New Technologies for Studying and Reprogramming Development

Rapid periods of scientific advance are often proceeded by important leaps in experimental methodology and measurement modalities. The field of developmental biology is currently undergoing such a period of rapid advance, spurred in part by the adoption and development of a variety of powerful analytical, theoretical, and engineering tools. This meeting aims to convene a group of scientists that are advancing the frontiers of developmental biology and related fields by engineering and applying new tools from multiple directions.

In considering the diverse array of technical possibilities facing the modern developmental biologist, three observations stand out. First, new approaches frequently emerge from separate academic communities. Second, it is difficult for a practicing biologist to master more than one or two of these very powerful new methods. Third, many tools could be even more powerful if combined with another: for example, the combination of embryoid model systems with mechanobiological, computational, and modeling approaches could have a transformative impact on our understanding of mammalian morphogenesis. The goal of this meeting is therefore to bring together researchers who are at the forefront of their separate fields, with the anticipation that this will generate new ideas and new collaborations that might be unlikely to occur otherwise.

Topics of the meeting include:

• White space on the map: what are the conceptual gaps in the field that require new technologies and approaches?
• Genes in space and time: how can we reveal trajectories of cell fate using powerful and emerging technologies?
• Input, output: tools for manipulating diverse aspects of cellular function, from metabolism to membrane potential
• Building biology: we discuss powerful new in vitro modeling tools
• Molecular circuits and their rewiring: we highlight emerging tools from the field of synthetic biology
• Big data, human insight: how do we extract insight from big data?
• Pushing and pulling on cells and tissues: what are current and unmet needs for measuring and perturbing cell mechanics?
• More than the sum of its parts: we explore emerging theoretical approaches to build a more integrated understanding of developmental processes.

We hope that the meeting will serve as a catalyst, both for the seeding of new scientific advances, and for the dissemination of powerful, cutting-edge techniques to the developmental biology community as a whole.

Early-career researchers

We offer 10 funded places for early-career researchers (PhD, postdocs and PIs in the first three years of their first appointment) to attend our Workshops along with the 20 invited speakers. We just ask that you pay for your own travel costs. If you would like to attend please complete the online application form and include a one page CV and a letter of support from your supervisor. If your supervisor would prefer to send the letter directly to us please ask them to email it to workshops@biologists.com

All attendees are expected to actively contribute to the Workshops by asking questions at presentation sessions and taking part in discussions, as well as giving a short talk on their research.

At some Workshops, early-career researchers are given additional responsibilities to promote their involvement, such as:

• • Write a daily blog for The Node
  • Summarise the previous day’s themes to set the scene for the next day’s sessions
  • Propose future directions and collaborations
  • Make a short two minute video on their experience at the Workshop

Most of these activities would be carried out in pairs or small groups and often with the support of more senior scientists present.

About Buxted Park

The Workshop will be held at the beautiful Buxted Park in East Sussex which dates back to the 12^th century. The current house was built in 1722 by Sir Thomas Medley and is an elegant Grade II Palladian mansion set in 312 acres of parkland. Over the years it has played host to a number of high profile visitors including William Wordsworth, Winston Churchill, and George V and Queen Mary. Whilst it was a health hydro in the 1960s Gregory Peck, Dudley Moore and Marlon Brando were regular visitors.

Buxted Park is less than 25 miles from Gatwick Airport and 60 miles from Heathrow Airport. There are direct trains taking 1 hour 10 minutes from London Bridge to the village of Buxted which is only a mile away from the hotel.

Buxted Park Hotel
Station Road
Buxted
East Sussex
TN22 4AY
Tel: +44 (0) 1825 733333

www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/buxtedpark