Topoisomerase Mechanism, Function and Inhibition: From Single-Molecule Analyses to Clinical Trials

The chair and vice chair have developed an exciting program, with input from the organizing committee. The primary focus of the meeting is to attract scientists with a broad range of backgrounds with the consequent exposure of delegates to different approaches and techniques. We aim to showcase new approaches and encourage the cross-fertilization of disciplines that will stimulate new perspectives and new thinking about the roles of topoisomerases in biology and medicine. The three themes of the meeting will focus on (1) novel approaches allowing the complex interplay of DNA topoisomerases and DNA topology to be tackled; (2) recent advances in structural biology of topoisomerases and the application of single-molecule technologies that will promote exciting new understanding of topoisomerases at a detailed molecular level; and (3) the development of novel therapeutics that target topoisomerases and how advances in proteomics/genomics are enabling new insights into the cellular roles of topoisomerases and their significance in human cancers. The discussion leaders and speakers have been selected on the basis of their major contributions to the field as evidenced by high impact publications, presentations at other conferences and engagement in other scientific forums and societies. The short talks by young investigators (TBA) will be selected from abstracts and late-breaking research. The program will follow GRC recommendations for reserving afternoons for informal discussion and poster sessions.