Brexit and Research: 58 Life Science Good Bye EU Money Researchers Elected and Colleagues? PAGES 4 –5 PAGE 8

SUMMER 2016

ISSUE 33

EMBO | EMBL Symposium | Tubulin discovery’s 50th anniversary Moving on transient tracks PAGES 12 – 13 © Carsten Janke ©

Commentary EMBO Members Brexit and research: 58 life science Good bye EU money researchers elected and colleagues? PAGES 4 –5 PAGE 8

EMBO Gold Medal 2016 awarded to Sharing of preprint manuscripts From potential to policy Interview with Richard Benton and Ben Lehner Are biologists ready? Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation

PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGES 10 – 11

www.embo.org Table of contents

The EMBO community welcomes Malta and Lithuania Page 2

New EMBO Members 2016 Page 4

Richard Benton and Ben Lehner awarded EMBO Gold Medal Page 6

Are biologists ready for preprints? How transparency in publishing is opening up research Page 7

Brexit and research: Good bye EU money and Editorial colleagues? Commentary ince the creation of EMBO and Page 8 Sits intergovernmental funding body EMBC, the European idea has probably never been questioned How objective can one be? Metrics in research more than in the last few months. assessment With the vote in the UK to leave the Page 9 European Union, European organi- zations will have an important From potential to policy role in showing the value of an a Interview with EU Commissioner Carlos Moedas common and open European space Page 10 – in general, but also for us a scien- © Marietta Schupp, EMBL Photolab Marietta Schupp, © tists in particular. On pages 8 and 9, we publish commentaries from Moving on transient tracks: 50th anniversary of two concerned scientists. EMBO will not directly the discovery of tubulin affected by the UK leaving Europe, as its funding Science story comes from an intergovernmental organization of Page 12 which the UK will remain a member. EMBO was founded with instrumental participation from UK Update from the EMBO Fellowship Programme scientists, and its UK constituency will remain an Page 14 active and valued part of the EMBO community. In this summer issue of EMBO Encounters, we report on a variety of achievements: from EMBO Young Investigators 2016 the EMBO programmes and the EMBO commu- Page 15 nity members, including the accession of two new member states to the EMBC, the election News from the EMBO community of 58 researchers from various fields in the life Pages 14 – 17 sciences as EMBO Members, the award of this year’s EMBO Gold Medal to Ben Lehner and EMBO events Richard Benton, new EMBO Fellows and Young Page 18 Investigators, and some impressive examples on how researchers in Europe and beyond drive life science research. Science communication Developments in science policy in Europe Pages 19 and 21 and in scientific publishing are keeping EMBO staff busy, and there is a good chance that they Awards and publications may redefine the way scientists publish and Page 20 share their results in future. We look at several of these developments in this newsletter. EMBO Fresh from EMBO Press will continue to shape these for the benefit of the Page 22 life sciences.

Maria Leptin, Director, EMBO

European Molecular Biology Conference

➔➔ Austria ➔➔ Luxembourg ➔➔ Belgium ➔➔ Malta ➔➔ Croatia ➔➔ Netherlands ➔➔ Czech Republic ➔➔ Norway ➔➔ Denmark ➔➔ Poland ➔➔ Estonia ➔➔ Portugal ➔➔ Finland ➔➔ Singapore* ➔➔ France ➔➔ Slovak Republic ➔➔ Germany ➔➔ Slovenia ➔➔ Greece ➔➔ South Africa** ➔➔ Hungary ➔➔ Spain ➔➔ Iceland ➔➔ Sweden ➔➔ India* ➔➔ Switzerland ➔➔ Ireland ➔➔ MOST of Taiwan** ➔➔ Israel ➔➔ Turkey ➔➔ Italy ➔➔ United Kingdom ➔➔ Lithuania * EMBC Associate Member State ** EMBC Cooperation Partner

The EMBO community welcomes Malta and Lithuania MALTA and LITHUANIA join EMBC as a new member states

alta and Lithuania have joined EMBO’s intergovernmental funding “Life sciences in Lithuania have Mbody, the European Molecular Biology advanced at an impressive rate in About EMBC Conference (EMBC). In March this year, Malta was the 28th country to be accepted into the recent decades, driven by robust The European Molecular Biology Conference EMBC, followed by Lithuania in June as the 29th investment in applied research (EMBC) is an intergovernmental organiza- member state. tion comprising 29 Member States. EMBC "Malta has shown an impressive commitment and commercial biotechnology” promotes a strong transnational approach to enhancing its scientific research base," stated to the life sciences. Within EMBC, Member EMBO Director Maria Leptin. "It has made strong States pool their resources to improve the use of European Union funding to invest in the achievements and take advantage of the support quality of research at a national level and life sciences and EMBO is glad to be able to offer for our member states”. to contribute to the advancement of basic Malta the opportunities and support available to Researchers working in Malta and in Lithuania research in Europe. our member states". will now be eligible to apply to EMBO for Long- term Fellowships, Short-term Fellowships, For more information: www.embc.embo.org Courses and Workshops funding and the EMBO “Malta has shown an impressive Young Investigator Programme. Access to support commitment to enhancing its in these areas helps some of Europe's finest scientists to excel in their research and to engage “Life sciences are a particular strength of scientific research base” in professional networking with an international Lithuania and it is a pleasure to see our country community of peers. become part of the EMBO family,” said Professor "Access to funding and networking opportuni- Virginijus Šikšnys of Vilnius University’s Institute ties is vital to effectively support the life scienc- of Biotechnology. “EMBO membership creates “Life sciences in Lithuania have advanced es. This agreement with the EMBC and EMBO new opportunities for our young researchers at an impressive rate in recent decades, driven will significantly drive the career advancement and strengthens our links with the European life by robust investment in applied research and of Maltese life scientists and of those working sciences community”. commercial biotechnology,” she also said. “We in Malta," added Evarist Bartolo, Minister for look forward to helping Lithuania build on its Education and Employment, Malta.

©2016 EMBO EMBOencounters | Summer 2016 | [email protected] 3 58 life science researchers elected as new EMBO Adam Antebi M. Madan Babu Laure Bally-Cuif Members Biological mechanisms Regulatory genomics Adult neural stem cell of longevity and systems biology maintenance in vertebrates 2016 Cologne, Germany Cambridge, United Kingdom Gif-sur-Yvette & Paris, France

Jason S. Carroll Andrew P. Carter Agnieszka Chacinska Kristina Djinović-Carugo Óscar Fernández-Capetillo Estrogen Receptor Structural biology of the Quality control of mitochondrial Structural biology of the Replicative stress as a driver biology in breast cancer motor protein dynein protein biogenesis actin-based cytoskeleton of cancer and aging Cambridge, United Kingdom Cambridge, United Kingdom Warsaw, Poland Vienna, Austria & Ljubljana, Slovenia Madrid, Spain & Stockholm, Sweden

Jan O. Korbel Pekka Lappalainen Helder Maiato Marcos Malumbres Fatima Mechta-Grigoriou From genomic variation Actin and plasma Spatial and temporal Cell division and Oxidative stress and to molecular mechanism membrane dynamics regulation of mitosis proliferation in mammals stromal diversity in cancers Heidelberg, Germany & Helsinki, Finland Porto, Portugal Madrid, Spain Paris, France Cambridge, United Kingdom

Jane E. Parker Matthieu Piel Simona Polo Hans-Reimer Rodewald Claire Rougeulle Plant innate immunity Quantitative, molecular and Ubiquitin (de)regulation Hematopoietic stem cells Long non-coding RNAs in signalling pathways physical cell biology of signaling pathways and immunology development and disease Köln, Germany Paris, France Milano, Italy Heidelberg, Germany Paris, France

François Spitz Didier Stainier Kate G. Storey Peter ten Dijke Pavel Tomancak Genome architecture Vertebrate organ development Regulation of neural TGF-beta family Patterns of gene expression and gene regulation and homeostasis differentiation signaling in diseases in animal development Paris, France Bad Nauheim, Germany Dundee, United Kingdom Leiden, Netherlands Dresden, Germany

Xiaodong Zhang Juleen R. Zierath George Fu Gao* Hiroshi Hamada* Marc W. Kirschner* Structures and mechanisms Skeletal muscle glucose Protein interactions in virus Origin of body asymmetries Cell cycle regulation, of macromolecular machines metabolism and development entry and immunity in the mouse embryo mass spectrometry London, United Kingdom Stockholm, Sweden Beijing, China Kobe, Japan Boston, United States

Mohamed Bentires-Alj Michael Brand Dana Branzei Frank Buchholz Ana I. Caño-Delgado Breast cancer diversity, Regeneration of the DNA replication and Genome editing and functional Brassinosteroid signaling resistance and metastasis vertebrate brain and retina chromosome structure integrity genomics in medicine in stem cell development Basel, Switzerland Dresden, Germany Milano, Italy Dresden, Germany Barcelona, Spain

Darren Gilmour Ian A. Graham Manajit Hayer-Hartl Carl-Philipp Heisenberg István Katona Collective cell biology of Plant natural products Molecular chaperones Cell and tissue morphogenesis Endocannabinoid organ formation and seed biology and Rubisco biogenesis in gastrulation signaling in the brain Heidelberg, Germany York, United Kingdom Martinsried, Germany Klosterneuburg, Austria Budapest, Hungary

Maria M. Mota Daniel J. Müller Eugene Myers Ove Nilsson Ruth H. Palmer Biology and physiology Molecular and cellular Image-based systems Regulation of flowering ALK signaling in Drosophila, of malaria biophysics of membranes biology for development time and tree phenology mice & human cancer Lisbon, Portugal Zurich, Switzerland Dresden, Germany Umeå, Sweden Gothenburg, Sweden

Raffaella Santoro Uwe Sauer Hans R. Schöler Melina Schuh Roberto Solano Chromatin dynamics in Systems biology of Programming and Meiosis in mammalian The jasmonate signaling cancer and stem cells metabolism reprogramming in mammals oocytes pathway in plants Zurich, Switzerland Zurich, Switzerland Münster, Germany Göttingen, Germany Madrid, Spain

Ian Tomlinson Jernej Ule Antonella Viola Douglas J. Winton Gulnara Yusupova Cancer genetics and RNA regulatory Immune cell signaling Functional properties of Mechanism of protein bio- evolution networks Milano, Italy intestinal stem cells synthesis at the ribosome Oxford, United Kingdom London, United Kingdom Cambridge, United Kingdom Illkirch, France

