This conference will be the 13th biennial meeting on Eukaryotic DNA Replication and Genome Maintenance and follows the highly successful meetings that have been held at Cold Spring Harbor every second year since September 1987. It is the only regularly occurring meeting that is exclusively focused on eukaryotic DNA replication. Because of this focus, the meeting has played a major role in the rapid growth in our understanding of the eukaryotic DNA replication process and how it is integrated into the cell division cycle. This year's conference will be devoted to fundamental research topics related to chromosome duplication, structure and function, and will include important areas of biological research in the areas of cell cycle and growth control, genomic amplification, and cancer research. Starting with the 2007 meeting, we placed an increased emphasis on the central role of DNA replication in the DNA damage and replication stress response and the strategies used by cells to minimize the threats to genomic integrity arising from DNA replication. The rapid convergence of the DNA replication and DNA damage response fields makes this a timely meeting. The format of the meeting will ensure that recent results will be communicated and discussed face-to-face, which will enhance progress and collaboration. The participation of young investigators and minority and women scientists is strongly encouraged. The 2011 meeting will include a diverse array of topics, systems, and approaches including studies of: (1) chromosomal replication and gene amplification in organisms as diverse as yeast, Drosophila, Xenopus and mammalian cells;(2) the replication of viral chromosomes, including SV40, polyomavirus, cytomegalovirus, herpesvirus, papillomaviruses, and Epstein-Barr virus;(3) control of DNA replication in the cell cycle;(4) structure and function of the chromosomal elements controlling replication including origins of replication and telomeres;(5) connections between DNA replication and the cell cycle, development, and cancer;(6) mechanisms that control genomic integrity including DNA replication checkpoints and post- replication DNA repair;(7) novel approaches including genomics, systems biology, and single molecule studies. Since DNA replication is crucial to cell division, and uncontrolled growth is a hallmark of tumors, the relevance of this meeting to cancer research, and ultimately to improved therapies, cannot be overemphasized. Replication of DNA is a fundamental process in all (eukaryotic) life. Understanding the mechanism by which this process occurs, and how this process coincides with genome. The intellectual merits of this conference include the opportunity for leading investigators at all stages of their scientific careers to share and discuss their latest results and concepts. The informal peer review in oral and poster sessions is invaluable in providing rapid feedback that will fruitfully steer and accelerate future research. This conference also provides ample opportunity for learning and building collaborations - no parallel sessions are planned and so all attendees share a common experience, while the secluded venue maximizes the likelihood of productive scientific exchange. Large conferences generally can have significant impact in their field. Unique aspects of this conference that have particularly broad impact are the active participation of younger scientists who will particularly benefit from the opportunity to present their latest ideas. The conference archive allows participants to share aspects of the conference with their colleagues who were unable to attend while protecting the right of the presenting authors to present unpublished research.
The duplication of the genetic material (DNA) is a process central to all unicellular and multicellular organisms. In higher plants and animals, the genetic material is packaged together with specialized proteins in structures called chromosomes that are themselves packed within the cell nucleus. How these chromosomes are duplicated, and how the DNA they contain is replicated, to allow faithful copies to be made from generation to generation, is a central question in biology. The entirety of the DNA of an organism (its """"""""genome"""""""") has to be copied with minimal errors every time the cell divides, which involves multiple """"""""proof-reading"""""""" and error- correction"""""""" mechanisms that operate at the molecular level and ensure excellent copying fidelity. When cells begin to divide uncontrollably during the development of cancer, errors may accumulate which may themselves contribute to how the disease progresses. The centrality and importance of this process, and its relevance to the development of cancer in particular, has led a large but diverse group of scientists towards the study of DNA replication in numerous systems.
The aim of the conference on Eukaryotic DNA Replication &Genome Maintenance is to provide a forum to bring together the diverse group of scientists working in different areas of this field. The conference will be an open international meeting devoted to the most recent advances in the rapidly evolving field of eukaryotic DNA replication and the maintenance of genome integrity. Oral presentations will consist of a combination of invited presentations and selected presentations from submitted abstracts. This ensures the participation of junior and senior leaders in the field and the presentation of the most exciting results emerging at the time of the meeting. The oral presentations will be complemented by poster presentations in three poster sessions, also selected from submitted abstracts.
