2019 RiboClub Program
RNA: 20 Years of Discoveries

In Association with the Gairdner Foundation

September 22-27 -   Hotel Chéribourg, Orford, Québec, Canada
Organizing Committee: Allan Jacobson, Robert Singer, Adrian Krainer, Françoise Stutz, Yukihide Tomari, Sandra Wolin, Nehalkumar Thakor (ARRTI co-organizer for western
Canada) and the RiboClub.

Sunday, September 22, 2019 (Day1)

15:00 – 20:00 Registration / Coffee and cake 17:00 – 17:10 Welcome notes and Announcements
Sherif Abou Elela

RiboClub organizer and co-founder, Member of the   Université de Sherbrooke RNA Group

17:15 – 17:45 Opening Lecture I: RNA Biology: Origins and Reflections
Joan Steitz Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University First speakers of the RiboClub 1998

17:45 – 18:15 Opening Lecture II: RNA Biology: History of Discoveries
Witold Filipowicz

Professor of Biochemistry, Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research

18:15 – 18:45 Special presentation by the recipient of the RiboClub 2009 life achievement award: Initiating the study of Initiation: Initiating translation initiation: a short history and perspective Nahum Sonenberg, Member of the RiboClub, Gilman Cheney Chair in Biochemistry, McGill University

18:45 – 19:45 Cocktail and social time 19:45 – 19:50 Introduction of members of the community and dignitaries
Raymund Wellinger

Master of ceremonies, Co-founder of the Université de Sherbrooke RNA group,

19:50 – 19:50 Welcome note
Pierre Cossette President, Université de Sherbrooke
19:50 – 20:45 Networking Dinner 20:45 – 20:55 Student Recognition and Travel Awards
Eric Masse

RiboClub Member, Université de Sherbrooke.

20:45 – 20:50 RNA studies at the Université de Sherbrooke
Nathalie Rivard

Vice Dean Research, Graduate Studies and Innovation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke

20:50 – 21:00 RNA Biology in Canada and the Training of Future Professionals
Hans-Joachim Wieden

Director, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute University of Lethbridge

21:00 – 23:30 Get Together

Monday, September 23, 2019 (Day2) Public session: Introduction 9:00 – 9:10 Highlights of the RiboClub 2019

Sherif Abou Elela

RiboClub organizer and co-founder, Member of the   Université de Sherbrooke RNA Group

9:10 –9:15. Gairdner Foundation Supporting Excellence in RNA Biology

Janet Rossant

President and Scientific Director, Gairdner Foundation

Public session: The RiboClub and the Societal Impact of RNA Research

Host: Michelle Scott, Member of the   Université de Sherbrooke RNA group

9:15 – 9:25 Riboclub: Building an RNA Community to Trigger Discoveries

Benoit Chabot

Co-founder of the Université de Sherbrooke RNA group

9:25 –9:30 The RiboClub: A Training Playground for Future Researchers

Jonathan Perreault

Former students’ representative, 2017 Alumnus of the year, member of the RiboClub, Professor at INRS-Institute Armand-Frappier

9:30 –9:35 Role of Institutions in Supporting and Developing RNA Based Research

Jean-Pierre Perreault

Vice-President Research and Graduated Studies, co-founder of the Université de Sherbrooke RNA group

9:35 –9:40 Funding RNA Research to Improve Healthcare

Michael Strong

President, Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)

9:40 –9:45 The Outlook for Basic Research in Canada

Mona Nemer

Chief Science Advisor of the Government of Canada

9:45 - 10:00 Open Questions and Panel Discussion

Moderators: Martin Simard, 2004 Alumnus of the year, Université Laval and Thomas Duchaine, 2012 Alumnus of the year, McGill University

Participants: Sherif Abou Elela, Benoit Chabot, Jean-Pierre Perreault, Janet Rossant, Michael Strong, Mona Nemer, Jonathan Perreault

10:00 – 10:30 Coffee break and social time

Public Session: RNA Based Discoveries and Impact

Presenter: Stephen Rader

RiboClub member, University of Northern British   Columbia

10:30 –10:50 Re-Writing Genomes with CRISPR RNAs

Erik Sontheimer

The RNA Therapeutic Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Founder of Intellia Therapeutics Inc. Developer of CRISPR-based therapy.

