Out of Europe, for Europe: Creating a Global Scientific Network

WINTER 2010|2011

encounters Newsletter of the European Molecular Biology Organization

Out of Europe, for Europe:

creating a global scientiﬁ c network by MARIA LEPTIN

◗ From the beginning, all EMBO pro- inhabitants compared to North America’s 343 million) emerges as our grammes and activities were intended to strongest partner. catalyse cross-border exchange of ideas and The numbers clearly illustrate room for improvement in our inter- knowledge. As a European organization actions with the other continents. The large numbers in the green EMBO funds activities to support the molecu- and pale orange circles indicate that in some programmes we have lar life sciences in Europe. But it has always good contacts with South America, Africa and Asia. However, In the been recognized that ‘good for Europe’ does case of the EMBO Short-Term Fellowships, the participating scientists not mean ‘restricted to Europe’. Thus the eli- often come to Europe from countries with a strong need for training in gibility criteria for EMBO Fellowships, which new methods and technologies. The high numbers in the green circles stipulate that the applicant move to another country, allow scientists include many EMBO-funded plenary speakers at meetings. These from the EMBO Member States to take their fellowships abroad, and activities are benefi cial even if they do not represent a sustained coop- young scientists from any country in the world to apply for fellow- eration with the partner countries. They are one way in which EMBO ships to work in one of the member states. The courses, workshops can begin to establish more intensive relations, and they may serve to and meetings we fund accept participants without any national re- open up paths for high-level, broad co-operations. strictions, except that organizers are expected to ensure a reasonable The remaining numbers – postdoctoral exchanges and associate balance in the mix of nationalities. While the Courses & Workshops members – which are a better measure for scientifi c partnership at a eligibility criteria do not allow EMBO-funded events to be held outside high academic level, are low. Strong interactions with some countries – Europe, there is funding for plenary talks given at international meet- for example Japan, with currently seven Associate Members, are hidden ings by EMBO Members and Young Investigators. in the overall sums. But there are other countries in these continents for which the numbers do not Global reach of EMBO activities refl ect the quality and volume of HIGHLIGHTS If we look at the global distribution of EMBO-funded activities out- molecular biology research going side Europe (see fi gure below), it is not surprising that we fi nd a bias on there, or their importance for International Conference towards North America. In particular, the movement of postdoctoral Europe. We have made a number on Research Integrity fellows is primarily to the USA. However, the fi gure ignores population of steps to improve Europe’s rela- EMBO discusses responsible 3 sizes, and if we take those into account, Australia (with 22 million tions with these countries. ➞ ➞ research in Singapore

▼ Outer, dotted circles compare the North number of interactions in North America Networking across the pond Fourth EMBO Fellows Meeting America Asia with the inner, ﬁ lled circles representing 4 319 43 interactions with each of the indicated in the US continents. 205 Long-Term (dark orange) and Short- 145 140 million euros for bio- Term (light orange) Fellowships include Europeans going abroad as well as medicine in Luxembourg LCSB beneﬁ ts from Grand 10 foreign fellows coming to Europe. Duchy’s Health Science Plan 20 EMBO Associate Members (blue) include Latin ex-Europe members and European America Africa members who have moved abroad. EMBO Members feature Australia Courses and Workshops (green) include in iBioSeminars ©2010 | EMBO Global Exchange funded plenary lectures given by EMBO Online lecture series for 12 Members and Young Investigators at students & teachers Regional EMBO activities 2005 – 2009 meetings in the indicated countries.

➞ ➞ A cooperation agreement with South Africa, in place since 2008 and renewed this year, allows, for example, EMBO lecture courses to be held in South Africa and pro- vides travel stipends for South African scientists to attend EMBO courses. Negotiations with Singapore for a similar agreement are currently underway.

Establishing ex-Europe ties The EMBO Global Exchange Programme was introduced in 2009 to establish further ties with non-European countries. The Global Exchange Committee and the EMBO Council have considered the rationale and philosophy of our contacts outside Europe. There are two extreme positions: the purely altruistic, and the purely selﬁ sh. The ﬁ rst states that as a rich community with a highly trained population Tim Hunt with Maithreyi Narasimha (left) and Himanshu Sinha (right) after his speech at

the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai © TIFR and highly developed infrastructure, we have a moral obligation to help our neighbours reach staff in the fi rst week of January. Nine differ- The transformation of this wealth of a similar level of wealth and education. This ent institutions in Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and support into productive research is hampered general obligation may be compounded by a Bangalore hosted members of the committee in many institutions by old leadership struc- responsibility to make amends in countries for scientifi c presentations and policy discus- tures and a dearth of young scientists trained we exploited as colonies. The other extreme sions, and our Associate Member in India, in research environments conducive to front is to see the rest of the world as a source for VijayRaghavan, helped to arrange meetings line research, and able to establish such struc- trained staff for European research labs. It is a with members of government to plan coop- tures back in India. This is one area where problem for us that the fi rst, noble aim is out- eration agreements. The delegation was im- close interactions with EMBO and its members side the agreed mission of EMBO, whereas the pressed with the availability of funds for top- can help. There was also great interest in cynical, second aim would fi t well. In addi- level research in India and the general mood establishing Courses and Workshops in coop- tion, we have neither the fi nancial means nor of forward-looking enthusiasm, both of which eration with EMBO. The philosophy of EMBO the expertise or connections to undertake sig- have allowed the recruitment of excellent to run its programmes based on input from nifi cant development work in countries with young researchers back to India from America the community and evaluated by the member- a less-developed science base. On the other and Europe. This is the result of a clear gov- ship, with no quotas or proscribed goals was hand, it is not only wrong, but also not in our ernment policy. Would it not be wonderful if widely appreciated. The government offi cials long-term interest to exploit others. Fortunate- more leaders acknowledged that ‘scientists we met had an open mind on these ideas and ly, we do not need to be dogmatic, and can are not just servants who do the bidding of we will hopefully soon be able to formulate a choose a path that combines help for non-Eu- their paymasters. They are driven by curi- cooperation agreement. ropean countries with establishing long-term osity and seek knowledge often for its own Initially, our Global Exchange activities partnerships that will be mutually benefi cial. sake. The fundamental discoveries of physics, with new countries will most likely involve It was therefore decided that EMBO Global chemistry and biology have come from this more giving than taking, an altruism that may Exchange would concentrate our interactions thirst for understanding rather than from any be seen as contradicting the EMBO remit to mainly on countries with well-developed re- social compulsion’, as Prime Minister Man- serve European molecular biology. I believe search programmes in the life sciences, and to mohan Singh stated in his address to the 98th this is a narrow view, and short-term help will establish interactions at a high scientifi c level Indian Science Congress in Chennai. He also have a large long-term payback in establish- that will benefi t both partners. reminded the audience, ‘In the past fi ve years, ing friendly relationships with strong scien- the Government has established eight new In- tifi c partners outside Europe. I feel confi dent EMBO delegation to India dian Institutes of Technology and fi ve Indian that with these activities EMBO remains true As part of EMBO Global Exchange activities, a Institutes of Science Education and Research to our founding mission, creating the oppor- delegation of EMBO Members – Silvia Arber, to provide high quality education and carry tunities for scientifi c exchange through inter- Piet Borst, Tim Hunt, Vivek Malhotra and Ben- out research in frontier areas of science and national mobility. ny Shilo – visited India together with EMBO technology’.

