After last year’s success, the FEBS Advanced Lecture Course: Danube Conference on Epigenetics will return in 2024 for the 5th time. The conference will bring together scientists to discuss a range of topics in the field of epigenetics: from transcriptional regulation, through chromatin modifications, nuclear architecture, transgenerational inheritance and metabolism to DNA methylation. Lectures by leading experts in the field will be followed by poster sessions in a relaxed atmosphere. In addition, this year’s program will again feature a dedicated hands-on session on “How to write better scientific papers”, with a specific focus on data visualization. After the exciting sessions, evenings will be shared with new and old friends during social events, ideal for interacting one-on-one with invited speakers. If you wish to immerse yourself in the full spectrum of epigenetics in a friendly atmosphere, then join us in Budapest between 28–31 October 2024!

Organizers: Tamas Arányi

While reactive oxygen species (ROS) were previously widely regarded as mere metabolic by-products, they have now been recognized as important mediators in cellular signalling cascades. It is now accepted that ROS are important in homeostatic signalling events. However, excessive activities of ROS and oxidative damage to lipids, proteins and DNA have been linked to pathologies and therefore oxidative stress is still considered to be a leading player in the pathophysiology of multiple diseases and ageing. This FEBS Advanced Lecture Course on “Redox biochemistry: cellular responses and disease relevance” will focus on recent developments in this exciting field of redox biology.

Organizers: Tilman Grune, Niki Chondrogianni

Fish represent a huge biological community that plays a key role in the equilibrium of the planet’s aquatic systems. The aim of this FEBS Advanced Lecture course is to provide new knowledge on the functioning and evolution of the fish immune system, to highlight how the fish immune system tackles bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, and to explore the role of ecological and environmental constraints affecting fish immunity. The molecular, genetic and functional properties of the fish immune system will be discussed in the view of how to study host–pathogen interactions at the molecular level and to unravel the role of evolutionary and ecological processes in shaping the fish immune system. A particular aspect will be the impact of anthropogenic stressors like climate change and aquatic pollution on fish immunity, and its impact on managing infectious diseases in aquaculture.

Organizers: Joachim Frey

Protease research has witnessed a substantial expansion; on one hand, genome sequencing has unveiled numerous new proteases, while on the other hand, the swift development of innovative technologies like quantitative proteomics and in vivo imaging have shed light on the physiological context of these proteases. These advancements have facilitated the discovery of physiological substrates and significantly enhanced our understanding of protease functions in diverse biological contexts. This FEBS Workshop aims to address current advancements, challenges, and expansion in the field of proteases, protein inhibitors, and their physiological and pathological control mechanisms. The workshop will cover various sections dedicated to proteases, protease inhibitors, regulation, and proteolytic control, with a focus on their role in diseases and novel therapeutic approaches, bringing together established and emerging scientists from around the world to discuss the current status and future trends in this exciting research field.

Event website under preparation.

Organizers: Boris Turk, Helena Kastelic, Andreja Kozak

The past decade has seen a broad increase in the understanding that protein function is regulated by co- and post-translational modification of their N- and C-termini. Active research in this field is expanding, including in mechanistic understanding of protein modification, in technologies for examining protein termini and in identification of routes by which protein terminal modifications can be exploited for beneficial purposes. This FEBS Workshop will bring together established expertise in the field with new contributors, and will highlight the opportunities to capitalize on knowledge of protein termini for translation into novel methodologies, therapeutics and agri-tech solutions. Session topics will include ‘Structural and biochemical characterization of protein termini’, ‘New insights into N-terminal processing’, ‘Protein C-termini’, ‘Advances in methodology’, ‘Physiological impact of protein terminal modification’ and ‘Exploiting protein termini’.