Timothy J. Mitchison* Huck-Hui Ng* Virginijus Šikšnys* Hong Wu* Xiaowei Zhuang* Mechanisms of cell Self-renewal and Mechanisms of antiviral PTEN controlled signaling Advanced imaging of organization & movement differentiation of stem cells defense in prokaryotes pathway and tumorigenesis cellular structures Boston, United States Singapore Vilnius, Lithuania Beijing, China Cambridge, United States

Richard Benton and Ben Lehner awarded EMBO Gold Medal 2016

RICHARD BENTON of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and BEN LEHNER of the URING O NO U Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain, are the recipients of the EMBO O TS T Gold Medal 2016. The EMBO Gold Medal, endowed with 10,000 Euros, is awarded H A 6 N annually to young scientists for outstanding contributions to the life sciences in Europe.8 9

The award ceremony will take place on September 11, 2016, at the opening session1 of

The EMBO Meeting in Mannheim, Germany. E

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Richard Benton Ben Lehner T

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UNIL, and CRG Imhof, Pictures: Felix ©

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ichard Benton was awarded the EMBO said Maria Leptin, EMBO Director. Insect B olfac- means that it may not be possible to predict

Gold Medal 2016 for his work on olfaction provided an ideal model to explore the evolu - disease outcomes from genome analysis alone. GOLD U

Rtory perception in insects. There are many tion of new genes as there is a strong pressure Gene expression levels need to be taken into similarities between the organizational structure to cope with an ever-changing olfactory environ- account.

of the neural systems underlying olfaction in ment. In addition, Richard Benton andT his group Lehner then continued on the general theme of

insects and vertebrates. However, Benton and have made discoveries in the fieldI of behavioral genotype-phenotype relations, pursuing a diverse

his colleaguesME found that the molecularDA basis biologyL addressing, for example,O how chemosen- array of questions. “Ben Lehner has impressed for recognizing smell is different. He showed sory and mechanosensory pathways interact to the award committee with a very broad research

that insect odorant receptors, the molecular elicit collective behaviors. N interest, ranging from the genetics of cancer, to

detectors of scent, define a novel class of genes, Ben Lehner receivedS the EMBO Gold Medal evolution, circadian oscillations, and the dynam-

E with evolutionary roots in the common ancestor 2016 for his contributions to understanding the ics of gene expression networks,” commented T

of animals and plants. He discovered a second origins of O phenotypic diversity in development Maria Leptin. Part of his work has focused on the

family of odorantN receptors – the fly’s “second and evolution. People differ from each other and question why different cancers accumulate differ- L E I I F C E nose”, as he called it – that belongsS to a group of this is, according to textbook knowledge, due ent mutations. Ben Lehner and his team found proteins previously thought to function only in to differences in genetics as well as environ- that regions of active gene expression have a the communication between neurons. ment. However, working with the roundworm lower mutation rate due to a repair mechanism Building on these discoveries, Benton expand- C. elegans, Lehner discovered another player in that works more efficiently in these regions. ed his research to related fields. “Richard Benton the game. Genetically identical worms grown in has been praised by the referees for his courage the same environment may nonetheless not look and perseverance in challenging dogma regard- identical. He showed that this can be explained ing odorant receptors, while also contributing by stochastic variances in gene expression early to behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology,” in development. Extrapolating to humans, this

the peer-review and editorial process can be Are biologists lengthy and unpredictable, while preprints offer How the ability to communicate new findings with ready for minimal delay, in a form that is stably archived transparency

and citable yet open to community discussion and revision. Adding a new manuscript to a preprints? preprint server can provide evidence of priority in publishing EMBO Associate Member RON VALE for new findings and evidence of productivity for grant or fellowship applications. In response to is opening up and EMBO’s Head of Scientific concerns about research being posted premature- A N Publications BERND PULVERER make ly in order to stake a claim on a new finding, Vale research D the case for the sharing of preprint noted that researchers would likely be conserva- I tive in releasing unvetted information in order to BERND PULVERER N By manuscripts protect their reputations. G Pulverer stated that the majority of scientific cience is a process of building upon earli- C ccess to scientific data, or Open Science, journals, including those of EMBO Press, had er discoveries, co-operating with fellow O is a topic of lively discussion between embraced preprints, defining their own role as researchers to share information and turn- N S scientists, publishers and funding bodies. providing the point of record with peer-reviewed ing each advancement into the basis for the next.

R This theme is particularly relevant in light of the and edited research papers. The two streams For this progress to occur, researchers need unim-

I recent announcement from EU Commissioner of communication have been working along- peded access to the latest results. Traditionally,

U Carlos Moedas, which included a statement that side each other in the physical sciences for 25 this has happened through two complementary

T forms of communication: conferences, where

I O “hot off the bench” results are presented for discussion, and journal publication, where peer review offers a reliable standard of quality and

What are reproducibility and which preserves an archive of research.

preprints? Increasingly, given the competition for limit- ed funding and continuous research assessment Preprints are complete scientific manuscripts informed by publication output, conference that are shared on a publicly accessible server presentations are covering published or in-press before peer review. Preprints are freely acces- research. The reluctance to present unpub- sible and usually free for authors. They can be lished research often stems from a fear of being read, cited and critiqued by the community “scooped” by someone replicating findings and and revisions can be uploaded by the authors. managing to publish faster – in the worst case Preprints can be submitted in parallel to their with less data – instead of offering cooperation to Passionate posting on a server, to most peer reviewed publish jointly. Such hesitance to present unpub- about preprints: journals for formal publication. lished data is understandable, as primary research Ron Vale, publication is crucial for career advancement. University of California At EMBO Press, we encourage researchers to © USCF © make their findings accessible at all stages of the scientific process – as long as they are reliable all publicly funded scientific papers published in years, where uploading research to the arXiv and usable by others. We do so, on one hand, Europe should be freely accessible by 2020 (see preprint repository is a firmly established prac- through policies that protect researchers from Science Policy page 10). tice. Pulverer also emphasized that the comments losing priority and that optimize informed, rapid For Ron Vale of the University of California, on preprints can enhance the quality of journal and impartial quality control and, on the other San Francisco, giving biologists the ability to submissions and reduce the pressure towards hand, through new infrastructure: rapidly share original research papers with their rapid journal publication. Authors can submit peers before publication in scientific journals is a directly from a preprint server to all four EMBO Preprints big step forward in simplifying the dissemination Press journals at the click of a button. We encourage the use of preprint servers to share of new data and engaging scientists in comment- “Scholarly communication should be a joyful manuscripts describing completed research prior ing on each others work before publication. process where you share the research on which to formal publication. This can be considered a However, Vale acknowledges that for the shar- you have worked so hard”, said Vale. Recent broadly accessible extension of the role of confer- ing of preprints to become widespread in biology, enthusiasm towards preprints from funders and ences, opening up research to peers for discus- they need to be accepted by funding bodies and journals at two workshops organized by Vale and sion. Everyone benefits, as community feedback publishers as well as by scientists themselves. colleagues (see http://asapbio.org) suggests that can improve research before submission to a Once funders explicitly consider preprints for preprints could become a routine part of commu- journal, and everyone has access to the latest research assessment and journals universally nicating findings in biology, as open science results before journal publication. encourage preprint posting, scientists are more becomes more widely embraced. Preprint manuscripts are issued with a DOI likely to appreciate their utility. (Digital Object Identifier) and can be formally In June 2016, EMBO Director Maria Leptin cited. They are also time-stamped when upload- chaired a meeting including a presentation ed and are visible to the whole community, estab- by Vale on the merits of preprints, along with lishing priority and encouraging collaboration an editor’s perspective by the head of scien- rather than “scooping”. tific publications at EMBO, Bernd Pulverer. Vale Preprint revisions are version-controlled to explained that sharing preprints is not a replace- allow for transparent updates and EMBO Press, ment for traditional journal publication, but that Continues on next page →

©2016 EMBO EMBOencounters | Summer 2016 | [email protected] 7 How transparency in publishing is opening up research continued... along with most other reputable journals, do not consider preprints to undermine the novelty of a manuscript; indeed, we have implemented a “one click” submission procedure from the preprint server bioRxiv to all EMBO Press publications.