Upcoming deadlines

1 February 15 February 15 April

EMBO EMBO EMBO Global Exchange Lecture Courses Long-Term Fellowships Installation Grants 3

International conference on research integrity EMBO discusses responsible research in Singapore

◗ The second World Conference on Research Committee on Publication Ethics Integrity was held in Singapore in the sum- (COPE) and Sabine Kleinert, mer of 2010, bringing together 340 delegates senior executive editor of The from over 50 countries. Participating coun- Lancet and vice-chair of COPE tries ranged from leading research nations to (http://www.wcri2010.org/ rapidly emerging research bases like China, press/conferencematerials.asp). plus countries with less-developed scientiﬁ c At the same session, Douglas infrastructure. Equally broad was the spec- N. Arnold, president of the trum of science represented, stretching from US Society for Industrial and applied mathematics to biotechnology and Applied Mathematics gave a live- chemistry. The conference represented a ly account of his extensive detec- unique forum for comparing countries and tive work to uncover a researcher

scientifi c areas on key aspects of research who had taken scientifi c miscon- ©www.wcri2010.org integrity, including plagiarism, data fabrica- duct to a new level by build- tion and manipulation and ethics. Topics ing a career on a fi ctitious string of research Bernd Pulverer (far right), Head such as training in best practice of research, achievements and academic posts. This case of EMBO Scientifi c Publications, policing of research integrity and dealing study was an eye opener on how the research among conference speakers from the session discussing best with misconduct also provided lively debate. community can be deceived for years. practices for authors and editors. The conference culminated in a joint Singa- Many other examples of research miscon- pore Statement on Research Integrity aimed at duct were presented at the conference, rang- establishing a common set of standards ing from accounts of Russian wonder heal- (www.singaporestatement.org). ers and science wizards to common types Research integrity is high on the agenda of data manipulation found in the biosci- at EMBO also. Impeccable standards are a ences. Hongwei Zhang from China National prerequisite for all programme activities such Knowledge Infrastructure presented a new as applications for fellowships, publishing plagiarism detection tool that works with papers in scientifi c publications and orga- Chinese characters. Software that translates nizing courses & workshops. EMBO Director between languages is essential to allow the Maria Leptin and Deputy Director Jan Taplick detection of unauthorized and unattributed provided an overview of the organization’s translation of research. The new initiative goals and activities related to research integ- shows how seriously the country is taking A particularly tough challenge is to arrive at rity at the conference. Jan was also a member research integrity. a global set of standards of research conduct of the conference planning committee and Many agencies and research institutions and policing. An example of cross-fertilization elected co-chair of the next world meeting. are setting up formalized structures to report between fi elds is the interest of the US Society Head of EMBO Scientifi c Publications, Bernd and to investigate research integrity breaches. for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in Pulverer, presented at the session on Research At the same time, the pressures to publish adopting a system similar to the transparent Integrity Issues for Authors and Editors on in order to secure funding, lack of training peer review used in EMBO publications (The how the editorial process and journal policies in ethics and best practice, and the fi nan- EMBO Journal (2010), 29, 3891–3892). aim to ensure a high level of research integrity cial gains that can be derived from academic Presentations and background mate- for all four EMBO scientifi c publications. research conspire to the high rate of research rial from the event can be downloaded from EMBO also contributed to the set of basic misconduct that we are currently witnessing. the conference website www.wcri2010.org. guidelines for authors and editors, present- The World Conference on Research Integrity Conference proceedings will be published ed by Elizabeth Wager, chairperson of the is an ideal platform to address this issue. early this year.

The EMBO Council (as of January 2011) EMBC Ofﬁ cers 2011*

❚ Geneviève Almouzni ❚ Mart Saarma President Chair of the Finance Committee ❚ Andrea Ballabio ❚ Benny Shilo ❚ Toivo Maimets EE ❚ Jeannette Ridder-Numan NL ❚ Patrick Charnay ❚ David M. Shore Vice-Chair Vice Presidents Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee ❚ ❚ ❚ Pascale Cossart ❚ Dimitris Thanos Leszek Kaczmarek PL Frédéric Dardel FR ❚ Angela Nieto ES ❚ Ari Helenius ❚ Richard Treisman Chair of the Strategic Working Party ❚ ❚ Leszek Kaczmarek ❚ Detlef Weigel Secretary General Toivo Maimets EE ❚ Krešimir Pavelic´ HR ❚ Ferenc Nagy ❚ Veronica van Heyningen * The European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) is the intergovernmental ❚ Daniela Rhodes Chair funding body of EMBO.

Networking across the pond EMBO US Fellows Meeting at the Salk Institute

◗ “The US West Coast is a place to do things you cannot do elsewhere. Hosting the EMBO US Fellows Meeting already for the second time in San Diego falls very much in this tra- dition,” stated EMBO Member and meeting host, Inder Verma, in his keynote address at the Salk Institute, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010. More than one hundred EMBO Fellows living and working in the US and in Canada came to attend the two-day meeting in November. EMBO brings its North American community together every other year to inform them about funding opportunities in

Europe. Thomas Wollert, group leader at the More than Max Planck Institute in Martinsried, one of one hundred the invited speakers, talked about his career EMBO Fellows after the EMBO Fellowship. “There are a working in the number of funding options for junior research US and Canada leaders returning to Europe,” he advised his came to younger colleagues. “If you have a promis- Salk Institute ing and innovative proposal, don’t wait for to swap ideas a speciﬁ c opening. Funding agencies provide and socialise substantial budgets to start a lab, often with free choice of institute.” Hartmut Vodermaier, an editor of The EMBO ©Photos by Fabian V. Filipp ©Photos by Fabian V. Journal, explained how EMBO is currently transforming the traditional peer-review Jan Taplick, EMBO Deputy Director and fellows can participate in EMBO Laboratory into a more transparent process by abolish- programme manager, gave an update on Management Courses to train them in leader- ing conﬁ dential referee comments. Nicholas what is new at the organization. “We have ship, effective problem solving and commu- Steneck from the University of Michigan led a seen a dramatic increase in applications nication. Hundreds of former fellows have vivid discussion on research integrity. “Being over the past year due to the tense funding highly recommended the courses since their an EMBO Fellow is the right time to think climate,” he said. He pointed out that in 2010, inception in 2006. about responsible research practices,” advised the EC supported the programme with extra Steneck. “Be aware of professional problems funds, which resulted in one hundred addi- early in your career and manage them before tional fellowships. EMBO support does not by FABIAN FILIPP they become unresolvable dilemmas.” stop at the end of the fellowship. All former Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute 5

EMBO recognizes 63 researchers for outstanding contributions to the life sciences New Members elected in 2010

◗ Sixty-three life scientists from Europe and rope and become EMBO Members. Fourteen researchers are recognized this year. In total, around the world were elected to EMBO ranks from this year’s election work in the United EMBO membership now comprises almost this year. They come from 14 different coun- States, Japan and Taiwan and are honoured 1,500 life scientists. tries. Forty-nine work in countries across Eu- as EMBO Associate Members. Twelve female

