Integrative proteomics: structure, function, and interaction report on the 3rd joint meeting of the British Society for Proteome Research and the European Bioinformatics Institute, July 2006

This report summarizes the highlights of the recent British Society for Proteome Research (BSPR) meeting jointly organized with the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) which was held at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK in July 2006. This was the third annual scientific meeting organized by the BSPR and EBI and the theme of this years meeting was Integrative Proteomics: Structure, function and interaction. A wealth of local and overseas speakers were invited to discuss both their own work and specific challenges present in modern day proteomic based experiments.     

Centrosome and spindle pole body dynamics. Review and abstracts of the EMBO/EMBL Conference on Centrosomes and Spindle Pole Bodies,Heidelberg, September 13-17, 2002

Five years after the first meeting held on Centrosomes and Spindle Pole Bodies, a second meeting was organized by Tano Gonzalez, Eric Karsenti, Kip Sluder, and Mark Winey in Heidelberg, Germany. Sponsored by the gracious European community (EMBO/EMBL), the meeting was both spectacular and exhausting. The wealth of information delivered, the plethora of model systems and unique approaches described, and the free exchange of information by a cooperative and excited community of scientists overwhelmed all participants. Even the best prepared scholars could not have anticipated the avalanche of data and insights that poured from the presentations from beginning to end. Daily posters by young and senior scientists added dimension to round out the well-planned series of presentations. The meeting began with opening remarks by Eric Karsenti and Michel Bornens who reminded participants of the historical questions of the field. Where does the centrosome come from? What are the mechanisms that control centrosome assembly and duplication? How is duplication coordinated with the cell cycle? Why do some cells have centrosomes, while others do not? What are the components of the centrosome? Does the centrosome play an important role in disease?     

Praziquantel--quality, dosages and markers of resistance.

The fourth and last meeting of Concerted Action on Praziquantel (PZQ), sponsored by the European Commission, was held in Rome, Italy from 31 March to 1 April, 2001. Highlights of the meeting were new findings on the quality of generic drugs, an initiative to promote the Africa-wide distribution of PZQ and new results in the search for markers of PZQ-resistant schistosomes.     

The first junior European Calcium Society meeting: calcium research across scales,Kingdoms and countries

The first junior European Calcium Society online meeting, held October 20–21, 2020, aimed to promote junior researchers in the Ca²⁺ community. The meeting included four scientific sessions, covering Ca²⁺ research from molecular detail to whole organisms. Each session featured one invited speaker and three speakers selected based on submitted abstracts, with the overall aim of actively involving early-career researchers. Consequently, the meeting underlined the diversity of Ca²⁺ physiology, by showcasing research across scales and Kingdoms, as presented by a correspondingly diverse speaker panel across career stages and countries. In this meeting report, we introduce the visions of the junior European Calcium Society board and summarize the meeting content.     

Protein in gels, computers, crystals and camels

The IBC's Proteomics 2001 meeting was held in Philadelphia, PA, USA, 14-17 May 2000.     

The 19th Ion Channel Meeting,September 2008, France

The annual meeting of the French Ion Channels Society, held on the Mediterranean coast of France, is aimed at gathering the international scientific community working on various aspects of ion channels. In this report of the 19th edition of the meeting, held in September 2008, we summarize selected symposia on aspects of the ion channel field from fundamental to clinical research. The meeting is an opportunity for leading investigators as well as young researchers to present and discuss their recent advances and future challenges in the ion channel field.     

Thinking and decision making,bacterial style: Bacterial Neural Networks,Obernai, France, 7th-12th June 2002

Bacteria exhibit a bewildering range of behavioural responses and permutations of metabolic pathways for maximum exploitation of their environment. These are based on sensory perception of external and internal signals through batteries of surface and cytoplasmic receptors, evaluation of complex information flows and rapid decision making. Appreciation of the diversity of bacterial behaviour and adaptation capacities requires the study of a broad range of organisms and at this meeting we sampled more than 30 species with new findings which included the nature of gaseous receptors, advances in chemotaxis, subversion of host defences by pathogens, adaptation to high salt, community life and its obvious benefits, cell to cell communications and even the nature of bacterial circadian rhythms. With around 80 bacterial genomes now completed, and many more almost there, it was appropriate to complete the meeting with an introduction to Systems Biology and prospects for simulating the virtual cell. The versatility and seemingly 'intelligent' behaviour of bacteria will continue to fascinate, and this meeting on Bacterial Neural Networks fully reflected the excitement of this field.     

Meeting report and abstracts from the American Association of Tissue Banks annual meeting; 6–9 September 2008, Chicago,Illinois USA

The 32nd annual meeting of the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) was highly praised by its participants and was the largest attended meeting in the AATB’s history. Highlights included a record number of candidates taking the examination to become a certified tissue banking specialist (CTBS) and the acceptance of over thirty abstract submissions using, for the first time, an on-line submission, review, and grading system. This meeting’s success was made possible by the exceptional participation of tissue bank professionals such as Medical Directors, managers, consultants, and technical experts; valuable input from international colleagues; and the involvement of federal regulators for cell and tissue banking. Both scientific and non-scientific abstracts that were accepted and displayed at the meeting are reproduced in this report.     

Protein phosphatases, from molecules to networks

The third EMBO-sponsored 'Europhosphatases' meeting brought together 180 participants with a wide range of backgrounds and research interests to discuss the current status of research on phosphatases. It became clear at this meeting that the field is very active, and just as diverse as its members. This report highlights some of the transformative research presented at the meeting.     

