Molecular mechanisms of development (EMBO)

Organizers: Alfonso Martinez-Arias, Cristina Pujades, Fernando Giraldez, Ijsbrand Kramer

The objective of the course, held at Barcelona from 3-8 july 2006, is to provide an excellent learning environment for young scientists, in particular Ph.D students, who need to know more about the molecular mechanisms of development and how bioinformatics could help them in achieving their research goals. Development is becoming a hub for several disciplines of the biological sciences and the course aims at providing an integrative framework in which the students are exposed to the latest information within a highly interactive environment. The course language is English.

We offer:

- overview lectures and a selection of state-of-the art seminars on the molecular mechanisms of development with an emphasis on current trends towards the bridging of cellular and molecular aspects with long-standing developmental questions

- a substantial hands-on bio-informatics practical (skill acquisition), applied to the area of molecular mechanisms of development

- an excellent setting where speakers and students have ample opportunity to communicate, to learn from each other and to discover the interesting cultural realm that is Barcelona.

The lecture course will be run in the same (successful) format of our previous held "receptor mechanisms & signal transduction" lecture courses in Bordeaux : lectures and seminars in the morning and a hands-on bioinformatics practical project in the afternoon. You will work in small groups and present the results of your bioinformatics project in a 10 min presentation at the end of the week (for more information on our previous courses and their projects please consult course information 2003 and 2004). Such approach has two major advantages; 1) you acquire practical skills and 2) you can tune the course to your own specific scientific needs. This year you will have to bring a research poster which will be exhibited in the computer cluster room throughout the week. This exhibition serves as a source of information for the practical project.

The University of Pompeu Fabra , which hosts the event, is a young and highly dynamic university in full expansion, linked to the Center of Genomic regulation (CRG) within an impressive Biomedical Research Campus situated near the beach of Barcelona.

Application deadline Friday 31 March 2006