EMBO MEMBERS ❚ Anna Akhmanova ❚ Karl-Peter Hopfner ❚ Malcolm White Erasmus Medical Center Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, DE University of St Andrews, UK Rotterdam, NL ❚ Laurent Keller ❚ Kenneth H. Wolfe ❚ Judith Patricia Armitage University of Lausanne, CH Trinity College Dublin, IE University of Oxford, UK ❚ Ulrike Kutay ❚ John Wood ❚ Jürg Bähler ETH Zurich, CH University College London, UK University College ❚ Karim Labib ❚ Arturo Zychlinsky London, UK Paterson Institute for Max Planck Institute for ❚ Yves Barral Cancer Research Infection Biology Berlin, DE Manchester, UK ETH Zurich, CH ❚ ❚ Michael Bate Ernest Laue University of Cambridge, UK EMBO ASSOCIATE MEMBERS University of Cambridge, UK ❚ Thomas Laux ❚ ❚ Roland Beckmann Shizuo Akira University of Freiburg, DE Osaka University, JP Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, DE ❚ Elena A. Levashina ❚ ❚ Michel Bornens Elizabeth H. Blackburn IBMC Strasburg, FR University of California Curie Institute Paris, FR ❚ Carlos López-Otín San Francisco, US ❚ Nick Brown University of Oviedo, ES ❚ The Gurdon Institute Roger J. Davis ❚ HHMI, University of Massachusetts & University of Cambridge, UK Zachary F. Mainen Gulbenkian Science Institute Medical School ❚ Keith Caldecott Oeiras, PT Worcester, US University of Sussex, UK ❚ Andreas Radbruch ❚ Andrew Z. Fire ❚ Jason W. Chin German Rheumatology Research Center Stanford University MRC LMB Cambridge, UK Berlin, DE School of Medicine, US ❚ Tim Clausen ❚ Freddy Radtke ❚ Jeffrey Friedman IMP Vienna, AT ISREC Lausanne, CH HHMI, Rockefeller University New York, US ❚ Vincent Colot ❚ Nikolaus Rajewsky ❚ Elaine Fuchs Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris, FR MDC for Molecular Medicine HHMI, Rockefeller University New York, US Berlin, DE ❚ Maria Pia Cosma ❚ Michael R. Green ❚ CRG Barcelona, ES Erez Raz HHMI, University of Massachusetts Center for Molecular Biology of Medical School ❚ Gideon J. Davies Inﬂ ammation – ZMBE Worcester, US University of York, UK Münster, DE ❚ ❚ Ilan Davis ❚ Carol Robinson Thomas M. Jessell HHMI, Columbia University University of Oxford, UK University of Oxford, UK New York, US ❚ Stefanie Dimmeler ❚ Giampietro Schiavo ❚ Robert Martienssen Goethe University Frankfurt, DE Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, UK Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory ❚ Patrik Ernfors New York, US Karolinska Institute Stockholm, SE ❚ Ton N.M. Schumacher NKI Amsterdam, NL ❚ Thomas D. Pollard ❚ Marie-Anne Felix Yale University ❚ CNRS & Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris, FR Irmgard Sinning New Haven, US University of Heidelberg, DE ❚ Dominique Ferrandon ❚ Clifford Tabin ❚ Holger Stark IBMC Strasbourg, FR Harvard Medical School Max Planck Institute for Boston, US ❚ Jiri Friml Biophysical Chemistry VIB/Gent University, BE Göttingen, DE ❚ Robert A. Weinberg ❚ Rudolf Glockshuber ❚ Michel O. Steinmetz Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, ETH Zurich, CH Paul Scherrer Institute Biomolecular Research MIT Department of Biology ❚ Keith Gull Villigen, CH Cambridge, US University of Oxford, UK ❚ Sharon Tooze ❚ Chi-Huey Wong ❚ Douglas Hanahan Cancer Research UK Academia Sinica ISREC Lausanne, UK London Research Institute, UK Taipei, TW ❚ Michael Häusser ❚ Miltos Tsiantis ❚ Shinya Yamanaka University College London, UK University of Oxford, UK CiRA, Kyoto University, JP

EMBO Events – January to September 2011

PRACTICAL COURSES PRACTICAL COURSES (cont.) WORKSHOPS (cont.) CONFERENCE SERIES (cont.) EMBO GLOBAL EXCHANGE LECTURE COURSES Drosophila techniques Studying protein – protein Retinoids 2011 Meiosis PT–Lisbon, 11–18 March interactions by advanced light FR – Illkirch, 22 – 24 September IT – Capaccio/Paestum, HIV/AIDS microscopy and spectroscopy 17 – 21 September ZA – Stellenbosch, Advanced optical microscopy HU – Debrecen, 16 – 22 August Chromosome structure, 30 January – 5 February 2011 damage and repair Ubiquitin and ubiquitin – like Structural and biophysical UK–Plymouth, 23 March–2 April Image processing for GR – Anavyssos, modiﬁ ers: From functional cryo-electron microscopy 25 – 28 September methods for biological modules to systems biology Methods in chemical biology UK – London, 30 August – 9 macromolecules in solution HR – Cavtat (Dubrovnik), DE–Heidelberg, September CN – Beijing, 28 April – 5 May 21 – 25 September 27 March–2 April CONFERENCE SERIES Two-photon imaging of Bioinformatics: Tools, Stem cell research: Dynamic endosomes: Mass spectrometry and brain circuits resources and applications Development, regeneration Mechanisms controlling proteomics DE – Munich, 3 – 10 September MA – Tangiers, 13 – 23 June and disease endocytosis DK–Odense, 6–13 April Protein bioinformatics tools – FR – Paris, 6 – 8 April GR – Kato Galatas (Crete), Next generation sequencing for Africa Phosphoproteomics focus on regulatory proteins: 24 – 29 September Protein transport systems: KE – Nairobi, 5 – 10 September DK–Odense, 28 April–3 May sequences, structures, interactions, networks Structures, mechanisms, and The assembly and function of Small angle neutron and X-ray DE – Heidelberg, medical aspects neuronal circuits IT – Santa Margherita di Pula, EMBO|EMBL SYMPOSIA scattering from proteins in 25 September – 1 October CH – Ascona, 25 – 30 September solution 16 – 20 April Seeing is believing: Imaging Current methods in Host genetics control of FR – Grenoble, 16 – 20 May Myogenesis: The molecular the processes of life cell biology infectious diseases and cellular mechanisms DE – Heidelberg, 17 – 20 March Methods for miRNA discovery DE – Heidelberg, regulating skeletal FR – Paris, 28 – 30 September and analysis: From in 29 September – 7 October Cancer genomics muscle development and situ hybridization to new Nuclear structure and DE – Heidelberg, regeneration generation sequencing dynamics 17 – 19 September WORKSHOPS DE – Wiesbaden, 10 – 15 May FR – L’Isle sur la Sorgue, IE – Galway, 21 – 27 May The EMBO Meeting 2011 – Immunology and metabolism Spatial 2011: Systems 28 September – 2 October Advancing the life sciences Exploiting anomalous FR – Marseille, 13 – 15 January dynamics of intracellular AT – Vienna, 10 – 13 September scattering in macromolecular communication Function and structure of structure determination CH – Engelberg, 15 – 19 May FR – Grenoble, 6 – 10 June septins, ﬁ lament-forming ESF – EMBO SYMPOSIA GTP-binding proteins Homeostasis and Electron microscopy and DE – St. Goar, 6 – 9 March perturbations of immunity Molecular bioenergetics of stereology in cell biology IT – Alghero, 16 – 20 May cyanobacteria: From cell to 2011 EMBO Molecular FR – Illkirch, 14 – 24 June community Medicine Workshop: For more information The biology of molecular ES – Sant Feliu de Guixols, Mouse phenotyping Cell death & disease chaperones: From basic 10 – 15 April and a list of all courses, CH – Zürich, 20 June – 2 July AT – Obergurgl, 10 – 14 March mechanisms to intervention strategies in disease and B – cells and protection: workshops, conferences Bioinformatics and Chromatin structure, aging Back to basics and symposia please go comparative genome analyses organization and dynamics AT – Grundlsee, 19 – 24 May ES – Sant Feliu de Guixols, FR – Paris, 27 June – 9 July CZ – Prague, 9 – 13 April to events.embo.org Chromatin and epigenetics 12 – 17 June Frontiers in sensory High throughput methods DE – Heidelberg, 1 – 5 June Forthcoming application development Biological surfaces and for protein production and ES – Barcelona, 3 – 6 May interfaces deadlines for organizers crystallization Cancer proteomics 2011: Systems biology, ES – Sant Feliu de Guixols, FR – Marseille, 4 – 13 July Cell biology of the neuron to apply for EMBO funds: developmental models and 26 June – 1 July GR – Heraklion (Crete), Marine animal models in data integration 7 – 11 May Glutathione and related thiols evolution and development IE – Dublin, 20 – 23 June in living cells SE – Fiskebäckskil, 4 – 14 July The operon model and Europhosphatase 2011: its impact on modern ES – Sant Feliu de Guixols, Protein phosphatases from 1 February Developmental neurobiology: molecular biology 4 – 9 September molecules to networks From worms to mammals FR – Paris, 17 – 20 May UK – London, 8 – 22 July AT – Baden bei Wien, 18 – 23 July Epigenetics in context: EMBO Global Exchange Biophysical mechanisms of From ecology to evolution Intracellular RNA transport Lecture Courses Single-molecule development ES – Sant Feliu de Guixols, and localized translation nanomanipulation and PT – Oeiras, 24 – 27 May 18 – 23 September IT – Barga, 7 – 11 August analysis of protein – DNA Lineage commitments: Synthetic biology of antibiotic interactions Protein synthesis and Emphasis on extra- FR – Paris, 10 – 24 July translational control production 1 March embryonic – embryonic DE – Heidelberg, ES – Sant Feliu de Guixols, Multilevel modeling of interfaces 7 – 11 September 2 – 7 October New deadline! morphogenesis BE – Leuven, 25 – 27 May EMBO UK – Norwich, 17 – 29 July Lymphocyte signaling: Courses & Workshops Synthetic lethality: Translating membrane signals From yeast to man Structure, dynamics and into differentiation programs EMBO/FEBS LECTURE COURSE AT – Vienna, 10 – 12 June function of biological IT – Pontignano (Siena), macromolecules by solution 50 years of X – inactivation 10 – 14 September Biophysics of channels and NMR research transporters 1 March DE – Garching, 29 July – 5 August UK – Oxford, 20 – 24 July Nuclear receptors: IT – Sicily, 10 – 18 May From molecular mechanism Computational biology: Exploring the logic of to health and disease Biomembrane dynamics: EMBO Genomes, cells & systems the cell cycle ES – Sitges (Barcelona), From molecules to cells Plenary Lectures IS – Reykjavik, 6 – 13 August FR – Montpellier, 2 – 5 September 16 – 20 September FR – Cargese, 21 – 29 June 7