Scooping Protection We do not consider related publications that appear during review or revision to under- Brexit and mine the conceptual advance of a manuscript; we merely request citation. We have now research: extended this policy to manuscripts posted on recognized preprint servers. goodbye EU “We now have expanded money and scooping protection to manuscripts posted on preprint colleagues? servers.” A commentary by the previous EMBO Director Frank Gannon, published in EMBO Reports quietly) it provides an English-speaking entry Hopefully scooping protection and point to the EU market. Research in the UK bene- preprints will help to depressurize the system fits from great leaders and institutions, is well sufficiently to allow for careful and construc- organised and productive, and demonstrates its tive review and revision. social and economic impact. rankly, I am not surprised by the British Most of those factors will not change, so all is Transparent Process voters' decision to leave the EU. If you ask good then for a Brexited UK? It is hard to be sure EMBO Press has developed an efficient and Fa nation or community “Do you want to how post-Brexit discussions will affect British effective editorial process. Authors can control your own destiny or let pesky outsiders science. In the extreme case, it means Britain consider referee reports in their entirety and decide things for you?”, there can be only one slamming the door and becoming a EU-free only essential requirements for revision are answer to this simplistic question. To understand country: no more complex applications and rules, clearly communicated. As a result, over 90% the details of leaving and to consider the alter- no more signing time sheets, and all the other of papers are published after one round of natives would require a thorough debate and bureaucratic annoyances, but, also, no more revision. EMBO Press journals publish referee not just sound bites. But many years of anti-EU money from the collective purse. That will mean reports (anonymous unless referees chose propaganda and jingoism fused into a simple a loss for many laboratories and researchers as otherwise), editorial decisions and authors’ choice to the person on the street. In addition, the EU has become a major source of research responses in full, dating each step in the edito- Brussels is an easy target and it is political expe- funding for British scientists. The leading British rial process. We have also established referee diency to imply that this “foreign body” imposes laboratories did not partake much in the earlier cross-commenting as a mechanism to improve its rules. Just as it is easy to “blame the commit- Framework programmes, but, with time, UK the quality of peer review. tee” when some necessary but unpopular deci- scientists became enthusiastic and important sions are announced, “Europe” was the shield for participants. It is estimated that 16% of the Source Data introducing many decisions that help consumers, research funding for universities in the UK come Once published, we aim to make results ensure better fiscal discipline or for collective from the EU purse. Similarly, the UK government as useful and accessible as possible. For a approaches to climate change. Being Irish, I also first opposed the idea of an European Research number of years we have been encouraging saw many positive societal changes not just in my Council (ERC), which scientists from all over the publication of the source data underlying country, but all across the continent, thanks to Europe were lobbying for. The argument that figures and around half of EMBO Press papers the “outside body” in Brussels. And yet, the trend more competition would raise the standards are now enhanced in this way. for the past few years has been to vote against the throughout the continent was not selling in the EMBO’s SourceData project has developed status quo. The Brexit vote, the Austrian presi- UK with its top-class research. However, the UK a platform that renders published scientific dential election, the rise of new right- and left- eventually came on board to support the creation figures and their underlying source data into wing parties in Holland, France, Germany, Greece, of the ERC, presumably because Lord Sainsbury, a machine-readable and searchable format. Spain and the success of Donald Trump in the then minister of research, realised that labora- Currently in the pilot stage, SourceData allows USA: the voters will no longer buy the same-old, tories in the UK would be the major beneficiar- researchers to directly find specific data figures same-old. [...] ies. Indeed, Britain has been the most successful by searching not only for text or keywords but There is no doubt that many universities, country in attracting ERC funds since 2007: 636 by specifying a particular biological compo- research institutes and scientists in the UK are grants were awarded compared to 441 grants in nent or experimental design. EMBO Press top class and that research is well funded. The Germany, which ranks second place despite the releases the source data from all journals into life sciences in particular are supported by two fact that it has a larger population and invests the public domain, meaning that everyone research councils and major charities such as more into research. This means 636 laboratories has free access to the core of research and can the Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK. Of were able to hire the best postdocs and perform share data with the wider community. course, scientists never have as much funding the most expensive, and hence most thorough as they have good ideas, but our colleagues in experiments, while colleagues with less resources www.embopress.org | biorxiv.org the UK are doing fairly well. Major pharmaceuti- elsewhere fell behind. A 16% cut will hurt. Of sourcedata.embo.org cal companies are based in the UK owing to the course, the UK could increase its national funding large pool of talented scientists—and because of by using money it once transferred to the EU, but the favourable tax offerings and because (say it that is an unlikely outcome. [...]

We have witnessed the power of the elector- Johnson's “pro having my cake and pro eating ate. It cannot be ignored. We have to move on it” policy on the EU. It overlooks the crucial fact from wishful thinking that it will be business that the Norwegians and Swiss have access only as usual and work to minimise the damage that by adhering to EU rules on freedom of movement. How objective could result, at least with regard to research. Switzerland will lose these privileges if it does What happens in laboratories, wherever they are not reverse a 2014 vote to limit mass immigration can one be? located, remains a global enterprise, and facilitat- by the end of this year 1. Nor should it be forgot- ing the continuation of that is necessary for the ten that Norway and Switzerland also have to pay Panel session at ESOF on benefits to flow from research to mankind. the same contributions as EU members, yet have limitations of metrics for no say on EU research policy. Britain can hardly research assessment Commentary by Frank Gannon expect to play by different rules. DOI 10.15252/embr.201643057 | Published online And nor is it likely to be able to sell freedom 27.07.2016 of movement pledges to the UK electorate, since esearch assessment is crucial to Abridged version reprinted with kind permission immigration was such a hot topic in the refer- identify promising research projects. from EMBO Press 2 endum. Research by the Resolution Foundation RHowever, there is growing unease showed that it was an especially influential issue in the community with the metrics applied among voters in regions where immigration has and the scope of their use. Panelists at surged in recent years even if the size of the local the session “Research assessment: New immigrant population remained low. It matters metrics? More metrics? No metrics?” at the little that there is no evidence that immigration EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) in July from the EU or elsewhere has taken jobs—the UK in Manchester, chaired by EMBO Science currently has more or less full employment—or Policy Programme Manager Michele What is the significantly depressed wages3 . [...] Garfinkel, critically reviewed widely used The UK scientific community has to make its proxy measures of research performance case not just to politicians but to the public at such as journal impact factor or journal meaning of large. We should try to avoid charges of elitism, prestige. The panelists discussed their or of being out of tune with post-referendum concerns with metrics, but also pointed to Brexit? political realities. We need to be aware that many approaches to overcome their limitations. other employment sectors will want to make their Anne Cambon-Thomsen (CNRS, A commentary by Stephen Curry, also published in EMBO Reports own arguments for worker mobility. In reaching France) presented proposals for develop- out to the public, we should be sensitive to the ing a guideline to standardize the citation possibility of coming across as money-grubbing of bioresources including data in journal and self-serving. [...] articles, databases or biological samples. n the UK referendum on 23 June 2016 the This will be a difficult undertaking—though it Ismael Rafols (INGENIO, Spain) suggested British electorate delivered a majority vote is already partly in train through the open science that widely applied metrics may be harm- Iin favour of leaving the EU. The margin was agenda—but for the sake of science and for the ing research, and called for a broader small—52 to 48%—but the result was clear. Since sake of society, we have to try. Because the refer- metrics toolkit with pluralized indicators then, nothing has been clear. endum result has taken the UK and the EU into which show that pre-defined research The roiling waters of UK politics have deliv- entirely uncharted territory, and the shape of the goals were pursued. ered a new Prime Minister, Theresa May, and new settlement is still in play. Bernd Pulverer (EMBO Press) pointed a new conservative government, but the flow out that the journal impact factor is not of events remains turbulent. Amid the ongo- REFERENCES predictive of the impact of specific research ing confusion over exactly how the referendum 1 https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/sbfi/en/home/topics/swiss- and that the publication of citation distri- result will reconfigure Britain's relationship international-cooperation-in-research-and-innovation/ butions helps alert readers to this fact. He with the EU—which looks likely to stretch well european-union-framework-programmes-for-research/ postulated that experts should be given horizon-2020-_-the-european-unions-framework- beyond 2017—it is difficult to judge the impact incentives to evaluate research in detail programme-for-resea/swiss-transitional-measures-for- on the future of UK and European science. The horizon-2020/switzerland_s-status-in-horizon-2020. if refereeing itself were part of research PM's announcement that “Brexit means Brexit” html assessment. Finally, Sarah de Rijcke may have relieved the leavers in her party, but 2 http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/blog/why- (CWTS, Netherlands) stressed the impor- has done little to reassure anyone else. Her new did-we-vote-to-leave-what-an-analysis-of-place-can- tance of scrutinizing indicators regularly Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, is confident tell-us-about-brexit/ and of updating them. She proposed to add that a “balance can be struck” between access to 3 https://fullfact.org/immigration/immigration-and-jobs- ‘socially robust’ responsible metrics. labour-market-effects-immigration/ the single market and freedom of movement, but The session ended with an animated has yet to win the confidence of Paris or Berlin. debate whether metrics are applied trans- Boris's soberer younger brother, Jo Johnson, has parently and appropriately in the evalu- Commentary by Stephen Curry been re-appointed as Minister for Universities DOI 10.15252/embr.201643113 | Published online ation of research and researchers, under- and Science, providing a degree of continuity. He 04.08.2016 lining the need for continued and critical has made reassuring noises in the aftermath of Abridged and edited version reprinted with kind analysis of existing and future metrics. the referendum, but his refusal to answer ques- permission from EMBO Press tions on Brexit at the recent ESOF 2016 meeting www.esof.eu/the-programme/event- in Manchester was a disappointment. information/research-assessment.html During the referendum campaign, the pro- Brexit lobby group Scientists for Britain confi- dently asserted the UK could enjoy full access to the EU research ecosystem as an associated state rather than a full member, just like Norway or Switzerland. Unfortunately, this is as fanciful as

also thanks to the contribution of EMBO and EMBL, and is a striking example of how an EU initiative can completely transform the European research and innovation landscape. Under Horizon 2020, the ERC has a budget of €13 billion, which I think is a healthy amount, From even if one could argue that there is always room for more excellent research to be funded across potential Europe. Fundamental research is under economic and political pressure to deliver impact, but here to policy we need a long-term view and patience, because the talented researchers who benefit from ERC Interview with grants are an integral part of what keeps us glob- EU commissioner ally competitive. Their work already delivers a remarkable scientific impact. History shows that Carlos Moedas real breakthroughs often come from purely curi- osity-driven basic research. Such research is the solid foundation of knowledge creation and innovation. It's important for Europe to lead the way when it comes to giving researchers independ- © EU Commission © ence to conduct basic research, while at the same time in ensuring the best results for EU research and innovation as a whole.

How might the scientific community work Integrated initiatives, creative fulfil the common goals of open science and open better on issues such as opening up access to collaboration and open objectives innovation. data and literature? What progress has been made? What are the sticking points? What topped the agenda as EMBO What do you regard as the main day-to-day do you see as the role of governments and and EMBL hosted a visit from challenges of implementing the Horizon 2020 publishers? scientific funding programme? How might the In our Horizon 2020 projects, open access to CARLOS MOEDAS, European role of the scientific community in achieving results and publications is already the norm and Commissioner for Research, Science the goals of the programme evolve in a positive we have been running a pilot initiative on open and Innovation. We spoke to manner? research data generated by Horizon 2020 projects. The high volume of applications to Horizon 2020 But policies are not enough and to gain leader- Commissioner Moedas to find is both a proof of success and one of the chal- ship, we must also invest in the necessary infra- out more. lenges we face. We received more than 90,000 structure. For Europe's 1.7 million researchers proposals between 2014 and March 2016, each of which underwent an in-depth evaluation by independent experts, and we continue to care- “In our Horizon 2020 projects, open fully monitor success rates and take measures to access to results and publications What were your main goals during your visit of increase applicants' chances of success. EMBO and EMBL in Heidelberg in April? We are in constant dialogue with the scientific is already the norm and we have The meeting in Heidelberg was a great chance community – we listen carefully to their views been running a pilot initiative on to discuss some of the many common goals of to ensure that the programme is on track and the European Commission, EMBO and EMBL – that all the possibilities offered by Horizon 2020 open research data generated by I feel that the Commission should always be meet the needs of our beneficiaries. We engage Horizon 2020 projects.” involved in discussions on the molecular life independent observers – senior figures from the sciences at the European level. I also wanted to research, industry or public sectors – to evalu- show support for both EMBL and EMBO signing ate funding applications, and regularly assess the and 70 million science and technology profession- of the San Francisco Declaration on Research efficiency of our processes thanks to the feedback als, we will create a new European Open Science Assessment (DORA), and highlight our viewpoint of experts and programme managers. The role Cloud: a virtual environment to store, share and that, although the Impact Factor is an easy and of the scientific community here is vital for the re-use their data across disciplines and borders. well-known indicator of research performance, success of Horizon 2020. Researchers and innovatorswill be able to access others should also be considered, which is why and re-use data, while reducing the cost of data we have set up an expert group on Alternative Horizon 2020 is largely organised around ‘grand storage and high-performance analysis. Metrics. societal challenges’: how will you ensure that We have the full support of the European This visit was also the ideal platform to the funding environment for basic, fundamental Member States on this: in late May, the discuss progress, successes and areas for poten- research – which has contributed significantly in Competitiveness Council adopted the concusions tial improvement for the newly-signed EC-EMBL developing ways to tackle these challenges – of the European Council on "Open, data-inten- Work Plan 2016-2017; this outlines common remains healthy? What new challenges and sive and networked research as a driver for faster objectives in areas such as research infrastruc- opportunities do you see for researchers and wider innovation" which states that Member tures and e-infrastructures, personalised medi- studying basic, fundamental science? States "look forward to the possible development cine, research data sharing, mobility and training Horizon 2020 consists of complementary of action plans or strategies for open science". of excellent researchers. elements, one of which is the European Research Member States have also expressed interest in I was also interested in engaging in active Council (ERC) that supports frontier research and the development of a European Open Science discussion on how we could work together to excellence in science. The ERC was established Agenda.