Organizers: Emily Flashman, Francesco Licausi, Cheol-sang Hwang, Carmela Giglione

Close to 40% of human genes encode long and small non-coding RNA, many of which are conserved throughout evolution. They perform many essential functions in germ and somatic cells, ranging from the suppression of retrotransposons to fine-tuning gene expression. Yet the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes remain incompletely understood. The goal of this meeting is two-fold. One is to review recent advances in studying non-coding RNA biology, from biosynthesis to function. The second is to discuss the use of therapeutic non-coding RNAs (including antisense, small interfering, and CRISPR RNAs) as tools to correct faulty gene expression in human disease.

Course thumbnail image courtesy of the National Human Genome Research Institute.

Organizers: Andrei Thomas-Tikhonenko

Twenty years ago, the initial FEBS crystallization course took place in the Czech Republic, becoming a celebrated tradition for students and postdocs worldwide. Not even pandemics halted its continuity, with the ninth course held offline in August 2021. Given its enduring popularity, the organizers will organize the tenth-anniversary edition in June 2024. While cryoEM advances have transformed structural biology, X-ray diffraction remains vital, particularly for studying protein–inhibitor/substrate complexes. However, the challenges in biological macromolecule crystallization persist. The course aims to bridge the gap between new insights and practical application, fostering rational approaches. Renowned experts will guide students, maintaining the tradition of these successful courses, with added topics such as fragment-screening, intracellular crystallization, and cryo-EM basics. The course’s practical focus, theory discussions, and laboratory experiments create a unique learning experience, building on past successes. Lecturers from the past courses are invited, providing their valuable expertise to participants.

Organizers: Ivana Kuta Smatanova with co-organizers Pavlina Rezacova, Jeroen R. Mesters, Jose A. Gavira Gallardo

The ability of cells to perceive and correctly respond to their environment is the basis of development, tissue repair, and immunity as well as normal tissue homeostasis. Errors in the interplay, dynamics or localization of the involved molecules are responsible for many diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity and diabetes. By increasing the understanding of the complex interplay between these various components and their dynamics over time the related diseases can be treated more effectively. Because of the recent technological revolution in advanced light microscopy (i.e. functional imaging of molecules, development of caged compounds and biosensors) it is now possible to directly monitor the dynamics of (single) molecules in living cells. Several new microscopy techniques are ideally suited for studying cellular signals but their application remains limited because most biologists have never been introduced to these technologies.

This 6-day FEBS Practical Course on advanced microscopy for experienced graduate students, postdocs and lab technicians integrates theoretical lectures with hands-on experiments and practical experience. National and international experts in the field of microscopy will give an overview of “state-of-the-art” imaging techniques and applications in biological research. The practicals will focus at the functional imaging techniques FRAP, FCS, FLIM, FRET & Optogenetics. In addition two (advanced) data analysis sessions for ImageJ will be included.

Organizers: Mark Hink

The field of structural biology has been undergoing profound changes over the past few years, including the growing recognition of macromolecular dynamics being of paramount importance. Processes such as enzymatic turnover, protein transport and folding via biomolecular machinery, or the translocation of small molecules across biological membranes, fundamentally involve the sampling of multiple conformations of the proteins involved, i.e. dynamics. Moreover, the realization that many proteins are functional despite lacking a well-defined 3D structure, i.e. so-called intrinsically disordered proteins, has challenged our view of the structure–function relationship. Thus, in order to understand biological processes, it is instrumental to decipher the motions of proteins. The FEBS Advanced Course ‘Les Houches– Telluride Workshop on Protein Dynamics’ is a forum for presenting and discussing results from the application of state-of-the-art experimental (including, but not limited to optical, NMR and neutron spectroscopies, time-resolved X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy and scattering methods) and computational and theoretical approaches to studying equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium protein dynamics.

Organizers: Enrica Bordignon, Paul Schanda, Lars Schäfer, Ben Schuler, Martin Weik, Junko Yano

Metal ions play key roles in biology. More than 40% of all enzymes require metals for their activity, and metals are essential for the structure and function of nucleic acids. Conditions such as anaemia or hemochromatosis show that too much or too little of a single metal leads to disease. Metal-containing compounds provide diagnostic tools such as the gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents, or are pollutants such as the arsenic generated by biological leaching. This Advanced Course provides competence in this broad range of disciplines with integrated multi-disciplinary training that combines advanced theoretical knowledge with hands-on practical experiments.