Expert network of female scientists EMBO supports gender balance as partner of AcademiaNet © Robert Bosch Foundation © Robert

◗ The launch of AcademiaNet (www.academia- The Robert Bosch Foundation introduced On the panel in Berlin: net.de) in Berlin last November welcomed the online portal to improve the gender balance Matthias Kleiner (left), Maria Leptin as a speaker – along with for- in high-level scientifi c positions, where women President of the German Research Foundation, mer Secretary General of EMBO, Christiane are still under-represented. It promotes highly Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Nüsslein-Volhard, and German Chancellor qualifi ed women as candidates for top-level Maria Leptin and the Angela Merkel, who inaugurated the new jobs, speakers at conferences and interview journalist Andreas Sentker portal. AcademiaNet contains profi les of 500 partners for the media. AcademiaNet pursues female experts in various areas of science a similar goal as the Women in Life Sciences and the humanities. Many of them have af- database, which fi ve years after its creation fi liations to EMBO, either as members, young has grown to include 650 female life scientists investigators or former fellows. (http://wils-database.embo.org).

EMBO Poster Prize competition Congratulations to the following winners of the competitions held at recent EMBO-funded events:

Natascha Sattler Hidehiko Inagaki Christine Neupert University of Geneva, Switzerland California Institute of Technology, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland Functions of CD36 homologues during infection of Pasadena, USA Evaluation of the RFT1 ﬂ ippase in vivo reveals D. discoideum with M. marinum Visualizing dopamine modulated circuits a role of ERAD in the maintenance of membrane Presented at the EMBO/FEBS Lecture Course, between different behavioral states in asymmetry Host – microbes interactions. Drosophila melanogaster Presented at the EMBO Conference Series, GR–Spetses, 1–9 September 2010 Presented at the ESF-EMBO Symposium, Towards a comprehensive understanding of endoplasmic Functional neurobiology in minibrains: reticulum functions, from ﬂ ies to robots and back again. ES–Gerona, 3–8 October 2010 Gaelle Boncompain ES-Sant Feliu de Guixols, 17–22 October 2010 Curie Institute, Paris, France Travel through the cell in a RUSH Presented at the EMBO Conference Series, Franz Meitinger Katie Hyma and Justin C. Fay Cell biology meets microbiology. German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), St. Louis, USA PL–Krakow, 9–14 October 2010 Heidelberg, Germany Divergence in wine characteristics produced by The F-BAR protein Hof1 links mitotic exit signals wild and domesticated strains of Saccharomyces with re-polarization to facilitate cytokinesis cerevisiae Art Lustig Presented at the ESF-EMBO Symposium, Presented at the EMBO Conference Series, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA Emergent properties of the cytoskeleton: Experimental approaches to evolution and Is an mre11-A470T-induced epigenetic state related Molecules to cells. ecology using yeast. to telomere function and end structure in yeast? ES-Sant Feliu de Guixols, 3–8 October 2010 DE–Heidelberg, 29 September – 3 October 2010 Presented at the EMBO Conference Series, Telomeres and the DNA damage response. FR–Marseille, 14–17 September 2010

Editor Picks – EMBO Publications In each issue of EMBOencounters, the editors of The EMBO Journal, EMBO reports, Molecular Systems Biology and EMBO Molecular Medicine highlight particularly interesting papers.

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RESEARCH ARTICLES SCIENTIFIC REPORTS RESEARCH ARTICLES RESEARCH ARTICLES

