On 6^th and 7^th November the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona will hold its 13^th Annual Symposium. This symposium will bring together world-leading scientists from a wide rage of topics on the general themes of regulation of gene expression and the biology of stem and cancer cells.

Understanding the genetic and epigenetic principles that determine the identities of the different cell types in a multicellular organism is one of the key problems in biology. The possibility to reverse these actions to generate pluripotent cells from differentiated cells is opening new frontiers in understanding organ morphogenesis and regeneration. Furthermore, striking parallels are emerging between the molecular circuits behind changes in cellular potency and those leading to cell transformation in cancer.

In order to shed light on these aspects of modern biology, the CRG organises its 13^th Annual Symposium “Gene Regulation, Stem Cells and Cancer”. “The Symposium will deal with how genes are regulated, how stem cells are differentiated, how these differentiated cells can revert to a stem cell like state, and also how these decisions can go wrong to generate tumours and cancer”, explains Juan Valcárcel, coordinator of the organising committee and ICREA research professor at the CRG.

This symposium will bring together world-leading scientists from a wide range of topics around the general themes proposed. “By concentrating leaders in a variety of fields, we aim to make the symposium particularly fruitful to showcase the diversity of approaches and concepts at the frontiers of these fields”, adds Valcárcel. This event will foster interactions among (senior and younger) scientists through plenary sessions, short talks selected from abstracts and poster sessions. The event will provide opportunities to establish new collaborations, and to discuss progress and future challenges at the cutting edge of gene regulation, stem cell and cancer biology.

The invited speakers have made landmark discoveries in the field of chromatin organization, gene regulation and transcription (Victor Corces, Patrick Cramer, Thomas Cremer, Denis Duboule, Eileen Furlong, Edith Heard, John Lis, and Bas van Steensel); cancer biology and tumour suppression, and their links with cellular senescence and aging (Judith Campisi,  Scott Lowe, Manuel Serrano); embryonic stem cell culture and IPS generation, and therapeutic applications (Markus Grompe  Austin Smith  Marius Wernig , Kenneth Zaret); and RNA biology and its application across many fields of biology (Elisa Izaurralde, Nikolaus Rajewsky, Robert J. Schneider).

Once again, Barcelona will be the main focus of gene regulation research at a very high international level. The CRG annual symposium highlights the contribution of the biomedical scientific pool existing in Barcelona and strengthens networking and collaboration amongst local and international research groups.

In the framework of the CRG Symposium, there will also be a Satellite Course on “Somatic Cell Reprogramming”. This course will teach participants how to derive and maintain mouse and human pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and reprogrammed cells. It will take place from 7^th to 12^th November, combining both lectures and hands-on sessions.

This symposium has been possible thanks to the support and collaboration of Novartis and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, ‘Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2013-2017’, SEV-2012-0208, as well as the CRG board of trustees composed of Generalitat de Catalunya, Gobierno de España and Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

More info about the Syposium:
Symposium website: http://2014symposium.crg.eu
Speakers: http://2014symposium.crg.es/speakers/
Program: http://2014symposium.crg.es/program/
Satellite Course@CRG: http://2014symposium.crg.es/satellite/

Media contact:
Laia Cendrós, Press Officer, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
Phone +34 93 316 02 37.