Organizers: Ricardo O. Louro

The primary objective of this course is to share the latest knowledge regarding the biochemical, molecular, and genetic mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis with early-career scientists. Additionally, it aims to create valuable networking opportunities for them with renowned experts in this dynamic research field. Through these efforts, the course will play a significant role in enhancing the training of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows engaged in the investigation of fungal pathogens and the control of fungal infections. (Photo credit: Vishu Kumar Aimanianda.)

Organizers: Guilhem Janbon, Mike Lorentz, Elaine Bignell

The transglutaminase enzymes are extremely important to normal biological function, having been recognized to perform a myriad of roles relating to signal transduction and protein crosslinking. Dysregulation of their function or expression is the basis of a host of pathologic conditions including fibrosis, inflammation, cancer, celiac disease, skin diseases, diabetes, blood disorders and neurodegenerative disease, and there is a tremendous interest in transglutaminase type 2 as a therapeutic target.

The proposed FEBS Workshop is a much anticipated scientific meeting on known and emerging transglutaminase-related diseases, new methods for detection and novel translational aspects for treatment. It aims to bring together an international group of senior academic and industrial members, with as many as possible early career scientists, future leaders and drivers of this expanding field. The Workshop will feature presentations relevant to all the pathological conditions for which transglutaminase is a relevant target, and will also focus on emerging diseases associated with this class of enzymes, and new methods for their investigation. Additional training sessions will focus on career development and grant capturing. There will be plenty of opportunities for poster or selected oral presentations. Our evening programme is designed to encourage networking and to enjoy all that idyllic Bertinoro has to offer.

Image credit: Created with BioRender.com

Organizers: Elisabetta Verderio Edwards, Kiyotaka Hitomi

Organs “communicate” with each other during normal physiology to maintain homeostasis, and also in disease, causing very significant morbidity and mortality, for example, in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, autoimmune disorders, or COVID-19. Recent advances have provided new insights into molecular mechanisms of organ crosstalk in health and disease and implicated the immune and nervous system, soluble circulating factors, the microbiome and metabolome, and host pathogen interactions. This FEBS Advanced Lecture Course will bring together leaders in the fields of interorgan crosstalk between the nervous system, immune system, kidney, lung, heart, gut, liver, fat, bone, blood, bone marrow, nervous system, and the microbiome.

Organizers: Andreas Herrlich, François Leulier

This 5-day Advanced Lecture Course will cover a wide range of topics in cellular stress and ADP-ribosylation, from basic concepts, to recent breakthroughs, advanced techniques, and clinical implication. Session topics include systems-wide ADP-ribosylation, NAD biosynthesis and signaling, protein homeostasis and proteostasis, heat-shock, genotoxic stress responses, mitochondrial dysfunction and ADP-ribosylation from virus to cancer. The program provides participants with ample opportunities for presenting and discussing their own work (poster sessions, selected short talks or meet the speakers/experts session).

Picture: MCF7 cells treated with IL8; green: actin; red: SHP1 phosphatase (a protein involved in the regulation of cancer invasion). By Alessia Varone.

Organizers: Daniela Corda, Giovanna Grimaldi, Michael O. Hottiger ([email protected])

The last few years have reinforced the concept that sphingolipids are relevant for human health and defects in their metabolism contribute to the aetiology of diverse diseases. Despite an extensive effort to understand what biology is dependent on a well-balanced sphingolipid metabolic pathway, we are still lacking a unifying picture of sphingolipid role in physiology. This FEBS Special Meeting –  SLBiol2023 – proposes to summon the sphingolipid community to discuss about the basic principles of sphingolipid biology and about how they can be integrated to explain the role of sphingolipids in human health.