FoxO1 regulates Tlr4 The hypoxia-inducible A systematic screen for Mitochondrial fi ssion and cristae infl ammatory pathway signalling transcription factor pathway protein–lipid interactions in disruption increase the response in macrophages regulates oxygen sensing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of cell models of Huntington’s Fan WQ, Morinaga H, Kim JJ, the simplest animal, Trichoplax Gallego O, Betts MJ, Gvozdenovic- disease to apoptotic stimuli Bae E, Spann NJ, Heinz S, Glass CK adhaerens Jeremic J, Maeda K, Matetzki C, Costa V, Giacomello M, Hudec R, & Olefsky JM Loenarz C, Coleman ML, Aguilar-Gurrieri C, Beltran-Alvarez P, Lopreiato R, Ermak G, Lim D, Malorni doi:10.1038/emboj.2010.268 Boleininger A, Schierwater B, Bonn S, Fernández-Tornero C, W, Davies KJ, Carafoli E & Scorrano L Holland PWH, Ratcliffe PJ Jensen LJ, Kuhn M, Trott J, doi: 10.1002/emmm.201000102 Two PABPC1-binding sites in & Schofi eld CJ Rybin V, Müller CW, Bork P, GW182 proteins promote miRNA- doi:10.1038/embor.2010.170 Kaksonen M, Russell RB & Gavin AC Hsp72 is an early and sensitive mediated gene silencing doi:10.1038/msb.2010.87 biomarker to detect acute kidney Huntzinger E, Braun JE, Heimstädt S, RNA channelling by the eukaryotic injury Zekri L & Izaurralde E exosome Chromatin regulators as Barrera-Chimal J, Pérez-Villalva R, doi:10.1038/emboj.2010.274 Malet H, Topf M, Clare DK, Ebert J, capacitors of interspecies Cortés-González C, Ojeda- Bonneau F, Basquin J, Drazkowska K, variations in gene expression Cervantes M, Gamba G, Wnt signalling requires MTM-6 Tomecki R, Dziembowski A, Conti E, Tirosh I, Reikhav S, Sigal N, Morales-Buenrostro LE and MTM-9 myotubularin Saibil HR & Lorentzen E Assia Y & Barkai N & Bobadilla NA lipid-phosphatase function in Cryo-EM structures of the yeast doi:10.1038/msb.2010.84 doi: 10.1002/emmm.201000105 Wnt-producing cells RNA exosome in the apo and the Silhankova M, Port F, Harterink M, RNA-bound states provide direct mRNA turnover rate limits siRNA V600EBraf induces gastro- Basler K & Korswagen HC structural evidence for a substrate and microRNA effi cacy intestinal crypt senescence and doi:10.1038/emboj.2010.278 threading mechanism. Larsson E, Sander C & Marks D promotes tumour progression doi:10.1038/embor.2010.164 doi:10.1038/msb.2010.113 through enhanced CpG RITA, a novel modulator of Notch methylation of p16INK4a signalling, acts via nuclear export Epistatic relationships reveal the Carragher LA, Snell KR, Giblett SM, of RBP-J REVIEWS functional organization of yeast Aldridge VS, Patel B, Cook SJ, Wacker SA, Alvarado C, von transcription factors Winton DJ, Marais R & Pritchard CA Wichert G, Knippschild U, The ZEB/miR-200 feedback Zheng J, Benschop JJ, Shales M, doi: 10.1002/emmm.201000099 Wiedenmann J, Clauß K, loop—a motor of cellular plasticity Kemmeren P, Greenblatt J, Cagney G, Nienhaus GU, Hameister H, in development and cancer? Holstege F, Li H, Krogan NJ Integration profi le of retroviral Baumann B, Borggrefe T, Brabletz S & Brabletz T doi:10.1038/msb.2010.77 vector in gene therapy treated Knöchel W & Oswald F doi:10.1038/embor.2010.117 patients is cell-specifi c according doi:10.1038/emboj.2010.289 Dynamic interaction networks in a to gene expression and chromatin MAPK signalling in cellular hierarchically organized tissue conformation of target cell RNAi-based screening identifi es metabolism: stress or wellness? Kirouac DC, Ito C, Csaszar E, Biasco L, Ambrosi A, Pellin D, the Mms22L–Nfkbil2 complex as a Gehart H, Kumpf S, Ittner A & Ricci R Roch A, Yu M, Sykes EA, Bader GD Bartholomae C, Brigida I, novel regulator of DNA replication doi:10.1038/embor.2010.1 & Zandstra PW Roncarolo MG, Di Serio C, in human cells doi:10.1038/msb.2010.71 von Kalle C, Schmidt M & Aiuti A Piwko W, Olma MH, Held M, Emergent cooperation in microbial doi: 10.1002/emmm.201000108 Bianco JN, Pedrioli PGA, Hofmann K, SCIENCE & SOCIETY Pasero P, Gerlich DW & Peter M metabolism Sensitized phenotypic screening doi:10.1038/emboj.2010.304 Science under politics. An Italian Wintermute EH, Silver PA identifi es gene dosage sensitive nightmare doi:10.1038/msb.2010.66 region on chromosome 11 that c-IAP1 and UbcH5 promote Cattaneo C & Corbellini G. predisposes to disease in mice K11-linked polyubiquitination of doi:10.1038/embor.2010.198 REVIEW Ermakova O, Piszczek L, RIP1 in TNF signalling Luciani L, Cavalli FMG, Ferreira Dynek JN, Goncharov T, Dueber EC, Fermenting knowledge: the A comprehensive molecular T, Farley D, Rizzo S, Paolicelli RC, Fedorova AV, Izrael-Tomasevic A, history of winemaking, science interaction map of the budding Al-Banchaabouchi M, Nerlov C, Phu L, Helgason E, Fairbrother WJ, and yeast research yeast cell cycle Moriggl R, Luscombe NM Deshayes K, Kirkpatrick DS & Vucic D Chambers PJ & Pretorius IS Kaizu K, Ghosh S, Matsuoka Y, & Gross C doi:10.1038/emboj.2010.300 doi:10.1038/embor.2010.179 Moriya H, Shimizu-Yoshida Y doi: 10.1002/emmm.201000112 & Kitano H doi:10.1038/msb.2010.73 REVIEW

Stressin’ Sestrins take an aging ﬁ ght Budanov AV, Lee JH, Karin M. Editor Yvonne Kaul Next issue doi: 10.1002/emmm.201000097 Contributing editor Suzanne Beveridge The next EMBOencounters issue – Summer 2011 – will be Proofreading Meryl Schneider dispatched in July 2011. Please send your suggestions, con- Print layout Uta Mackensen tributions and news to: [email protected] Web version Sabine Rehberger-Schneider by 30 April 2011. E-newsletter Sandra Krahl, Katja Linssen 9

The EMBO Journal Cover Contest 2011 Submit images by 15 February

◗ Ever since it was fi rst held in 2003, the an- one winner will be selected from each of the nual contest for the best cover images for The two categories, Best Scientifi c Cover and Best EMBO Journal has grown in popularity and Non-Scientifi c Cover. Perhaps more impor- number of submissions. In fact, most of the tantly, however, there is a chance that one front covers published over the last two years of your images will end up being printed on were selected from the top-scoring entries in the cover of The EMBO Journal and receive previous contests. The editors in Heidelberg the attention of thousands of fellow scientists continue to be amazed by the aesthetic and worldwide. creative potential of our readers and our au- Have a look at covercontest.embo.org to thors. fi nd out how you can participate. We are sure If you have a talent for photography, fi ne that as in previous years, our 2011 contest art, or for producing beautiful pictures in the will be a lot of fun for everyone involved. Cover Volume 29, Issue 22 lab – pictures that you think would make a glorious front cover – submit your images by VOLKER WIERSDORFF before the 15 February deadline. As always,