5th BSPR‐EBI Meeting,Proteomics: From Technology to New Biology 8–10 July 2008, Wellcome Trust Conference Centre,Hinxton, Cambridge,UK

This paper reports on the 5^th joint British Society for Proteome Research (BSPR) and European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) meeting which took place at the Wellcome Trust Conference Centre, Cambridge, UK, from the 8^th to 10^th July, 2008. As in previous years, the meeting attracted leading experts in the field who presented the latest cutting edge in proteomics. The meeting was entitled “Proteomics: From Technology to New Biology” taking into account the major transition proteomics has undergone in the past few years. In particular, the use of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)‐based targeted experiments for absolute quantification and validation of proteins was the hot topic of the meeting. Attended by some 250 delegates, the conference was extremely well organised and provided a great opportunity for discussion and initiation of new collaborations.     

State of the art in developmental toxicity screening methods and a way forward: a meeting report addressing embryonic stem cells, whole embryo culture, and zebrafish

A meeting was convened so that users of three models for in vitro developmental toxicity (embryonic stem cells, whole embryo culture, and zebrafish) could share their experiences with each model, and explore the areas for improvement. We present a summary of this meeting and the recommendations of the group.     

Variant surface antigens, virulence genes and the pathogenesis of malaria

The first Molecular Approaches to Malaria meeting was held 2-5 February 2000 in Lorne, Australia. Following the meeting, Brian Cooke, Mats Wahlgren and Ross Coppel predicted that research into the molecular details of the mechanisms behind sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes would "become increasingly more complicated, with further interactions, receptors, ligands and functional domains". Furthermore, they cautioned that "the challenge will be not to lose ourselves in the molecular detail, but remain focused on the role of [the var genes and other multigene families] in pathogenesis of malaria". We contemplate on these statements, following the recent second Molecular Approaches to Malaria meeting, which was held at the same venue on 2-5 February 2004.     

RNA today. Molecular Evolution of Introns and Other RNA Elements: a Keystone Symposium, Taos, NM, USA, February 2-8, 1991.

RNA research is alive and well. The joyride for those studying the biochemistry and molecular biology of RNA continues, although perhaps not at the thrill-a-month pace of recent years. The Keystone Symposium provided an opportunity to gain deeper insight into RNA-based biological phenomena by attempting to place current research in an evolutionary context. In this sense the meeting was an unqualified success. The meeting participants, having been warmed by the New Mexico sun and the chile-laden cuisine, now return to their laboratories determined to pursue not only the details of RNA biochemistry and molecular biology, but also the evolutionary implications of their work.     

Communication,Cooperation, and Social Interactions: a Report from the Third Young Microbiologists Symposium on Microbe Signalling,Organisation, and Pathogenesis

The third Young Microbiologists Symposium took place on the vibrant campus of the University of Dundee, Scotland, from the 2nd to 3rd of June 2014. The symposium attracted over 150 microbiologists from 17 different countries. The significant characteristic of this meeting was that it was specifically aimed at providing a forum for junior scientists to present their work. The meeting was supported by the Society for General Microbiology and the American Society for Microbiology, with further sponsorship from the European Molecular Biology Organization, the Federation of European Microbiological Societies, and The Royal Society of Edinburgh. In this report, we highlight some themes that emerged from the many exciting talks and poster presentations given by the young and talented microbiologists in the area of microbial gene expression, regulation, biogenesis, pathogenicity, and host interaction.     

Report of the 13(th) Genomic Standards Consortium Meeting, Shenzhen, China, March 4-7, 2012

This report details the outcome of the 13(th) Meeting of the Genomic Standards Consortium. The three-day conference was held at the Kingkey Palace Hotel, Shenzhen, China, on March 5-7, 2012, and was hosted by the Beijing Genomics Institute. The meeting, titled From Genomes to Interactions to Communities to Models, highlighted the role of data standards associated with genomic, metagenomic, and amplicon sequence data and the contextual information associated with the sample. To this end the meeting focused on genomic projects for animals, plants, fungi, and viruses; metagenomic studies in host-microbe interactions; and the dynamics of microbial communities. In addition, the meeting hosted a Genomic Observatories Network session, a Genomic Standards Consortium biodiversity working group session, and a Microbiology of the Built Environment session sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.     

Cancer,oncogenes and signal transduction

A report on the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) 'Oncogenes and Growth Control' meeting, Heidelberg, Germany, 17-20 April 2004.     

The 21st Ion Channel Meeting,September 2010, France

On September 12-15, 2010 the French Ion Channels Association organized its annual scientific meeting on the French coast of Mediterranean Sea. This meeting takes place in an attractive location and provides a great opportunity for principal investigators as well as young researchers to present and discuss their recent advances and future challenges in the field of ion channels and transporters. The French Ion Channels Association was created more than 20 years ago and its goal is to organize an annual meeting and more recently to promote interactions (through the website www.canaux-ioniques.fr) between active members of the international scientific community in the field of ion channels. In this report of the 21^st edition of the meeting, we are summarizing the five main symposia that reflect original works and relevant developments in the domain of ions channels and transporters.     

Levey, D.J., Silva, W.R., and Galetti, M. Seed dispersal and frugivory: ecology, evolution and conservation

This multi-authored work is a product of the Third InternationalSymposium/Workshop on Frugivores and Seed Dispersal held inBrazil in August 2000. Fuentes (2000) provided a brief overviewof the meeting as a whole. The publication of this volume byearly 2002 represents a relatively speedy