Organizers: Liana C. Silva, Giovanni D’Angelo, Fikadu Tafesse

This Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Course will provide PhD students and postdocs with a detailed overview of the different aspects of cellular protein homeostasis (proteostasis) – from protein biogenesis to folding, trafficking and degradation – and its role in disease. The interactive program aims to foster interactions between scientific generations to discuss science, gain critical feedback on individual projects and career paths, and build connections.

Organizers: Christian Münch

This FEBS Combined Practical & Lecture Course is intended to bring together computational and experimental enzymologists who will give comprehensive lectures towards understanding and engineering enzyme catalysis. Hands-on practical sessions will be focused on how to use state-of-the-art software and web servers to understand carefully chosen phenomena in this research field. Experimental researchers will give lectures on how these in silico approaches have successfully helped them with solving problems in their research related to understanding and engineering enzyme catalysis

Organizers: Aleksandra Maršavelski, Tomica Hrenar, Jiří Damborský, Outi Lampela, Tiila-Riikka Kiema, Rikkert Wierenga

In this FEBS Advanced Lecture Course we have brought together a unique combination of frontiers in science focusing on the the capacity of numerous proteins and peptides to self-assemble into amyloid fibrils. The course includes introductory and state-of-art lectures with special emphasis on amyloid structures, chaperones in amyloid formation, membrane-less organelles, lipids and membranes in amyloid formation, functional amyloids, and pathology of amyloids. In the evening lectures, the different topics will be discussed in an integrative manner. Young researchers will have ample opportunity to meet and to discuss basic and emerging topics with the lecturers as social interactions are an important aspect of the meeting.

Organizers: Bernd Helms, Sheena Radford, Stefan Rüdiger

Deadline for applications: 1 May 2023

Over the past 20 years metabolomics has evolved into a powerful tool allowing the investigation of hundreds to low thousands of metabolites from many areas of metabolism and can be applied across the biological sciences to investigate cellular organisms from microbes to humans and plants. In this FEBS Practical Course we will combine lectures, hands-on laboratory sessions, computer workshops, and interactive group activities to introduce you to applying metabolomics in your research.

Organizers: Warwick Dunn ([email protected]), Cate Winder

Our FEBS Advanced Lecture Course aims to provide PhD students and postdocs with different backgrounds an adequate introduction into epigenomics and nuclear receptor signaling, and particularly to cross-fertilize these burgeoning fields to better understand disease mechanisms. The interactive program and the idyllic surroundings will facilitate scientific and social networking during workshops, lunch discussions about lecture topics, poster and short talks sessions, afternoon breaks and tutorial dinners.

Organizers: Eckardt Treuter, Karen E. Knudsen, Susanne Mandrup, Nicolas Venteclef

Deadline for applications: 9 May 2023

This FEBS Advanced Lecture Course / 14th European Summer School on Advanced Proteomics – an internationally renowned educational event – will be held again in Kloster Neustift near Bressanone/Brixen, South Tyrol, Italy. It is designed to provide graduate students and young postdoctoral scientists with insights into state-of-the-art proteomic technologies and applications in the life sciences. One of our main goals is to create an environment that allows young scientists to interact with each other and with experts in the field. Join us for a summer school including lectures by invited speakers, workshops and poster presentations framed by various special activities.

Organizers: Katrin Marcus, Caroline May, Christina Ludwig, Shabaz Mohammed, Jesper V. Olsen

Proteolysis is a critical post-translational modification as every protein encounter a protease in their lifetime, be it signal peptide removal, activation, processing, or degradation. Proteases act in concerted networks to amplify signals, regulate biology and are hypothesized molecular switches and effectors involved in tissue remodeling. The extracellular matrix (ECM) regulates key functions such as cell movement, shape, growth and survival via cell adhesion, cell-ECM, and cell-cell interactions, and some biological functions that are still uncharacterized. We are only beginning to understand the intriguing regulatory aspects of proteases that modulate the ECM and many questions remain.  Specifically, 1- How universal are the auto-feedback mechanisms driven by ECM proteolysis? 2- How does cleaved ECM regulate the initiation and resolution of inflammation and cancer progression? 3- Does aberrant proteolysis dysregulate the resolution of inflammation or it is the ECM that regulate proteolysis?  Our meeting will directly address these questions by inviting several experts from the ECM and proteases and give them an opportunity to discuss where the next decade will take us.