The EMBO Journal

©Detail of

Twenty-one EMBO YOUNG INVESTIGATORS 2010 ❚ Eugene Berezikov ❚ Ben Lehner Small RNAs and regeneration Genetic systems group leaders to Hubrecht Institute Center for Genomic Regulation Utrecht, NL Barcelona, ES receive support ❚ Marc Bühler ❚ Taija Makinen Non-coding RNAs and chromatin Lymphatic development Friedrich Miescher Institute Cancer Research UK from EMBO Basel, CH London, UK ❚ ❚ Jason Carroll Beatriz Rico 2010 selection of EMBO Young Neural circuits development Estrogen receptor activity Alicante Neuroscience Institute, ES Investigators Cancer Research UK Cambridge, UK ❚ Silvio Rizzoli STED microscopy of synaptic function ◗ ❚ This year, 137 young group leaders applied Davide Corona European Neuroscience Institute to become part of the EMBO Young Investi- Chromatin remodelling and epigenetics Göttingen, DE University of Palermo/ gators network. Twenty-one scientists from Dulbecco Telethon Institute, IT ❚ Matthias Selbach nine countries were selected by a commit- Cell signalling and mass spectrometry ❚ Oliver Daumke tee of EMBO Members to benefi t from the Max-Delbrück Center G-proteins in membrane remodelling Berlin, DE fi nancial and practical support of its presti- Max-Delbrück Center gious programme (http://www.embo.org/ Berlin, DE ❚ Bruno Silva-Santos programmes/yip.html). Over the course of Molecular immunology ❚ André Fischer Institute of Molecular Medicine three years, they will receive 15,000 euros Epigenetic mechanisms of cognitive diseases Lisbon, PT annually and will also be offered networking European Neuroscience Institute ❚ Göttingen, DE Amos Tanay opportunities, lab management and non-sci- Epigenetics and genome regulation entifi c skills training as well as PhD courses ❚ Stephan Grill Weizmann Institute of Science for their students. This year, successful can- Cellular biophysics Rehovot, IL MPI-PKS/MPI-CBG didates have established research groups in ❚ Madalena Tarsounas Dresden, DE Belgium, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Nether- Telomeres and genome stability University of Oxford, UK lands, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain ❚ Robert Klose and Switzerland. Epigenetics and chromatin biology ❚ Aurelio Teleman University of Oxford, UK Signal transduction in cancer & metabolism ❚ German Cancer Research Center David Komander Heidelberg, DE Upcoming deadline Specifi city in the ubiquitin system MRC-LMB ❚ Kevin Verstrepen Cambridge, UK Genomics and systems biology University of Leuven/VIB, BE 1 April ❚ Fyodor Kondrashov Evolutionary genomics ❚ Daniel Wilson EMBO Center for Genomic Regulation/ICREA Regulation of the ribosome Young Investigators Barcelona, ES University of Munich, DE

140 million euros PhD student at for biomedicine in the LCSB bench Luxembourg LCSB beneﬁ ts from Grand Duchy’s Health Science Plan

◗ The Luxembourg Centre for Systems Bio- medicine (LCSB) was founded a little more than one year ago. Since then, the interdis- ciplinary centre at the University of Luxem- bourg has grown continuously. Today, the 25-member-research team concentrates on

closing the link between systems biology and ©Dirk Hans for LSCB medical research. A special focus is on Par- kinson’s disease. EMBO Member Rudi Ball- fi nancial sector and its role in the EU. Science the Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg and ing, former head of the Helmholtz Centre for did not seem to be considered a rewarding the Public Health Research Centre have Infection Research in Germany, was recruited fi eld of activity in the past. But this has now recently established a coordinated alliance in as director of the LCSB. A fi ve-year strategic changed. A comprehensive analysis of the personalized medicine. collaboration with Leroy Hood and the Insti- most promising scientifi c fi elds, conducted The LCSB focuses on the analysis of tute for Systems Biology (ISB) in Seattle, USA by the government of Luxembourg, resulted biological mechanisms with an emphasis – has given the LCSB a fl ying start and se- in the Luxembourg Health Science Plan. The on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly cured intensive knowledge transfer. LCSB plays a key role in this plan. The coun- Parkinson’s disease. Using genome- wide But how did this initiative come about? try is on the way to diversifying its economic high-throughput technology and computa- A budget of 140 million euros for fi ve years profi le. The analysis offered new perspectives tional biology, LCSB researchers are working in support of biomedical research in a small on biomedical research, which now shows the on identifying new targets for medical preven- country like the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg potential of becoming one of the most prosper- tion and intervention strategies as well as is a lot. Luxembourg is well known for the ous areas in science. This is why Luxembourg new tools to improve the predictability of the is strongly investing in effi cacy and safety of new treatments. They and building up research analyse disease pathogenesis in the context of centres like the LCSB. complex biological network composition and The LCSB is not a lone behaviour and perturbations in the homeo- player. Beside the collabo- stasis of physiological networks. The goal is ration with the ISB, Rudi to develop mathematical descriptions of such Balling and his team networks and use them for modelling and are forming additional simulation of how diseases develop and how collaborations with the they are infl uenced by genetic predisposition Massachusetts Institute of and external factors such as drugs, nutrition Technology in Boston, the or life style. Systems Biology Institute (SBI) in Tokyo and the University of Cambridge, by DIRK HANS LCSB Director Rudi Balling ©Dirk Hans for LSCB UK. In the Grand Duchy, Scientifi c writer

◗ Last September, the US government hosted the second in a series of internet-based meet- US/Europe initiative to ings aimed at raising awareness in the international community of dual use research – sci- promote responsible research ence that carries a potential for misuse. The focus of this event was Europe. It was hosted Second webcast meeting focuses on Europe by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) in partnership with Does Your Research Raise Security Concerns: biology. The archived version of the webcast EMBO, the European Science Foundation, the Strategies for Promoting Responsible Research is available at: European Society of Clinical Microbiology in the Life Sciences includes both presenta- http://oba.od.nih.gov/biosecurity/ and Infectious Diseases, and Institut Pasteur. tions and discussions by European and US sci- internationalwebcast_europe2010.html The interactive event ended with panelists re- entists on dual use research with a special fo- sponding to viewers’ questions. The webcast cus on antimicrobial resistance and synthetic 11

Everyone’s a winner EMBO Member Manuel Espinosa fosters exchange between basic and medical scientists in Spain ©Manuel Carreró & Mapi Garcillán-Barcia

◗ Basic scientists and medical researchers of- Redeex started off with 25 labs and has EMBO Members Manuel Espinosa ten speak different languages. Research units grown to include 40 now. Every year, the (sixth on the right) and Miquel Coll of pharmaceutical companies or hospitals conference participants focus on a different (front row, second on the left) at the meeting in Santander tend to expect fast results and often pursue topic. The 2010 meeting in Santander was a specifi c goal. The main motivation of basic designed to discuss the plasmid-mediated researchers, on the other hand, is to expand propagation of antibiotic resistance and plas- knowledge and to better understand the basic mids used as models in Systems Biology. mechanisms of life – without obvious com- The 2011 meeting, coordinated by another mercial or immediate interest. “It is important EMBO Member, Miquel Coll, and Barcelona however that both sides work together and University professor Antonio Juárez, will learn from each other,” states Manuel Espinosa, concentrate on Plasmid Epidemiology and EMBO Member and group leader at the Centre Plasmid Translational Biology. of Biological Research in Madrid. Part of the network’s activities is an sit at round tables, discussing and sharing To bring both science branches togeth- exchange of students between labs to perform their concerns, and drawing conclusions. er, Manuel founded a network of labs from simple experiments or to learn new tech- “We, basic researchers, need to know what academia and hospitals two years ago. The niques. This year, ten students were selected are the practical problems in the real world,” Spanish Network on Extrachromosomal to gain experience in other research centers. says Manuel. “And medical scientists should Elements (REDEEX), funded by the Spanish For Manuel, this experiment is already a understand why our research sometimes Ministry of Science and Education, is designed success story. While the fi rst meeting gathered takes a long time.” He is convinced that fi nd- to meet and exchange once a year during a mostly researchers from academia, half of ing a common language will help both sides two-day-conference. “The network’s common the participants of the second meeting came approach science in a novel way and eventu- denominator is Plasmid Biology in a very from hospitals. The style of the meetings is ally produce substantial gains for all Spanish broad sense,” explains Manuel. informal. Approximately seventy participants science.