10:50 - 11:10 Genetic Nonsense: From Bench to Bedside and Back to the Bench

Allan Jacobson

Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Professor of Pathology and Cell biology, Founder of Applied biotechnology Inc and Founder and Director of PTC Therapeutics Inc. Developer of Translarna as treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

11:10 - 11:30 RNA Splicing: From Discovery to Treatment

Adrian Krainer

St. Giles Foundation Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Laureate of Life Sciences Breakthrough Prize 2019, Founder and Director of Stoke Therapeutics Inc., Inventor of   Spinraza, the first approved drug for spinal muscular atrophy

11:30 –12:00 Panel Discussion and Questions

Moderator: Katherine Borden

Canada Research Chair, Professor of Pathology and Cell biology, Université de Montréal

Panel Participants: Adrian Krainer, Erik Sontheimer, Allan Jacobson
End of public session and departure of unregistered guests

Scientific Meeting

13:00 - 14:00 Lunch for registered guests

Session 1: RNA Silencing

Chair: Victor Ambros 14:00 - 14:15 Victor Ambros
Introduction and history

14:15 - 14:30 Michael McManus 14:30 - 14:45 Yukihide Tomari 14:45 - 15:00 Lin He 15:00 - 15:15 Olivia Rissland 15:15 - 15:25 Selection from abstract 15:25 - 15:35 Selection from abstract 15:35 – 16:05 Questions and panel discussions
Moderator: Muthiah Manoharan, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

16:05 - 16:25 Coffee Break

Session 2: RNA editing, modification and transcriptomics

Session Chair: Brenda Bass 16:25 - 16:40 Brenda Bass
Introduction and history

16:40 - 16:55 Tsutomu Suzuki 16:55 - 17:10 Wendy Gilbert 17:10 - 17:25 Pierre Close 17:25 - 17:40 Chuan He 17:40 - 17:50 Selection from abstract 17:50 – 18:00 Selection from abstract 18:00 – 18:30 Questions and panel discussion
Moderator: Valerie A. De Crecy-Lagard

18:30 – 21:00 Dinner

21:00 – 22:00 Get Together

Tuesday September 24, 2019 (Day 3)

07:00 - 08:00 Breakfast

Session 3: Bacterial RNA

Chair: Susan Gottesman 08:00 - 08:15 Susan Gottesman 08:15 - 08:30 Jörg Vogel 08:30 - 08:45 Eric Masse
Introduction and history
08:45 - 09:00 Lydia Contreras 09:00 - 09:15 Cynthia Sharma

09:15 - 09:25 Selection from abstract 09:25 - 09:35 Selection from abstract 09:35 - 10:05 Questions and panel discussion
Moderator: Sarah Woodson

10:05 – 10:35 Coffee Break

Session 4A: Non-coding RNA

Chair: David Bartel 10:35 - 10:50 David Bartel
Introduction and history

10:50 - 11:05 Wade Winkler 11:05 - 11:20 Sherif Abou Elela 11:20 - 11:35 Alena Shkumatava 11:35 - 11:50 Lingling Chen 11:50 - 12:00 Selection from abstract 12:00 - 12:10 Selection from abstract 12:10– 12:40 Questions and panel discussion
Moderator: TBD

12:40 - 14:00 Mentor mentee Lunch

Session 4B: Non-coding RNA

Chair: Kathy Collins 14:00 - 14:15 Introduction and history
Kathy Collins

14:15 - 14:30 Claus Azzalin 14:30 - 14:45 Jorgen Kjems 14:45 - 15:00 Howard Chang 15:00 - 15:15 Anton Petrov 15:15 - 15:25 Selection from abstract 15:25 - 15:35 Selection from abstract 15:35 – 16:05 Questions and panel discussion
Moderator: Raymund Wellinger

16:05 – 16:35 Coffee break

Session 5: Ribosome structure and function

Chair: Joachim Frank 16:35 - 16:50 Introduction and history
Joachim Frank

16:50 - 17:05 Marat Yusupov 17:05 - 17:20 Andrei Korostelev 17:20 - 17:35 Jamie Williamson 17:35 - 17:45 Selection from abstract 17:45 - 17:55 Selection from abstract 17:55 – 18:25 Questions and panel discussion
Moderator: Gloria Culver

18:25 - 18:45 Students’ Poster Promotion Micro talks (2 minutes talks by students)
Host: Daniel Lafontaine

18:45 - 19:45 Dinner 19:45 - 21:45 Poster Session I 21:45 - 23:00 Get Together

Wednesday September 25, 2019 (Day 4)

07:00 - 08:00 Breakfast

Session 6: Spliceosome structure and dynamics

Chair: Reinhardt Lührmann 08:00 - 08:15 Reinhardt Lührmann: Introduction and history

