Call for Abstracts and Registration for The EMBO Meeting 2010

• 4 to 7 September, Palau de Congressos, Barcelona
• More than 120 leading researchers deliver a diverse scientific programme
• Key themes include evolution of animal forms, systems biology & functional genomics, and signalling in development
• 15 May deadline: abstract submission AND discounted early registration

HEIDELBERG, Germany, 12 April 2010 – More than 120 leading researchers from across the molecular life sciences will speak at The EMBO Meeting 2010 – the second annual life sciences conference to be organized by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and held in Barcelona from 4 - 7 September 2010.

Confirmed special lecturers and keynote speakers include:

• Elizabeth Blackburn – Roles of telomeres & telemorase in health & disease
• Richard Losick – Stochasticity & cell fate
• Frans de Waal – Prosocial primates: Empathy, fairness & cooperation
• Cliff Tabin – Development & evolution of vertebrate morphology
• Austin Smith & Michel Haïssaguerre – winners of the 2010 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine

The EMBO Meeting 2010 advances the life sciences through broad programmes reflecting the concepts of modern biological research. It follows on from former ELSO meetings to provide an annual life sciences forum for scientific exchange in Europe.

Luis Serrano (Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona) and Denis Duboule (University of Geneva) are co-organizers of the scientific programme that spans the life science disciplines with keynote addresses and plenary sessions focused on three themes:

• Evolution of animal forms – Detlev Arendt, Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Marie-Anne Félix, Shigeru Kuratani
• Systems biology & functional genomics – Marc Vidal, Edward (Eddy) Rubin, Ron Weiss, Olivier Voinnet
• Signalling in development – Irma Thesleff, Kathryn Anderson, Christof Niehrs, Sarah E Millar

and daily poster sessions will extend the plenary themes and address additional current topics, ensuring a blend of subjects relevant to present-day molecular biology. Following is a selection of workshops and organizers:

• Dynamics of chromosome organization – Susan Gasser & Wendy Bickmore
• Cellular tomography – Ohad Medalia & Achilleas Frangakis
• Cancer genomics & stem cells – María Blasco & Mariano Barbacid
• Next generation sequencing: technologies & biological insights – Thomas Lemberger
• Infection & autophagy – Ari Helenius & Sharon Tooze

Special sessions include:

• Science & Society

How a virus becomes a global scare – pandemics and the public health system
Albert Osterhaus, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam
Barbara Bannister, Consultant Advisor in Pandemic Flu Planning, London

• Women in Science

The Sex of the Brain: two solutions to the same problem?
Richard Haier, University of California, Irvine