World’s leading biologists at your ﬁ ngertips iBioSeminars target scientists and students; EMBO Members invited as speakers

ﬁ fteen-minute videos that The project’s founder is Ron Vale from the provide behind-the-scenes Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), accounts of famous discov- who launched iBioSeminars in 2007 with the eries and advice for young support of HHMI and the American Society of scientists. Cell Biology. Today, iBioSeminars and iBioMag- The seminars are azine bring together some of the world’s best recorded in a studio life scientists. The majority are members of in an engaging news- the US National Academy of Science, many style format. The are EMBO Members, and six are Nobel Prize

© Screenshots: iBioSeminars & iBioMagazine other difference from winners. Currently, 55 lectures are available traditional univer- online and the organizers plan to add about sity seminars is that 20 new iBioSeminars lectures and 40 iBioMag- ◗ Fifty-seven lectures available in 145 there is an introduc- azine videos per year. countries around the world – what started as tion to each scientifi c fi eld for non-specialists At the beginning of February, iBioSeminars an experiment just three years ago has grown and students. Both introduction and research will make its fi lming debut in Europe, with to a global initiative accessed by thousands lectures can be web streamed separately or Kai Simons from the Max Planck Institute of people. iBioSeminars (www.ibioseminars. downloaded to a computer or iPod/iPhone. of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in org) offer free, high-quality online lectures to iBioSeminars give target groups such as Dresden, Germany, who will record a lecture a broad audience around the world. The rap- undergraduates and professors a useful tool on Membrane organization and traffi c in the idly growing video series describes ongoing to learn about a specifi c subject and also to studio of the European Molecular Biology research in leading laboratories and covers di- catch a glimpse of how leading scientists go Laboratory in Heidelberg. verse topics ranging from cell biology to global about their research. Some of the sessions health. A companion series called iBioMaga- offer lecture notes, questions and assignments zine (www.ibiomagazine.org) features fi ve-to for students that facilitate teaching.

For the love of biochemistry Tim Hunt’s retirement symposium

Tim’s present & past colleagues at the Royal Society in London

Paul Nurse speaks at the symposium © Photos by John Nicolson | Cancer Research UK © Photos by John Nicolson | Cancer Research

◗ A one-day symposium to honour the former tory at the Cancer Research UK London Re- Society, Paul Nurse, with whom Tim shared chair of the EMBO Council Tim Hunt was or- search Institute (LRI) after 20 years of active the Nobel Prize in 2001. Tim retires from his ganized at the Royal Society in London last research at the end of 2010. The list of sym- lab, but not from active research: he will keep December. More than 250 scientists came to posium speakers included Tim’s previous lab an ofﬁ ce and continue to interact with scien- celebrate the outstanding achievements of members, his collaborators and colleagues tists at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Clare Hall the Nobel Laureate, who closed his labora- from LRI and also the President of the Royal laboratories. 13 ©Maj Britt Hansen for the MDC

New impulses for molecular medicine

at Max Delbrück Center The MDC campus in Berlin-Buch

◗ Since its establishment in 1992, the Max Del- ECRC increases scope of disease-related plinary approaches. The move downtown will brück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in research facilitate collaborations with universities and Berlin-Buch has pursued a vision of using the The ECRC is currently housed in a former many other partners in Berlin. knowledge gained from basic research to pro- hospital with generous space for laboratories duce new forms of diagnosis, treatment, and and patient care and supports many ongo- Criteria for success prevention of common diseases. In that short ing translational projects. A joint project of The success of these projects will depend on a time, the MDC has achieved a reputation as the MDC and Charité University Hospital, the style of research that has become a hallmark one of Europe’s leading centers for biomedi- ECRC has some unique features, including a of the MDC and is increasingly important in cal research. Thomas Sommer, assistant direc- scope that includes several types of diseases. biomedical research. Projects must have a tor of MDC, and several other group leaders Activities at the center will be enhanced with strong footing in basic research while pur- are EMBO Members, including Carmen Birch- a new building due to be completed at the end suing medically relevant themes. Single labs meier, Walter Birchmeier, Achim Leutz, Gary of 2011. It will provide more laboratory and must be able to draw on all available tech- Lewin, and Thomas Jentsch. Bringing together outpatient space for groups and projects with nologies, clustered in centralized facilities, to a molecular biology institute with neighbor- a strong clinical focus. Already in place are make use of a wide range of model systems ing hospital clinics to work on common prob- new imaging facilities for model organisms and organisms, to have access to human tissue lems has paid off with important discoveries and patients. A major aim of the center is to samples and clinical data, to develop applica- about the basic mechanisms that underlie se- broaden interactions with the Charité regard- tions as easily as possible from their work, rious diseases. ing research into a wide range of diseases. and to pursue phenotypes wherever they lead. These partnerships take many forms: Several MDC labs have discovered a range of Clinicians head research groups at the MDC; Extension of the MDC into central Berlin diseases in different tissues that are linked to researchers and clinicians pursue mutual proj- The BIMSB is growing at a rapid pace and will common molecules and fundamental cellular ects related to disease, and the MDC offers soon have its own building in the city center processes. The MDC’s role as an institute is intensive training programs in basic research to further promote interactions with universi- to remove any barriers that prevent groups and other types of support to clinicians. ties and other institutes in Berlin and a much from making these smooth transitions, to The landscape of biomedical research is wider network of national and international provide the platforms and expertise that they changing rapidly due to new concepts, meth- partners. BIMSB has a strong scientiﬁ c re- need, and to develop new means of training ods, and technologies – as well as socioeco- search programme focused on the elucidation physician-scientists. All of the major new in- nomic factors like changes in the pharma- of the post-transcriptional regulatory code frastructures and large-scale efforts currently ceutical and health care industries. So the and its integration with major cellular regula- in planning are based on these principles. MDC continues to adapt by developing new tory mechanisms, with a particular focus on research projects, institutes, and large inter- microRNAs. It offers cutting-edge platforms in by RUSS HODGE national initiatives that should play a central areas including genomics, proteomics, imag- Science Writer role in molecular medicine in the coming ing technologies, and computational models. years and will spawn many new collabora- BIMSB and other MDC scientists also have actions with scientists in Germany and abroad. cess to a small-molecule screening platform Two major projects – an Experimental administrated by their neighbours on campus, and Clinical Research Center (ECRC) and the the Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacol- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology ogy, and accompanying expertise in chemical (BIMSB) – are well established and sched- biology. A main goal in establishing the in- uled for signiﬁ cant growth over the next few stitute is to strengthen basic research at the years. MDC and more widely implement interdisci- ©Maj Britt Hansen for the MDC

Human variation advancing the life sciences Disease Organizers Cancer Pascale Cossart Barry Dickson Keynote lectures Jane Langdale 2011 Neuroscience Richard Axel Immunity Susan Lindquist Development Louis-Jeantet Prize VIENNA 10 – 13 September Plant biology for Medicine winners Pathogens Microbiology Plenary lectures 21 concurrent David Anderson sessions see website Cori Bargmann covering the Bonnie Bassler Jeffrey Bennetzen entire range of Evan Eichler the molecular Florian Engert life sciences Brett Finlay Cytoskeleton Edvard Moser Autophagy Signalling Trafﬁ cking Paul Rainey Membranes Transport Paul Schulze-Lefert Lucy Shapiro Michael Stratton