08:15 - 08:30 Dan Larson 08:30 - 08:45 Kiyoshi Nagai 08:45 - 09:00 Doug Black 09:00- 09:15 Manny Ares 09:15 - 09:25 Selection from abstract 09:25 - 09:35 Selection from abstract 09:35 - 10:05 Questions and panel discussions
Moderator: Chris Trotta
10:05 - 10:35 Coffee Break

Session 7: RNA decay and surveillance

10:35 - 10:50 Introduction and history
Allan Jacobson

10:50 - 11:05 Lori Passmore 11:05 - 11:20 Torben Heick Jensen 11:20 - 11:35 Lynne Maquat 11:35- 11:50 Jianjun Chen 11:50 - 12:00 Selection from abstract 12:00 - 12:10 Selection from abstract 12:10 - 12:40 Questions and panel discussion (applications and future)
Moderator: Kristian Baker

12:40 – 12:55 Group photo 12:55 – 14:40 Lunch 14:40 – 16:40 Poster session II 16:40 – 19:00 Free afternoon

19:00 - 20:30 Dinner

20:30 - 20:40 The blue jacket awardees.
Martin Bisaillon

20:40 - 20:50 Poster awards presentation by Michelle Scott 20:50 - 21:10 RNA biology: the early days
Marvin Wickens

Max Perutz Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin

Introduction by Mark Schmitt, SUNY Upstate Medical University

21:30 - 23:00 Get together Thursday September 26, 2019 (Day 5)

07:00 - 08:00 Breakfast

Session 8: RNA and Immunity

Session Chair: Sandra Wolin 8:00 - 8:15 Sandra Wolin

Introduction and history

8:15 - 8:30 Daniel Stetson 8:30 - 8:45 Uttiya Basu 8:45 -9:00 Karla Kirkegaard 9:00 - 9:15 Selection from abstract 9:15 - 9:25 Selection from abstract 9:25 - 9:35 Selection from abstract 9:35 - 10:05 Questions and panel discussion
Moderator: Jonathan Yingling,

10:05 - 10:35 Coffee Break

Session 9: Alternative splicing mechanisms and regulation

Chair: John Mattick 10:35 - 10:50 John Mattick: Introduction and history

10:50 - 11:05 Benoit Chabot 11:05 - 11:20 Ben Blencowe 11:20 - 11:35 Kristen Lynch 11:35 - 11:50 Karla Neugebauer 11:50 - 12:00 Selection from abstract 12:00 - 12:10 Selection from abstract 12:10 - 12:40 Questions and Panel discussion (applications and future)
Moderator: TBD

12:40 - 14:40 Lunch

Session 10: RNA granules and droplets

Chair: Roy Parker 14:40 - 14:55 Roy Parker 14:55 - 15:10 Mark Ashe 15:10 - 15:25 Graciela L. Boccaccio 15:25 - 15:40 Ross Buchan 15:40 - 15:50 Selection from abstract 15:50 - 16:00 Selection from abstract 16:00 - 16:30 Questions and Panel discussion (applications and future)
Moderator: Rachel Meyers

16:30 - 17:00 Coffee break

Session 11: RNA structure, evolution, aptamer and catalytic RNA

Chair: Larry Gold 17:00 - 17:15 Larry Gold 17:15 - 17:30 Jack Szostak 17:30 - 17:45 Adrian R. Ferré-D’Amare 17:45 - 18:00 Alan Lambowitz 18:00 - 18:15 David Mathews 18:15 - 18:45 Questions and panel discussion
Moderator: TBD
18:45 – 19:20 Students choice special presentation Andrew Fire

19:30 - 20:30 Closing Gala and Awards Ceremony

Host: Francois Bachand, Director of the Université de Sherbrooke Center of RNA Biology, member of Université de Sherbrooke RNA group

20:30 - 20:35 The Dean’s Notes

Dominque Dorion Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke

20:35 - 21:10 Special presentation of a lifetime of RNA biology

Phillip Sharp

Professor, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT

Introduction by Andrew McMillan, Member of the RiboClub, University of Alberta

21:10 - 21:20 Presentation of the life achievement award

Nahum Sonnenberg

James McGill Professor of Biochemistry, McGill University and HHMI senior international research scholar,

21:20 - 21:25 Predicting the future, Closing Remarks

Benoit Chabot, co-founder of Université de Sherbrooke RNA group

21:25 - 23:30 Entertainment and Music show

Brendan Bell, Member of the Université de Sherbrooke RNA group

• 23:30 -
• Dance

Friday September 27, 2019 (Day 6)

07:00 - 09:00 Breakfast

Departure