In September, Max, Libby, Eddie, Tom, and Alice visited the picturesque Swiss village of Villars-sur-Ollon to attend the 2023 EMBO DNA topology and topoisomerases in genome dynamics workshop.
Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Alps, we first attended an LS2 ECR satellite event (chaired by Alice) where Eddie, Libby, Max and Tom all gave a 5 minute flash talk introducing their research. This event also gave us all an opportunity to present our research and network with our fellow ECRs while getting to know the scenic setting for the conference.
Max speaking at the ECR satellite events about his research using new image analysis methods to characterise DNA topology
The main conference featured fantastic talks covering the critical role of DNA topology in a wide range of processes, offering deep insights into its implications for transcription regulation, topoisomerase activity, as well as its impact on various aspects of disease progression and developmental biology. Standout talks included a captivating keynote by Tony Maxwell, delving into his personal journey in topoisomerase research. His insightful anecdotes and scientific contributions illuminated the evolution of this field. Additionally, Valerie Lamour delivered a compelling presentation on the binding mechanisms of DNA gyrase to supercoiled DNA and its implications in DNA biology.
During the Regulation of DNA Topology and Topoisomerase Activity session, Alice delivered her talk titled "Tackling Topology with TopoStats." It was well reived by the audience and provoked interesting questions and lead to lots of discussion in the coffee sessions and at dinners that followed.
The poster sessions saw Max, Libby, Eddie, and Tom showcase their work which inspired lots of thought-provoking questions about the potential of AFM and advanced image analysis techniques in DNA topology research and led to productive discussions about future work and collaboration.
Alice speaking at the main workshop on “Tackling Topology with TopoStats”
The trip allowed the those of us attending from the Pyne group to reflect on our research within the broader context of the field and plan the upcoming stages of our research. The conference provided an invaluable platform for networking and engaging in in-depth discussions on our research in DNA topology, bringing together researchers at different career stages from across the field. The anticipation is that these discussions will pave the way for fruitful research and collaborations in the future.
Eddie (top left), Max (top right), Tom (bottom left) and Libby (bottom right) presenting their posters at the main conference poster session.