Organizers: Irit Sagi, Antoine Dufour, Nikos Karamanos

This FEBS Advanced Lecture Course aims to provide an overview of the current structural, biophysical, informatics and chemical techniques used in disease biology understanding and drug discovery and design.  A combination of lectures and workshops will provide theoretical background and hands-on experience. Poster sessions and short talks, as well as the very informal atmosphere typical of the beautiful town of Erice, will encourage networking and interactions with leaders in the field.

Organizers: Giovanna Scapin, Charlotte Dean, Frank von Delft

This course addresses the mechanobiology community and aims at offering a comprehensive view on advanced approaches to measure and quantify the mechanical properties of biological materials at different scales, from molecules to cells and tissues. It will include scientific lectures, hands-on activity with state-of-the-art instruments, and evening discussions with researchers from university and industrial background. A social event will help cement the cohort of attendees.

Organizers: Massimo Vassalli, Lining Ju

This FEBS Advanced Lecture Course will cover all  fields related to the study of  the family of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs), from basic molecular and physiological studies to applied clinical research with an explicit aim to cover drug development. The different sessions are organized in a way that facilitates interaction between young researchers and senior scientists. The meeting is expected to host ~100 participants encompassing scientists engaged in drug chemistry, structural biology, biochemistry, DNA damage response, animal and human studies.

Organizers: Andreja Mikos, Ivan Matic

Deadline for applications: 20 March 2023

The 1^st FEBS Workshop on Redox Medicine will cover the most recent data on the redox regulation of biological functions ranging from fundamental to clinical research and therapeutic applications, as well as specific and sensitive tools and techniques to properly identify and quantify oxidants in complex biological settings. The main goal is to promote an environment in which young researchers can interact with prominent senior researchers. Join us for a workshop including lectures by invited speakers and short presentations by participants selected from submitted abstracts.

Organizers: Ana Ledo, Barbara Rocha

The past decades have witnessed a growing interest in inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a linear polymer of phosphate that predates life. PolyP participates in many vital functions including bacterial virulence, blood coagulation, cancer, inflammation, and chaperone activity, among others. In addition, recent publications revealed novel fundamental knowledge in polyP biology. Following the success of the first polyP meeting, held virtually in 2021, this FEBS Workshop gathering will show the current progress and engage our researchers’ community.
The event website is in preparation.

Organizers: Adolfo Saiardi, Felix Ruiz, Roberto Docampo

Deadline for applications: 31 March 2023

The molecular and cellular pathways in hematopoietic aging and associated hematological disease remain poorly understood. Our Workshop will bring together basic, translational and clinical scientists to discuss key regulators of hematopoietic stem cell ontogeny, cell fate specification and self-renewal upon aging and malignant transformation, highlighting state-of-the-art technologies such as metabolomics, single-cell sequencing and model systems. The FEBS Workshop is also supported by the ARCH Marie Sklodowska Curie ITN and will take place in the beautiful setting of Fodele in Crete.

Organizers: John Strouboulis, Nina Cabezas-Wallscheid, Eleni Katsantoni, Antonella Ronchi

Deadline for applications: 20 March 2023

Several Advanced Lecture Courses and Special Meetings established the tradition of the ABC meetings in Austria. This 9th FEBS Special Meeting – ABC2023 – will cover all basic and applied aspects of ABC proteins, both in normal and cancer cells, their important roles in genetic diseases as well as drug resistance phenomena in cancer or microbial systems. Leading scientists from all over the world and representatives of major pharmaceutical companies will present and discuss latest news on ABC proteins operating in bacteria, fungi, plants, parasites and humans. We were able to commit numerous leading experts to participate, with many new faces attending as plenary speakers.

Organizers: Gergely Szakacs, Ute Hellmich

Deadline for applications: 6 January 2023