We need to work together to make sure that What progress have you seen in driving abroad consider it was beneficial to their career open science develops in the right way to make forward improvements to issues such as gender progression. the EU more competitive and maintain excellence balance in science? What challenges remain We want to promote mobility even further: in science. This requires the involvement of all in terms of enhancing diversity in laboratories later this year, we plan to launch RESAVER, a key-stakeholders involved, including publish- and addressing other issues such as boosting pan-European pension scheme for researchers ers, research performing organisations, research mobility for researchers? to enable them to retain their supplementary funding organisations, and businesses, and will Promoting gender equality is a priority of the pension benefits when taking up a job in a differ- imply a review of how science is evaluated, the European policy for research and innovation, and ent country. creation of new research funding mechanisms, the Commission is making a tremendous effort in EURAXESS is another side of that effort: this and alternative ways of publishing. that direction. Our statistics show some positive pan-European initiative offers more than 250 trends, for example, the proportion of female PhD service centres in 40 European countries to advise One of the major concerns for enhancing students went up from 43.4% in 2004 to 47% in European and third-country researchers planning the impact of science and technology on our 2012. Similarly, the proportion of female research- their move, on issues like visas, social security economies is how we smooth the path for ers grew from 30% in 2006 to 33% in 2012, and arrangements, housing and child care. The EU innovative ideas to achieve their full potential. that of female heads of institutions in the higher also strives to attract talent from all over the What approach is needed to do this? Why is this education sector went from 15.5% in 2010 to world with the help of the Scientific Visa package, a good time to address this? How might it take 20.1% in 2014. which simplifies the procedure of admitting third- shape? So things are moving in the right direction, but country researchers to Europe for the purpose of Europe is excellent at research, but not so good slowly. I am committed to accelerating this trend scientific research. at translating its results into new products and and have included specific criteria to that effect services. We must do better in market-creating in Horizon 2020: for instance, gender balance This interview was conducted by Adam Gristwood innovations like new internet services, clean in research teams is now a ranking factor for and is co-published in the 2016 summer issue of energy technologies and better health care. That proposals, when all other factors are equal. EMBL etc. magazine. is why I am advocating for the creation of a When it comes to mobility, surveys show that European Innovation Council to attract the best European researchers are highly mobile, with innovators and help them to grow their compa- around 30% having worked abroad for more nies in Europe. than three months during the last ten years. Up We launched a public consultation this to 94% of EU researchers who have worked spring to gather everyone's views. This Call for Ideas attracted over a thousand responses, and the main messages are clear: the vast majority agree that market-creating innovation is indeed a particular challenge for Europe, and many have also expressed their concern that innovators find it hard to find their way in the current range of EU support schemes. These responses confirm my impression that we should further improve EU innovation support and the EIC should address this issue. We're also looking at new innovation-funding instruments to support Europe's most promising innovators. They need more venture capital: Ian Mattaj, Carlos Moedas, this is the biggest weakness in the European Maria Leptin (from left to right) innovation system: we invest less than a fifth EMBL Photolab Marietta Schupp, © in venture capital than the US does (€5 billion in 2014 compared to €26 billion in the US) and this must change. So the Commission is developing a proposal for a pan-European venture High on the agenda: capital Fund-of-Funds to tackle three main prob- lems. First, European funds are too small — and research integrity and small funds can only invest in small firms, and can't finance them as they grow. Second, 90% open science of venture capital is concentrated in just eight Member States, and cross-border investments are n April this year, Carlos Moedas together transparency in the scientific process,” said uncommon – this fragmentation prevents larger with delegates from the State of Baden- Leptin. “As we continue our work on research funds emerging. And third, EU venture capi- IWuerttemberg, visited EMBO and EMBL in integrity and develop a concrete approach tal draws heavily on public funding. The latest Heidelberg. Commissioner Moedas discussed to open science with EMBO’s SourceData figures from 2014 shows that public funding with EMBO Director Maria Leptin and EMBL initiative, we look forward to continued and makes up 35% of EU venture capital, up from Director General Iain Mattaj ways in which productive interactions with the Commission 14% in 2008 – we need to attract much more EMBO and EMBL can cooperate with the to strengthen European scientific excellence investment from private and institutional inves- Commission to serve the needs of researchers and global reach.” tors, such as pension funds. This last point is our and innovators in the life sciences in Europe. primary objective and the main added value of “We were pleased that our conversation with this initiative. The next step will be the launch Commissioner Moedas revealed so many of a call for expression of interest to manage the points of convergence on key issues such as pan-European Fund-of-Funds, which I expect to data integrity, open science and, more generally, take place in the coming few months.

Moving on transient tracks What are microtubules? They have been compared to fishing lines, hoops, tracks, spindles, frames, rib cages, subway systems, highways, or even to a plate of spaghetti. The multitude of metaphors just shows how difficult it is to capture their extraordinary features. They are, indeed, outside the realm of human experience – self-organizing systems that construct and deconstruct themselves, driving intricate movement processes such as chromosome separation, intracellular transport, or the coordinated beat of cilia, solely on the basis of local interactions between its molecular components.

By Katrin Weigmann © Carsten Janke ©

Mitotic spindle (yellow) in a dividing cell with the actin cytoskeleton labeled in blue.

icrotubule research is as multifaceted But after Borisy succeeded in isolating the spindles, using an assay of growing microtubules as the structures themselves. Scientists “colchicine-binding protein”, he found, to his to test the purity of his fractions. But he couldn’t Min the field study the molecule’s struc- surprise, that it was also present in non-dividing isolate enough protein to do anything useful, so ture and dynamics, its function in cell division, cells, particularly in brain. In fact, it could be he started taking a closer look at his assay instead. cell migration or axon growth, its role in evolu- isolated from a number of different sources that “I counted the number of nucleated microtu- tion or disease development. “The tubulin field all had one thing in common: They contained bules as a function of tubulin concentration and has become so broad you can hardly call it a field microtubules. Borisy and Taylor thus suggested realized this strange behavior where microtu- anymore,” said Carsten Janke, who co-organized that the “colchicine-binding protein” – today bules were just disappearing,” he recalled. The a large EMBL | EMBO symposium on micro- known as tubulin – was the microtubule subunit. researchers coined the term “dynamic instability” tubules in May this year to bring the different It was the beginning of a long story full of excit- to describe this behavior: microtubules switch communities together and to celebrate tubulin’s ing discoveries. between phases of growth and rapid shrinkage, 50th anniversary. called “catastrophe”, whereby growth and catas- Counting individuals trophe were generated by different mechanisms. Discovering the building blocks For many years thereafter, researchers were “All prior work was done on microtubules in bulk The history of molecular microtubule research puzzled about how microtubules form and disap- and averaging them,” said Mitchison. He discov- began in the 1960s, when Gary Borisy in the lab pear. They suspected some sort of “dynamic ered a new phenomenon by looking at individu- of Edwin Taylor embarked on a risky PhD project equilibrium” between tubulin molecules and als and counting their numbers. – isolating the components of the mitotic spin- polymers, but the details were unknown until The discovery of dynamic instability explained dle to understand its function. In a very elegant Timothy Mitchison in the lab of Marc Kirschner a lot. Growth and sudden depolymerization approach, he used colchicine, which was thought discovered them as a side project in the 1980s. could do mechanical work, like pulling chromo- to block mitosis by interfering with the spindle, The goal of Mitchison’s PhD thesis was to puri- somes. Mitchison and Kirschner also proposed as an entry point. fy centrioles, the structures that nucleate mitotic that microtubules would display an “exploratory

12 EMBOencounters | Summer 2016 | [email protected] ©2016 EMBO behavior”, where they would grow until they either attach to something or collapse. This “search and capture” mechanism could explain, for example, how microtubules catch hold of chromosomes.

Looking for myosin and finding kinesin Discoveries are not always straightforward. When Ronald Vale discovered kinesin, he was really looking for a non-muscle myosin. Vale was interested in how material is transported along axons and suspected some form of myosin, since Participants at myosin was known to move along actin cables in the EMBO | EMBL muscle cells. But eventually, using a combination Symposium on of in vitro biochemistry and electron microscopy, microtubules he noted that organelles in axons were actually moving along microtubules. When he managed © Pictures: Marietta Schupp, EMBL Photolab to isolate the corresponding motor protein, he called it kinesin. “The roots of cell biology come from studying Time line and muscle and cilia, where myosin and dynein had been discovered. But those were considered very people specialized tissue. It really took the discovery of kinesin to realize the sliding mechanism in cilia 1966 Gary Borisy and Edwin Taylor, can be generalized to the motor for transport in University of Chicago, discover neurons and other cells,” said Mitchison. tubulin. Kinesin moves along microtubules – but how? 1984 Timothy Mitchison and Marc Does it jump, flip, walk, or slide? Understanding Kirschner, UCSF, discover dynamic the mechanism required looking at single mole- instability. cules. Joe Howard, working with Ron Vale, looked 1985 Ronald Vale at UCSF and colleagues hard for conditions for single molecule motility discover kinesin. – and found them. “Single molecules had thus 1989 Jonathon Howard and Ronald Vale far only been studied in the ion channel field,” describe the movement of single Howard explained, referring to work by Erwin kinesin molecules on microtubules. Neher and Bert Sakmann that was later awarded 2016 EMBO conference Microtubules: From the Nobel Prize. Howard's assay for kinesin was Atoms to Complex Systems, organ- the first single molecule assay outside the ion ized by EMBO Members Marileen channel field. Thanks to this technology, we now Dogterom, Carsten Janke, Andrea Carsten Janke in discussion with microtubule research pioneer Gary Borisy know that it walks, we know its step size and Musacchio and Michel O. Steinmetz. how it generates force.