RNA Gene expression Epigenetics

Cell division Stem cells Genome evolution

www.the-embo-meeting.org | [email protected]

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AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE EVENTS

EMBO Members EMBO Fellows

2011 Paul Ehrlich and 2010 M Jeang Retrovirology Prize Public Service Award EMBO Fellow Marcus Buschbeck Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize Ming K. Jeang Foundation American Society for Cell Biology and Miquel Angel Peinado Paul Ehrlich Foundation Michael H. Malim, Head of the Thomas Pollard, Professor of Cell are organizing an open access The chemist and biologist Cesare Department of Infectious Diseases at Biology and Molecular Biophysics & conference on Signaling to Montecucco of the Department of King’s College London, receives the Biochemistry at Yale University, US, chromatin in cancer and Biomedical Research at the University of 2010 M. Jeang Retrovirology Prize. The received the Public Service Award from differentiation. Padua, Italy, has won the 100,000 euro prize, which is awarded annually and the American Society for Cell Biology, Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter partly sponsored by the Ming K. Jeang which “recognizes outstanding national The conference will be held at Prize 2011 for his contribution to Foundation, recognizes groundbreaking leadership in support of biomedical the Institut d’Estudis Catalans in research in the fi eld of bacterial diseases, research from retrovirologists. According research”. Pollard has served the society Barcelona from 31 March to 1 April including tetanus, botulism, anthrax and to the jury, Malim made key scientifi c as president and chair of their public 2011. More at www.tinyurl.com/ Helicobacter pylori associated diseases. contributions to our understanding of policy committee. IMPPC-conference The prize is among the most prestigious HIV-1 replication, which also illuminated of international awards granted in new fundamental biological processes. Croonian Lecture Prize Germany in the fi eld of medicine. The Royal Society EMBO Fellow Stephan Grill wins the German Academy of Sciences John Ellis from the University of 2011 Paul Ehrlich Prize for Young Leopoldina Warwick, UK, was awarded the 2011 Researchers worth 60,000 euros for his Ivan Dikic, the Director of the Institute Croonian Lecture Prize worth £1,000 contributions to cell biology. of Biochemistry at the Goethe University for his “pioneering contributions to Frankfurt, Germany, was elected new biochemistry and molecular biology, also Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2011 member to the German Academy of plant sciences”. The Croonian Lecture German Research Foundation (DFG) Sciences Leopoldina. Founded in 1652, is the Society’s premier lecture in the Anthony Hyman, director at the Leopoldina is the world’s oldest academy biological sciences. It will be given in Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular in natural sciences. May 2011. Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, was awarded one of the 2010 Scrip Lifetime Achievement SUMMER 2011 2011 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award Prizes for his contributions to Scrip Intelligence discovering the molecular mechanism Jonathan Knowles receives the 2010 of conserved cytoskeletal processes, Scrip Lifetime Achievement Award. The while illuminating how they promote panel of judges acknowledged “his long encounters interesting, cell type-specifi c biology academic and commercial career that in the C. elegans embryo. This highest has been distinguished by his passion The next EMBOencounters issue – Summer 2011 – will be dispatched German research prize consists of a for personalized medicine”. Scrip Awards in July 2011. Please send your suggestions, contributions and news to: research grant of 2.5 million euros, to be celebrate outstanding achievements in [email protected] by 30 April 2011. used within seven years. the pharmaceutical, biotech and allied industries.

A GOOD READ – PUBLICATIONS FROM THE EMBO COMMUNITY EMBO INFO

Driving the cell cycle with A unique chromatin The proteasome a minimal CDK control signature uncovers early antechamber maintains network developmental enhancers substrates in an unfolded Damien Coudreuse in humans state 2011 (EMBO Fellow) & Alvaro Rada-Iglesias Tomasz L. Religa Paul Nurse (EMBO Member) (EMBO Fellow) et al. (EMBO Fellow) et al. Nature 468, 1074 – 1079 Nature doi:10.1038/ Nature 467, 868-871 22 December 2010 nature09692 13 October 2010 15 December 2010 Collective cell migration Rad51 protects nascent Lysine methylation events requires suppression of DNA from Mre11- of the NF-kB subunit actomyosin at cell – cell dependent degradation RelA by SETD6 couples contacts mediated by and promotes continuous activity of the histone DDR1 and the cell polarity DNA synthesis methyltransferase GLP Over 80 EMBO-funded regulators Par3 and Par6 Vincenzo Costanzo at chromatin to tonic Eric Sahai (EMBO Young (EMBO Young Investigator), events organized repression of NF-κB Investigator) et al. Arnab Ray Chaudhuri signaling (EMBO Fellow) et al. by scientists for scientists Nat Cell Biol 13, 49 – 58 Dan Levy Nat Struct Mol Biol 17, 19 December 2010 (EMBO Fellow) et al. › Conference Series 1305-1311 Nat Immunol 12, 29 – 36 › Spatially asymmetric 10 October 2010 Workshops 5 December 2010 reorganization of › Symposia inhibition establishes a Structural characterization Phenotypic proﬁ ling of the › Practical Courses human genome by time- motion sensitive circuit of a misfolded › Lecture Courses Keisuke Yonehara intermediate populated lapse microscopy reveals (EMBO Fellow) et al. during the folding process cell division genes from autophagy... to ... zoology Anthony A. Hyman, Nature doi:10.1038/ of a PDZ domain in Europe & worldwide nature09711 Ylva Ivarsson Richard Durbin, 19 December 2010 (EMBO Fellow) et al. Jan Ellenberg Nat Struct Mol Biol 17, (EMBO Members) et al. Visit the Events Calendar for more TRIM24 links a 1431 – 1437 Nature 464, 721-727 information: www.events.embo.org non-canonical histone 14 November 2010 1 April 2010 signature to breast cancer Organizing a 2012 event? Stefan Winter (EMBO Fellow) et al. Funding deadlines: Nature 468, 927-932 1 March and 1 August 15 December 2010

Seeing is Believing the Processes ImagingLifeof

SPEAKERS EMBO | EMBL Philippe Bastiaens Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz Max Planck Institute Dortmund, DE National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, US Symposium Eric Betzig Satyajit Mayor Janelia Farm Research Campus, US National Centre for Biological Science (NCBS), IN 17–20 March 2011 Jan Ellenberg Atsushi Miyawaki European Molecular Biology Laboratory, DE RIKEN-Brain Science Institute, JP Heidelberg | Germany Mark Ellisman Thomas Mueller-Reichert University of California, San Diego, US Technical University Dresden, DE EMBL Advanced Training Centre Michal Neeman Peter Friedl Weizmann Institute of Science, IL Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, NL Jean-Christophe Olivo-Marin Daniel Gerlich Institute Pasteur, FR Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, CH George Patterson Klaus Hahn National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, US UNC-Eshelman School of Pharmacy, US Mark Schnitzer Chris Hawes Stanford University, US Oxford Brookes University, UK Carsten Schultz Na Ji European Molecular Biology Laboratory, DE ORGANIZERS Janelia Farm Research Campus, US Petra Schwille Technical University Dresden, DE Jan Ellenberg Kai Johnsson European Molecular Biology Laboratory, DE Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, CH James Sharpe Centre for Genomic Regulation, ES Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz Uli Kubitscheck National Institute of Child Health and University of Bonn, DE Rob Singer Human Development, US Albert Einstein College of Medicine, US Melike Lakadamyali Michael Unser Harvard University, US Additional speakers will be Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, CH selected from abstracts. Carolyn Larabell Paul Wiseman Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, US McGill University, CA