gene translation during Drosophila embryonic patterning Matthew McFarland – University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
	(P010) Co-translational folding of gamma-B crystallin within the ribosomal exit tunnel Linda Schulte – Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
	(P012) Investigating the properties of translational arrest motifs; interactions between the nascent chain and the ribosome Hazel Bracken – University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
	(P014) Measuring Endoplasmic Reticulum Signals Sequence Translocation Efficiency Using the XBP1 Arrest Peptide Tara Hessa – Stockholm University, Sweden
	(P016) Co-translational folding of RnaseH Marija Liutkute – Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany

09:10 – 09:40	(S008) Interaction of the N-acetyl transferase NatA with the ribosome Martin Pool – University of Manchester, UK
09:40 – 10:10	(S009) Co-translational interactions of nascent chains revealed by ribosome profiling Bernd Bukau – University of Heidelberg, Germany
10:10 – 10:30	(OC003) Dual function of the ribosome and the trigger factor chaperone in nascent protein folding Christian Kaiser – Johns Hopkins University, United States

11:00 – 11:30	(S010) Real-Time Folding of Proteins Emerging From the Ribosome Marina Rodnina – Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Gottingen, Germany
11:30 – 12:00	(S011) Antibiotics and peptides in the ribosomal exit tunnel Alexander (Shura) Mankin – University of Illinois at Chicago, USA

	(S001) Menthol in Everyday Life: A Sensory Approach to Engaging Publics Andrew Balmer – University of Manchester, United Kingdom
	(OC005) Risk perception of synthetic biology: the role of cognitive biases Lauren Swiney – University of Warwick

13:00 – 13:30	(S002) METABOLIC ENGINEERING OF YEAST FOR PRODUCTION OF FUELS AND CHEMICALS Jens Nielsen – Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
13:30 – 13:40	(OC008) Pushing the boundaries of protein design: modularity and automation Fabio Parmeggiani – University of Bristol, United Kingdom
13:40 – 13:55	(OC003) RISC-based logic Ali Ghareeb – Newcastle University, United Kingdom
13:55 – 14:05	(OC006) Smart Minimal Gene Sets using Whole Cell Models Joshua Rees – University of Bristol, United Kingdom
14:05 – 14:15	(OC018) Do we need to loosen the hold of the ELSI paradigm in synthetic biology? Kenneth Taylor – Peals Research Centre, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
14:15 – 14:40	(S003) Standard enabled workflows for design, build and test in synthetic biology Anil Wipat – Newcastle University

15:10 – 15:35	(S004) Synthetic Biology: A New Engine for the Third Wave of Biotechnology Huimin Zhao – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
15:35 – 15:45	(OC002) Construction of a library of synthetic DNA parts for metabolic optimisation in Cupriavidus necator using a Beckman Coulter robotic platform Magdalena Jonczyk – University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
15:45 – 15:55	(OC024) Neochromosomes – a synthetic biology way to answer biological questions Daniel Schindler – Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, United Kingdom
15:55 – 16:00	(OC021) Supporting SynBio through Efficient Tools Axel Trefzer – Thermo Fisher Scientific GENEART GmbH
16:00 – 16:10	(OC022) A systematic approach to design regulated synthetic promoters with tuneable outputs for plastic up-cycling in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 Manuel Salvador – University of Surrey, United Kingdom
16:10 – 16:20	(OC010) DualUTR – A novel 5′-untranslated region design for synthetic biology applications Rahmi Lale – Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
16:20 – 16:25	(OC012) Design, build and validation of Isogenica’s fully synthetic human Fab library John Kendall – Isogenica, United Kingdom
16:25 – 16:35	(OC007) Identification and exploration of functional plasticity regions in plant monoterpene synthases for synthetic biology applications Nicole Leferink – SYNBIOCHEM, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, United Kingdom
16:35 – 16:45	(OC014) miRNA-mediated regulation of synthetic gene circuits in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Francisco J Navarro – UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

	(S005) Reprogramming the Genetic Code Jason Chin – MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, United Kingdom
	(OC004) Synthetic Biology: Technologies towards Production of Living DNA Nanostructures in Cells Johann Elbaz – Tel Aviv University, Israel
	(OC013) Design Build Test Learn, Repeat: Collaborative Hardware Development for Synthetic Biology Harry Singer – Singer Instruments
	(OC009) Deep refactoring of central carbon metabolism in the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida Alberto Sánchez-Pascuala – National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB), CSIC, Spain
	(S007) Mass Spectrometry Approaches for Synthetic Biology Analytics – How much do you want to know? Perdita Barran – University of Manchester, United Kingdom

	(S006) Coordination of Microbial Metabolism Uwe Sauer – ETH Zurich, Switzerland
	(OC001) Monitering of population dynamics of Escherichia coli Mutants during Long-Term Stationary Phase by the Bar-code deletion library. Hirotada Mori – Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
	(OC017) Deinococcus geothermalis genome scale studies to engineer heterologous metabolic pathways Julie Zaworski – institute of Systems and Synthetic Biology, France
	(OC020) Yarrowia lipolytica as a synthetic biology chassis for the production of lipid-derived compounds Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro – Imperial College London, United Kingdom

	(S009) Synthetic biology approaches to new chemistry Michelle Chang – University of California, United States
	(OC023) Streptomyces Cell-Free – Transcription, Translation and Biosynthesis Simon Moore – University of Kent, United Kingdom
	(OC011) Improvement of transformation and creation of synthetic pathways in the anaerobic whole cell biocatalyst Clostridium pasteurianum Alexander Grosse-Honebrink – University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
	(S008) Synthetic biology at Amyris: Industrial production of terpenes and more from milligrams to kilotonnes Chris Paddon – Amyris, Inc., United States
	(OC019) Growing programmable functional biomaterials with engineered kombucha-inspired co-cultures Charlie Gilbert – Imperial College London, United Kingdom
	(OC016) An automated Design/Build/Test/Learn pipeline for microbial fine chemical production. Adrian Jervis – University of Manchester, United Kingdom
	(OC015) Private and public values in emerging science and technology: an analysis of patents in synthetic biology Barbara Ribeiro – University of Manchester, United Kingdom
	(S010) Genetic control of mosquitoes Luke Alphey – The Pirbright Institute, United Kingdom