From atoms to complex systems Microtubule research was driven by a love asked Mitchison. “If we understood how Taxol of detail and attention to small things – single killed cancer cells, that would help us develop molecules – to explain general principles, and better drugs,” he said. this work is ongoing. “One of the open questions Similarly, genetic phenotypes that affect in the field still is catastrophe,” said Howard. It microtubules are often selective to certain cell is known that microtubules are protected in the types, despite the fact that the respective proteins growth phase by a “GTP cap” and losing the cap are expressed ubiquitously. Different tubulin results in microtubule teardown. But how is the gene variants and post-translational modifica- cap lost, what controls the length of microtu- tions may generate subtle differences in microtubules? Many labs are working on this problem, bule behaviour. “For a long time the significance using single molecule techniques and advanced of these small differences was a puzzle. But we microscopy. now know that they manifest in situations where But there is another movement going on, processes need to be precisely controlled, like which is alluded to in the EMBL | EMBO sympo- in neuronal development,” said Janke. Indeed, sium title: Microtubules: From Atoms to complex many mutations that cause neurodevelopmental systems. “The next challenge is to look at micro- disorders are either in a tubulin gene or a gene for tubules in the context of cells and organisms” microtubule-associated proteins. Understanding said Janke. This approach may, eventually, also the consequences of these small changes in the lead to clinical applications. Taxol, for example, context of the whole organism is still an open binds microtubules and is used to treat cancer. field. “I expect that the number of people inter- It causes side effects, particularly in neuronal ested in microtubules will increase exponentially. tissues, but just the fact that it is somewhat And neuronal development is really one of the specific to cancer cells is curious enough. “How most important aspects,” said Howard. can there be any selectivity between tissues, if the drug’s target protein is in virtually every cell?”

emand for EMBO Long-Term Fellowships work in short lectures during the four-day meet- remains high, with 735 eligible applica- ing. “The atmosphere was excellent,” said David Dtions received in the spring 2016 selection. del Álamo, new Fellowship Programme manager. 95 candidates were chosen, 68 of whom will work Over the course of the meeting, fellows in EMBC member states and 27 in non-member learned more about financial issues from Anna states, predominantly in the United States. The Lönnroth from the European Research Council funding is awarded for a period of up to two (ERC). Lönnroth spoke about funding opportuni- years and supports post-doctoral research visits ties and the ERC. Anne Faerch Nielsen from The to laboratories throughout Europe and the world. EMBO Journal spoke about scientific publishing A committee made up of 23 EMBO Members is at EMBO. responsible for the selection. This year, six new EMBO Fellows who work in the United States committee members joined the board, includ- are invited to a separate meeting that will be held ing Yehudit Bergman, Marie-Anne Felix, Erin at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Schuman, Nancy Hynes, James Briscoe and November this year. Mariagrazia Pizza. Fellows who have recently completed their www.embo.org/funding-awards/fellowships two-year stipend met at the annual Fellows’ Meeting in Heidelberg from 16-19 June. 60 postdoctoral students came together to share their experience and establish new collaborations and contacts. Forty attendees presented their current Update from the EMBO Programmes

EMBO Fellows’ committee members met in Heildelberg © Marietta Schupp, EMBL Photolab Marietta Schupp, ©

London workshop on experimental and computational biology

t sounded straightforward: “What should be to look to the future, including bringing in new our scientific strategy? Where are the opportu- groups. Inities? And who should we be bringing to the With the intriguing backdrop of the Wellcome Institute to help us with this?” Clear goals from Collection, scientists first heard from Nikolaus EMBO Member Matthias Merkenschlager as he Rajewsky of the Max Delbrueck Centre (MDC) opened a workshop in central London this spring. in Berlin and Stuart Cook of the CSC. Rajewsky Merkenschlager was co-organiser, along with talked about his work on circular RNA, and Oliver Howes, of what proved to be anything but discussed “droplet sequencing” as a method a straightforward two-day event. Attendees found he claimed can provide sequencing data some themselves on an exhilarating journey through two orders of magnitude cheaper than current the latest thinking in experimental and compu- techniques. Stuart Cook described his quest to tational biology, organised by the MRC Clinical understand why it is that some one per cent of Sciences Centre (CSC). the world’s population carry a genetic mutation Groups working on Integrative Biology (IB) known to be linked to heart disease, with no © MRC Clinical Sciences Centre © have reached a critical mass at the CSC. Late last apparent effect. The hearts of such people may Matthias Merkenschlager year, a new IB section won strategic backing from be “primed to fail” if they suffer a second hit, the UK’s Medical Research Council, to bring to whether genetic or environmental, he thinks, and bear both experimental and computational meth- preventative drugs might hold potential for this ods in tackling scientific questions. The work- group. shop served both as a celebration and as a way

On the practical side, participants were offered Speed networking and effective media training for on-site filming. Former BBC reporter Ali Sargent explained how to plan and negotiation produce a short video on a research topic. Those who opted for the negotiation workshop had a urrent and new members of the EMBO networking’ session was fun and a very efficient chance to polish their negotiation skills in a four- Young Investigator Programme gathered way of getting to know each other. Of course the hour-workshop before the actual meeting took Cfor the annual meeting in Heidelberg from allocated time was often too short to really finish off. 11–13 May 2016. The meeting attracted 50 Young the discussed topics. But it was a great icebreaker The comments of the Installation Grantee Investigators and Installation Grantees from all and interesting discussions were then continued Sebastian Glatt echo those of many other partici- over Europe. Each gave a brief talk describing during coffee breaks, meals or over a beer.” pants: “It was very interesting to find out more their current research. On the second day of the meeting, Michele about other network members and their outstand- New to this year’s agenda was a “speed Garfinkel from EMBO Science Policy and Bernd ing research. The meeting allowed me to interact networking” session on the first evening of Pulverer from EMBO Press jointly ran a session with almost everybody in a very short time.” the meeting, when scientists discussed topics on Science, Policy, Publishing: why responsible of mutual interest. This one-hour-session was conduct of research matters. Questions on topics embo.org/funding-awards/young-investigators much appreciated. Raquel Oliveira from the such as preprint servers and open data triggered Gulbenkian Science Institute: “The ‘speed vivid discussions during the session.

how each awardee will make a difference for Suffrage science: women in science over the two-year cycle of the award. creating a web This year’s recipients hail from industry and academia and from subjects as diverse as epige- of women in netics to early brain development to personalised medicine. One awardee, Michelle James of Stanford University, California, said it is impor- science tant to show the next generation that science is tough. “It takes a lot of effort, emotion and MBO Young investigator Petra Hajkova strength. But it’s not just that it’s hard. We can hosted an evening of celebration and inspi- do this together. I think it’s important for us to Eration for women in the life sciences. In a Petra show that you can be a strong woman in science, ceremony at the Royal Society on International Hajkova a passionate leader, and kind and respectful to

Women’s Day in March this year, ten female scien- © MRC Clinical Sciences Centre your students.” tists and one science communicator were handed awards to recognise their scientific achievements piece is passed on, this creates a connected group csc.mrc.ac.uk/suffrage-science-creating-a-web- and ability to inspire others. of women that reaches across multiple genera- of-women-in-science/ This new group joined awardees recognised tions of scientists. under the Suffrage Science scheme, established Petra Hajkova, who leads the MRC CSC’s www.theguardian.com/women-in- by the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre (CSC) five Reprogramming and Chromatin group, talked of leadership/2015/sep/24/67-of-europeans-dont- years ago. Each received an “heirloom” item of her shock at the results of a pan-European survey believe-women-have-the-skills-to-be-scientists jewellery created by students of London’s art last year in which some 67% of 5,000 respond- and design college, Central St Martins-UAL. This ents did not believe women have the skills to draws inspiration from scientific research and be senior scientists. The evening explored two from jewellery worn by the Suffragettes. As each themes, the nature of inspiration in science, and

he Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB) is part of the Max TDelbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC). It was initiated in 2008 and is headed by EMBO Member Nikolaus Rajewsky. The institute currently employs 200 scientists in 14 research teams with Nikolaus Rajewsky and Thomas Sommer the number of groups set to rise to 25 in the from MDC together with architect Alfred David Ausserhofer/MDC © Nieuwenhuizen put the time capsule into coming years. the cornerstone To accommodate the growing number of hall is planned for hosting public events on art, researchers, a new building in the heart of Berlin society and life sciences. The centre will open its is currently being built. Its construction started in doors in 2018. 2015. Last May the BIMSB scientists and guests organisms and innovative technical and theo- celebrated the laying of the foundation stone at retical methods,” said Rajewsky. “The new loca- www.mdc-berlin.de/en/bimsb the huge construction site in Berlin-Mitte. “With tion is an important driver for the Max Delbrück the BIMSB we want to undertake important Center as a whole.” scientific activities that were previously missing The new building will accommodate up to 300 at the MDC, including the systematic quantifica- people. In addition to the state-of-the-art labora- tion of molecular interactions in simple model tories and technology areas, a communications

“Match-making” services Under one roof new “match-making service” in Cambridge was launched in 2015 to unite research- he University of Exeter will open A ers and pharmaceutical firms in a bid to its new Living Systems Institute develop new drugs. The Milner Therapeutics T(LSI) in September 2016. This Consortium brings together scientists from interdisciplinary research centre will three academic centres in the United Kingdom pioneer the investigation of diseases (University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute and from a completely new and interdisci- Sanger Institute) and the region’s biggest phar- plinary approach, embracing mathemat- maceutical firms including Astex, AstraZeneca, ics, engineering, physics, cell biology GlaxoSmithKline and Shionogi. EMBO Member and genetics. Tony Kouzarides heads the consortium and will The LSI initiative has been led by also lead the Milner Therapeutics Institute, a the University of Exeter under the guid- brand new research centre at the city’s biomedi- ance of EMBO Member Nick Talbot.

