Project Funding Details

Abstract The 2023 Gordon Research Conference on Chromosome Dynamics organized by Camilla Bjorkegren and Stephen D Bell will present cutting edge research on chromosome biology. Chromosomes carry the blueprint of life and aberrations in their structure and function is central to the development of cancer. This international meeting will be held in Il Ciocco Italy from June 25-30, 2023. The twin objectives of this conference are to foster exchange of the information and ideas, and to encourage new interdisciplinary collaborations. Approximately 175 researchers from the various chromosome sub-disciplines will be brought together. The meeting will feature 3 keynote speakers including two well-established leaders in the field: Dr. Susan Gasser (ISREC, Switzerland) and Dr. Geeta Narlikar (UC San Francisco, USA) as well as an emerging leader, Dr. Romain Koszul (Inst. Pasteur, France). Podium presentations will feature invited internationally-renowned experts, as well as younger scientists whose work will be selected from the submitted abstracts. Eight additional platform sections covering all major aspects of chromosomes will be held, including chromosome structure and organization, cohesion and condensation, centromeres and telomeres, chromosome segregation, meiosis, and chromosome replication and repair. This meeting is relevant to the NCI mission because of its emphasis on basic chromosome biology, many aberrations of which are central to the development of cancer. Junior scientists will also have the possibility to attend a two-day Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) preceding the GRC, organized by Coral Zhou. The GRS will feature a keynote lecture by Dr. Wendy Bickmore (University of Edinburgh), two sessions with 16 talks by trainees selected from abstracts, and two poster sessions. There will also be an additional mentorship session where invited mentors representing a broad range of scientific careers will provide counsel for trainees through self-selected small group discussions. We anticipate that the intense scientific and mentoring interactions during both the GRS and GRC will impact cancer research in many significant ways and help establish productive multidisciplinary research collaborations and further the careers of trainees.

Project Narrative Chromosome aberrations including DNA mutation and altered chromosome number are a hallmark of cancer, but our understanding of the basic biology of chromosomes is incomplete. In order to be accurately transmitted to daughter cells, the DNA on chromosomes must be replicated and partitioned, and all damage to chromosomes repaired to prevent mutations. This meeting brings together researchers from all areas of chromosome biology to discuss their research, exchange ideas, and establish collaborations that will enable the prevention and treatment of cancer.