cal campus due to open its doors in spring 2018. Milner Therapeutics © The founding director of the Institute, The construction of the new building has been Tony Kouzarides EMBO Member Phil Ingham, will join made possible through a five million GBP dona- the University in Summer 2016 from tion from entrepreneur Jonathan Milner, a former to deliver better medicines,” says Kouzarides. his current position as Vice Dean member of Kouzarides’ research group. One example of research collaboration set up of Research at Nanyang University The consortium provides the outreach by the consortium is the joint project between Singapore. programme of the new institute, giving research- AstraZeneca and the team of EMBO Member The LSI building is the University's ers access to novel therapeutic agents (includ- Carlos Caldas at the University of Cambridge single largest investment in science. ing small molecules and antibodies) across the to investigate how different sub-types of breast portfolio of drugs being developed by each of the cancer respond to different treatments. www.exeter.ac.uk/livingsystems companies in order to investigate their mechanism, efficacy, and potential. “We believe this www.milner.cam.ac.uk form of partnership is a model for how academic institutions and industry can work together

DNA for synthetic biology

n April, the DNA Synthesis and Construction Foundry opened at Imperial College London. “Synthetic © Arturo Fernandez/CABIMER © I biology is an exciting interdisciplinary field that aims to merge engineering design principles with molecular and Molecular biology and regenerative cellular biology towards constructing and testing novel biological systems and medicine in southern Europe cells at the genetic level for basic and applied research”, says EMBO Member he Andalusian Centre of Molecular Biology broad topics that range from basic molecular Paul Freemont, who is one of the two and Regenerative Medicine (CAMBIER) is biology to translational research: 1. Genome directors of the foundry. One main engi- Ta multidisciplinary biomedical research dynamics, which focuses on the study of DNA neering tenant of synthetic biology is centre in Sevila, Spain, which draws together and the effects of its exposure to multiple physi- the design-build-test-learn cycle where basic and applied research. Since April, CABIMER cal and chemical agents on cell death, mutations, researchers can apply bioinformatics has been directed by the EMBO Member Andrés and genome reorganization, hallmarks of cancer and bio-CAD tools to design specific Aguilera. CABIMER is now celebrating its 10th cells and a number of syndromes and hereditary genetic constructs, which are then anniversary. Throughout the years, it has provid- diseases often resulting in cancer or ageing; 2. assembled and transformed into specif- ed a rich intellectual environment that supports Cellular homeostasis, which studies the mecha- ic host cells and tested for specified or individual researchers and fosters collaboration nisms and proteins that control cell behaviour desired functions. By measuring specif- among faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, with the goal of advancing knowledge of neoplas- ic reporters and cell biomarkers using trainees, and visiting scientists. Some recent tic, autoimmune, and degenerative pathologies, mainly ‘omics’ technologies, research- highlights are due to the success of CAMBIER both on the individual level and in the context of ers can assess whether their designs researchers in obtaining funding from highly organs and tissues; 3. Stem cell and regenerative have worked, allowing further design competitive programmes that include three ERC medicine, which tries to understand the molecu- cycles to achieve desired functional grants, an H2020 network project as part of a lar and cellular mechanisms of differentiation, outcomes. To enable this, the foundry strong international consortium, and the nomi- proliferation, and cellular reprogramming. aims to make the design and engineer- nation of two of its young PIs, Felipe Cortés- ing of biological systems systematic and Ledesma and Pablo Huertas, as EMBO Young standardised. www.cabimer.es/web/en/ Investigators. CAMBIER is formed by 19 independent www.synbicite.com research laboratories that are grouped into three

Of its 500 staff members, three quarters are Biomedical scientists working in 60 research groups. Their research topics include epigenetics, DNA repair, centre in Munich cell structure, cell differentiation and the estab- lishment of nerve cell networks. Aiming to bridge basic research and clinical application, the BMC opened will also investigate clinical research on neurodegeneration, neurogenesis, immunity and vari- he Biomedical Center Munich (BMC), ous aspects of cardiovascular physiology. The which opened last October, represents institute hosts five core facilities for bio-imaging, Tone of the largest science investments bioinformatics, protein analytics, biophysical in Germany in recent years. EMBO Member methods and flow cytometry. These provide a Peter Becker was appointed coordinator of the variety of complex high-tech instruments that no project in 1999, when the first proposal for the single department could afford. The animal facili- institute was drafted. It took ten years to receive ties at the BMC offer space for 20,000 mice. the necessary funds. Today, the institute houses eight biomedical departments of the Ludwig- www.campusmartinsried.de/en/ Maximilians-University that were previously scat- biomedical-center-of-the-lmu/ tered all over Munich. “We see ourselves as an international centre of excellence,” says Becker who holds the Chair of Molecular Biology at the Peter Becker

UK-Bristol | 10 – 15 July 2016 | P. GR-Spetses | 16 – 24 August 2016 | FR-Montpellier | 22 – 26 August 2016 HR-Dubrovnik | 18 – 22 March 2017 | Verkade C. Englert | A. Gojon A. Driessen Correlative light electron microscopy Molecular mechanisms of ageing and The nitrogen nutrition of plants: Protein translocation and cellular regeneration: From pluripotency to Nitrogen 2016 homeostasis DE-Joachimsthal | 10 – 15 July 2016 | senescence C. Griesinger DE-Heidelberg | 31 August – 3 DE-Heidelberg | 3 – 6 May 2017 | A. Multidimensional NMR in structural TR-Istanbul | 26 – 28 August 2016 | September 2016 | C. Schultz Akhtar biology Z.H. Gumus Chemical biology 2016 Chromatin and epigenetics Integrating genomics and biophysics DE-Dresden | 15 – 26 August 2016 | P. to comprehend functional genetic IT-Pontignano | 3 – 7 September 2016 GR-Heraklion | 7 – 10 May 2017 | C. Tomancak variation | C.T. Baldari Hoogenraad Light sheet microscopy Lymphocyte antigen receptor signalling Cell biology of the neuron: Polarity, CL-La Serena | 4 – 9 September 2016 | plasticity and regeneration DE-Heidelberg | 28 August – 5 M.P. Marzolo DE-Mannheim | 10 – 13 September September 2016 | C. Sachse Actualizations in membrane trafficking 2016 | J. Ellenberg ES-Girona | 14 – 19 May 2017 | A. Cryo-electron microscopy and 3D image in health and disease The EMBO Meeting Bertolotti processing Protein quality control: Success and CZ-Prague | 14 – 17 September 2016 | CZ-Brno | 14 – 17 September 2016 | failure in health and disease UK-Cambridge | 5 – 10 September O. Massidda V. Bryja 2016 | G. Rustici Bacterial cell division: Orchestrating the Wnt meeting 2016 DE-Heidelberg | 23 – 26 May 2017 | Analysis of high-throughput sequencing ring cycle D. O'Carroll data IT-Laura | 17 – 21 September 2016 | Advances in stem cells and regenerative DE-Joachimsthal | 14 – 18 September P. Ferretti medicine DE-Hamburg | 12 – 20 September 2016 | M. Fainzilber The molecular and cellular basis of 2016 | R. Meijers Cell size regulation regeneration and tissue repair Protein expression, purification, and EMBO | EMBL Symposia characterization (PEPC10) IT-Domus de Maria | 15 – 18 FR-Paris | 19 – 23 September 2016 | September 2016 | L. Scorrano R. Brosch DE-Heidelberg | 7 – 10 September IT-Alghero | 17 – 24 September 2016 | Organelle contact sites: Intracellular Tuberculosis 2016: Interdisciplinary 2016 | P. Lénárt D. Komander communication and role in disease research on tuberculosis and Actin in action: From molecules to New approaches to study ubiquitin and pathogenic mycobacteria cellular functions ubiquitin-like modifications GR-Kyllini | 18 – 22 September 2016 | S. Taraviras DE-Potsdam | 2 – 7 October 2016 | P. DE-Heidelberg | 5 – 8 October 2016 | DE-Würzburg | 18 – 24 September Nuclear function and cell fate choice Hegemann A. Ephrussi 2016 | J. Vogel Retinal proteins The complex life of mRNA Non-coding RNA in infection AT-Seefeld in Tirol | 20 – 25 September 2016 | B. Mayer ES-Bilbao | 4 – 6 October 2016 | A. DE-Heidelberg | 12 – 15 October 2016 PL-Krakow | 19 – 23 September 2016 The modularity of signalling proteins Carracedo | J. Knoblich | G. Wator and networks Translational research in cancer cell Organoids: Modelling organ Targeted NGS in patients with cancer, metabolism development and disease in 3D culture mendelian or complex diseases IT-Vico Equense | 24 – 28 October 2016 | S. Parashuraman NL-Amsterdam | 4 – 7 October 2016 | DE-Heidelberg | 10 – 13 May 2017 | T. FR-Hyères | 15 – 22 October 2016 | F. Glycosylation in the Golgi complex R. Roepman Alexandrov Nedelec Cilia 2016 Metabolism in time and space: Modelling cellular processes in space FR-Mandelieu-la-Napoule | 27 Emerging links to cellular and DE-Heidelberg | 19 – 22 October 2016 and time November – 1 December 2016 | L. developmental programmes Johannes | L. Steinmetz DE-Heidelberg | 17 – 23 October 2016 Transducing glycan information into Experimental approaches to evolution DE-Heidelberg | 14 – 17 May 2017 | | R. Pepperkok function: Lessons from galectins and ecology using yeast and other R. Benton High throughput microscopy for model systems Neural circuits in the past, present and systems biology AT-Obergurgl | 10 – 14 January 2017 | future A. Villunger ES-Girona | 23 – 27 October 2016 | P. DE-Hamburg | 17 – 24 October 2016 | Cell death, inflammation and cancer Carvalho DE-Heidelberg | 21 – 23 May 2017 | D. Svergun Structure and function of the B. Brügger Solution scattering from biological AT-Goldegg am See | 10 – 15 January endoplasmic reticulum Molecular and cell biology of membranes macromolecules 2017 | M. Zerial Emerging concepts in cell organization DE-Heidelberg | 3–4 November 2016 | PT-Porto | 7 – 11 November 2016 | H. Stefánsson F. Silva ES-Calvia | 23 – 25 April 2017 | E.F. 17th EMBL | EMBO Science and Society Lecture Courses Biomolecular interaction analysis 2016: Wagner Conference EMBO | FEBS Lecture Courses From molecules to cells Metabolic disorders and liver cancer The past in the present: The making of memories GR-Spetses | 8 – 14 August 2016 | A.G. ES-Barcelona | 13 – 18 November Ladurner 2016 | E. Sabidó DE-Heidelberg | 12 – 15 November Chromatin and the environment Targeted proteomics: Experimental ORGANIZERS: 2016 | E. Furlong design and data analysis APPLY NOW FOR: From functional genomics to systems GR-Spetses | 24 August – 1 September biology 2016 | P. Cossart UK-Cambridge | 13 – 17 February The new microbiology 2017 | R. Salek Keynote lectures given by EMBO DE-Heidelberg | 20 – 23 November Metabolomics bioinformatics for life members at major international 2016 | D. Panne IT-Sicily | 14 – 20 May 2017 | P. scientists scientific meetings in 2017 by Molecular machines: Integrative Tammaro structural and molecular biology Biophysics and medicine of channels DE-Cologne | 26 March – 7 April 2017 1 October 2016 and transporters: Electrifying new | P. Schulze-Lefert IN-Thiruvananthapuram | 27 insights Plant microbiota For further information see: November – 1 December 2016 | S. www.embo.org/funding-awards/ Radhakrishnan EMBO Global Exchange Lecture PT-Faro | 24 – 29 April 2017 | T.M. courses-workshops Bacterial morphogenesis, survival and Courses Embley virulence: Regulation in 4D Tree building: Advanced concepts and CL-Las Cruces | 10 – 19 November practice of phylogenetic analysis 2016 | J. Ewer Small brains, big ideas GR-Thessalonica | 5 – 17 June 2017 | For a complete and up-to- C. Ouzounis date list of EMBO events IN-Madurai | 29 January – 11 Bioinformatics and genome analyses February 2017 | A. Das please go to events.embo.org Malaria genomics and public health

cientific manuscripts often contain an over- EMBO Journal, who acted as Laura's host during New trend in whelming amount of detailed information, her internship in Heidelberg. Sposing a challenge for the busy academic. Hand-drawn video abstracts act as a recorded science journals Science journals are accordingly beginning to version of a chalkboard talk but with the focus on publish video abstracts explaining articles in a the results and narrative rather than the presenter. Hand-drawn ‘scribble’ video nutshell to help readers grasp the key elements of As well as being cheap and easy to make, they abstracts with a voice-over a story and decide whether to commit more time also offer a solution for those who prefer not to to reading it in detail. EMBO Press recently intro- be interviewed on camera as a talking head. “The duced this new feature as an add-on to some if its whole process of planning, making and editing a papers. The very first movie went live in October video abstract takes around one day so it is defi- and was created by Laura Ward, a postdoctoral nitely worth the effort,” says Ward. scientist at the University of Bristol. In April, the young British scientist spent a month as an intern with The EMBO Journal editorial team where she demonstrated how to put this new, interesting approach into practice. “The idea of showcasing complex scientific content as a simple story is not new, but doing so in the form of a short hand-drawn video posted online has become increasingly popular,” says Ward. The movies typically last between two and five minutes. The initial image introduces the title and the authors of the paper. The next shot shows a quickly moving hand that populates a sheet of white paper with simple drawings while a narrative in the background talks the viewer through the highlights of the paper. For example, Laura's video accompanying Paul Martin‘s most VIDEO recent paper in The EMBO Journal starts with a simple sketch of a zebrafish and discusses using this model organism to investigate early stages To watch the abstract video to Paul Martin‘s of cancer initiation and inflammation. The image publication in The EMBO Journal entitled The wound inflammatory response exacerbates evolves as the story goes deeper. growth of pre-neoplastic cells and progression “To explain scientific findings in a few minutes to cancer go to: without the use of fancy slides makes them embopress.org/video_EMBOJ-2014-90147 much more accessible to a broader audience,” Laura Ward

BOOK REVIEW Analogies between cells and human world ife’s blueprint: the science and art of processes in nature. He explains what is now Life’s blueprint: the science and art of embryo creation is a recent book by known about the mechanisms of embryonic embryo creation LEMBO Member Benny Shilo, a molecular development and the commanding role of Benny Shilo genetics professor at the Weizmann Institute of genes. For each phenomenon, he provides a Yale University Press | Science. The book was the outcome of a year’s pair of pictures: a scientific image and a photo- October 2014 sabbatical at Radcliffe Institute of Advanced graph of everyday life as a metaphor. ISBN: 9780300196634 Study at Harvard University, when Shilo left The book is jargon-free and aimed at people shilobook.weizmann.ac.il/?page_id=65 active research for a year to concentrate on with little or no background in developmental photography (see also EMBOencounters issue biology who are curious to learn about embry- 21). During his sabbatical, he shot dozens of onic development. pictures that were eventually displayed at a show at Radcliffe and also published in his book. Shilo describes the process of embryonic development as one of the most complex

©2016 EMBO EMBOencounters | Summer 2016 | [email protected] 19 AWARDS – GOOD READ Awards of Excellence Good Read – Publications from the EMBO MEMBERS EMBO community Paul Ehrlich- und Ludwig worldwide and only two have The structure of sperm The impact of crystallization Exploiting bacterial operons to Darmstaedter Prize been selected this year. Izumo1 reveals unexpected conditions on structure- illuminate human iron–sulfur similarities with Plasmodium based drug design: A case proteins The Paul Ehrlich Foundation Cogan Award invasion proteins study on the methylene blue/ announced Emmanuelle Lucia Banci (EMBO Member) acetylcholinesterase complex Charpentier and Jennifer In recognition of his important Luca Jovine (EMBO Young and colleagues Doudna as winners of the contributions to research in Investigator) and colleagues Joel L. Sussman (EMBO Member) J. Proteome Res.| 18 February 2016 doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00045 Paul Ehrlich- und Ludwig visual science directly related Current Biology | 30 June 2016 and colleagues to disorders of the human doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. Protein Society | June 2016 Darmstaedter-Preis 2016. Inflammatory networks eye, Botond Roska has been cub.2016.06.028 doi: 10.1002/pro.2923 Both researchers were also underlying colorectal cancer awarded the 2016 Cogan HIV-Tat immunization induces recognized by the 2016 Characterization of proteins Yinon Ben-Neriah (EMBO Award from the Association cross-clade neutralizing L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women by in-cell NMR spectroscopy in Member) and colleagues of Research in Vision and antibodies and CD4+ T cell in Science Award in the field of cultured mammalian cells Nature Immunology | 16 February 2016 Ophthalmology. The Cogan increases in antiretroviral- life sciences. Lucia Banci (EMBO Member) doi:10.1038/ni.3384 Award is the most prestigious treated South African and colleagues award in vision research for volunteers: a randomized The presence of extra Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Nature Protocols | 19 May 2016 scientists under the age of 45. Life Sciences phase II clinical trial doi:10.1038/nprot.2016.061 chromosomes leads to Barbara Ensoli (EMBO Member) genomic stability Thomas Lecuit has received Lelio Orci Award and colleagues Dense EM-based Batsheva Kerem (EMBO the 2015 Liliane Bettencourt Gisou van der Goot of the Retrovirology | 9 June 2016 reconstruction of the Member) and colleagues Prize for Life Sciences worth École Polytechnique Fédéral doi: 10.1186/s12977-016-0261-1 interglomerular projectome in Nature Communications | 15 February 300.000 Euros. Each year, in Lausanne has won the the zebrafish olfactory bulb 2016 Midbrain circuits for defensive the Bettencourt-Schueller 2015 Lelio Orci Award. The Rainer W Friedrich (EMBO doi:10.1038/ncomms10754 Foundation awards the prize behaviour award was initiated by Lelio Member) and colleagues SLE-key® rule-out serologic to a young researcher under Andreas Lüthi (EMBO Member) Orci, Professor Emeritus at Nature Neuroscience | 18 April 2016 test for excluding the 45 in recognition for the qual- and colleagues the University of Geneva, in doi:10.1038/nn.4290 diagnosis of systemic lupus ity of his or her international order to honour outstanding Nature | 1 June 2016 doi:10.1038/nature17996 Dual function of C/D box erythematosus: Developing publications. scientists or promising young small nucleolar RNAs in rRNA the ImmunArray iCHIP® researchers in cell biology. The modification and alternative Irun R. Cohen (EMBO Member) Robert Koch Gold Medal Lilio Orci Award includes a pre-mRNA splicing and colleagues Kai Simons, Max Planck bursary of 10,000 Swiss Francs Ruth Sperling (EMBO Member) Journal of Immunological Methods | 2016 Institute of Molecular Cell and was given for the first time doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. and colleagues Biology and Genetics in this year. jim.2015.12.003 Dresden, receives the Robert Proc Natl Acad Sci USA | 22 March 2016 doi: 10.1073/pnas.1519292113 Koch Gold Medal for his life- Israel Society for Microscopy time achievements, in particu- The Israel Society for lar for his characterization of Microscopy has selected Ruth membrane-forming lipids and Sperling as an Honorary the development of the Lipid Fellow of the Society in Raft Model. recognition of her outstanding academic achievements as a Cloëtta-Preis scientist and a teacher, and her Upcoming Andreas Lüthi of the Friedrich contributions to microscopy in Israel. deadlines Miescher Institute has been for applications announced winner of the Bruce and Ruth Rappaport Cloëtta-Prize 2016 for his work Foundation on learning processes in the EMBO Keynote Lectures brain. He received the prize Yinon Ben-Neriah has 1 October together with Michel Gilliet received the 2016 Prize for EMBO Young Investigators of the Lausanne University Senior Israeli Bio-Medical 1 April Hospital. Both winners Researcher and Ido Amit is Installation Grants will receive 50,000 Swiss the 2016 winner of the Prize 15 April VIDEO Francs from the Max Cloëtta for Young Israeli Bio-Medical Foundation based in Zurich. Researcher awarded by the Israeli Bruce and Ruth Philip Zegerman, 2014 EMBO Young Investigator and group leader at the John Heatley Medal and Prize Rappaport Foundation. Editorial Gurdon Institute, Cambridge/UK explains his The 2017 Heatley Medal and EMBO YOUNG research on DNA replication and cell division Prize will be awarded to Ian INVESTIGATORS Coordinating editor www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8raBnKBYb8 Graham of the University of Tilmann Kiessling York for his contributions to Miller Visiting Professorship the understanding of plant Thomas Richards has been Text metabolism and seed biology. awarded the Miller Visiting Adam Gristwood, Yvonne Kaul, The Heatley Medal and Prize Professorship at University Tilmann Kiessling, Stephen Pewter, is awarded by the Biochemical of California Berkeley. The Susan Watts, Katrin Weigmann Society for exceptional work purpose of the Visiting Miller in applying advances in Professorship is to bring Print & web layout biochemistry. promising or eminent scientists Sandra Krahl to the Berkeley campus on a Proofing Australian Academy of short-term basis for collabora- Erica Boxheimer, Meryl Schneider Science tive research interactions. Matthias Hentze was elected Congratulations to EMBO as a Corresponding Member Members, Young Investigators of the Australian Academy and Installation Grantees of Science. Corresponding who recently received the Next issue VIDEO Members are a special Advanced Grants awarded category within the Academy's by the European Research The next EMBO Encounters issue Nobel Prize winner John Gurdon describes his Fellowship comprising Council for 2015. The full will be dispatched in October work on cell reprogramming and talks about of eminent international list of names can be found 2016. Please send your suggestions, the early days of the Gurdon institute scientists with strong ties to at https://erc.europa.eu/sites/ contributions and news to Australia. The academy has default/files/document/file/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wxd5UREROI [email protected] by 31 corresponding members erc_2015_adg_results_ls.pdf September 16.

Exhibition at the Ben-Gurion airport

he image shows the spiral structure of the inner ear, which is composed Tof neurosensory hair cells and other types of cells that together enable us to hear. The background sequence is connexin 26, the most common gene with mutations leading to deafness in humans. The image was produced in the laboratory of Karen Avraham, EMBO Member and professor of human genetics at Tel Aviv University. This composition is one of sixty works currently on display in an exhibition at the Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The exhibition features major scientific discoveries coming from Israel that have had direct and indirect influence on the lives of millions of people around the world. The team in Karen Avraham’s laboratory works to understand the molecular basis of deafness – the most prevalent sensory impairment in both childhood and adulthood.

mfa.gov.il/mfa/innovativeisrael/ sciencetech/pages/ israeli-scientific-discoveries-that-affected- the-world-29-feb-2016.aspx

BOOK REVIEW Narcissism in science: good or bad?

runo Lemaitre is professor at the École becoming a scientist – and succeeding in an serious threat as more and more individuals Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne in academic environment. Yet people with an become increasingly self-centered.” BSwitzerland and he has been an EMBO overly strong narcissistic character negatively James Briscoe, also an EMBO Member, Member since 2007. He recently published influence the community – in many different recently commented on the book on Twitter: a book entiteld An Essay on Science and ways. “Unfortunately, the present system and “Just read Lemaitre’s book on narcissism in Narcissism: How do high-ego personalities science organization greatly favours narcissists, science. Provocative, but depressingly familiar.” drive research in life sciences?, in which he to the point that even bright people and hard explores the link between narcissism and workers may find the research environment too The book is available on this website: science, with a focus on life sciences. hostile,” Lemaitre writes. brunolemaitre.ch/product/ Lemaitre’s conclusion is that it is impos- The author also discusses the origins of an-essay-on-narcissism-and-science/ sible to see narcissism as either good or bad. narcissism and its recent increase in Western The trait is often useful for scientists and a society – with all the negative, destabiliz- certain dose of narcissism, maybe essential to ing effects: “Narcissistic behavior becomes a

EMBO THE EMBO Molecular Medicine JOURNAL

C9ORF72 GDP/GTP WDR exchange SMCR8 41 P Phospho. RAB39b

OPTN TBK1 LC3B Ub

Lysosome ATXN2 Q30x

Autophagy

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Smoke signals on DNA RESEARCH ARTICLE

RESEARCH ARTICLE A study by Tobias Bauer et al., When the cell’s dustmen strike published in the March issue of in Cascade hypothesis: Molecular Systems Biology, shows A common genetic cause for beta-version that smoking during pregnancy two neurodegenerative diseases, causes long-term epigenetic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) A hallmark of Alzheimer's disease changes to the DNA – external and frontotemporal dementia is the deposition of amyloid beta (FTD), is an expanded GGGGCC modifications that do not change SCIENCE AND SOCIETY ARTICLE (Aβ) aggregates in the brain. But the DNA sequence. This may repeats within the first intron of do they cause the disease? In the put the unborn child at risk of Herbal remedy warning the C9ORF72 gene. However, little March issue of EMBO Molecular is known about how this insertion developing diseases later in life. Herbal medicines are highly Medicine, Benedikt Kretner at al. causes disease, nor about the popular. However, only a few present data that strongly support The researchers performed a normal function of C9ORF72. On have been tested systematically this view. comprehensive characterization of the one hand, pathology could DNA methylation changes linked for toxicity or carcinogenicity. Aβ exists in different forms, such be directly linked to the GGGGCC to smoking in expectant mothers In an article in the Science and as Aβ40 and Aβ42. Aβ42 is prone repeat sequestering RNA binding and their children, combined Society section of the April issue to form Aβ deposits. According to proteins or producing toxic with histone modification and of EMBO reports, Arthur Grollman the amyloid cascade hypothesis, translation products. On the gene expression analysis. They and Donald Marcus call for more familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) other hand, a reduction in gene found that differential methylation effective regulation of herbal is caused by an increased Aβ42 expression of C9ORF72 may also is enriched in enhancers that medicine use. to Aβ40 ratio due to mutations in contribute to disease progression. act on distal genes – so called The authors take Aristolochia as presenilin, the catalytic subunit of In the April issue of The EMBO “commuting” enhancers – and that an example to describe how the a secretase that cleaves Aβ from a Journal, Chantal Sellier et al. these changes persist over years. potent toxicity and cancerogenicity larger precursor protein. According provide evidence for the latter One commuting enhancer that of a widely used family of medical to the presenilin hypothesis, and show that C9ORF72 is part of is hypomethylated in smoking herbs only came to light through however, FAD is caused by a loss of a multi-molecular complex that mothers and their newborn recent epidemiologic studies – presenilin functions rather than Aβ regulates autophagy, the cellular children targets c-Jun N-terminal which involved one of the authors – aggregation. waste recycling process. Moreover, kinase 2 (JNK2). This epigenetic of cases of unusual high numbers decreased expression of C9ORF72 A major argument supporting change correlates with an increase of cancers of the urinary tract. It potentiates the toxicity of a the presenilin hypothesis is the in JNK2 transcription and with an is likely that many more medical particular form of Ataxin-2 that observation that a nearly inactive increased risk for the children to herbs cause serious side effects, is known to be a genetic modifier presenilin-1 mutant, L435F, causes develop lung disease later in life. as plants are known to produce a of ALS and FTD. In conclusion, FAD. Kretner et al. now refute Environment-induced epigenetic number of toxic compounds to fend decreased expression of C9ORF72 this argument, showing that the reprogramming in genomic regulatory off pathogens and herbivores. The elements in smoking mothers and their alone might not be sufficient to little Aβ the mutant does generate authors therefore express serious children cause neuronal cell death but consists primarily of Aβ43, a highly Tobias Bauer, Saskia Trump, Naveed concerns about the “rampant may synergize neurodegeneration amyloidogenic species that was Ishaque, Loreen Thürmann, Lei Gu, Mario adulteration of commercial herbal Bauer, Matthias Bieg, Zuguang Gu, Dieter caused by the accumulation of overlooked in previous studies. products with pharmacologically Weichenhan, Jan-Philipp Mallm, Stefan toxic proteins. Generation and deposition of Aβ43 by Röder, Gunda Herberth, Eiko Takada, Oliver active compounds and prescription the virtually inactive presenilin-1 L435F Mücke, Marcus Winter, Kristin M Junge, drugs”. Moreover, they criticize the Loss of C9ORF72 impairs autophagy and mutant contradicts the presenilin loss- Konrad Grützmann, Ulrike Rolle-Kampczyk, synergizes with polyQ Ataxin-2 to induce of-function hypothesis of Alzheimer’s Qi Wang, Christian Lawerenz, Michael “failure of the WHO to recognize motor neuron dysfunction and cell death disease Borte, Tobias Polte, Matthias Schlesner, and deal with this aspect of herbal Chantal Sellier, Maria-Letizia Campanari, Benedikt Kretner, Johannes Trambauer, Michaela Schanne, Stefan Wiemann, medicine use”. Camille Julie Corbier, Angeline Gaucherot, Akio Fukumori, Janina Mielke, Peer- Christina Geörg, Hendrik G Stunnenberg, Isabelle Kolb-Cheynel, Mustapha Oulad- Hendrik Kuhn, Elisabeth Kremmer, Armin Christoph Plass, Karsten Rippe, Junichiro Global hazards of herbal remedies: Abdelghani, Frank Ruffenach, Adeline Giese, Stefan F Lichtenthaler, Christian Mizuguchi, Carl Herrmann, Roland Eils, lessons from Aristolochia Page, Sorana Ciura, Edor Kabashi, Nicolas Haass, Thomas Arzberger, Harald Steiner Irina Lehmann Arthur P Grollman, Donald M Marcus Charlet-Berguerand Read the paper: embomolmed.embopress. Read the paper: msb.embopress.org/ Read the paper: embor.embopress.org/ Read the paper: emboj.embopress.org/ org/content/8/5/458 content/12/3/861 content/17/5/619 content/35/12/1276

14 –17 June 2017 EMBO | EMBL Heidelberg | Germany Symposium EMBL Advanced Training Centre

Keynote lecture Register now! Susan Lindquist 22 March 2017 Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, USA Abstract submission Eric Reiman 3 May 2017 University of Arizona, USA Registration & payment

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advancing the life sciences 2016 Mannheim GERMANY 10 – 13 September

Speakers Conference include 20 Chairs Andrea Ballabio concurrent sessions Jannie Borst Søren Brunak covering the latest research in the John Diffley Brian Charlesworth life sciences Jan Ellenberg Ronald N. Germain Charles H. Langley Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz Matthias Mann Anna Di Rienzo Francisco Sánchez-Madrid Mathias Uhlén

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