The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) organizes an international cancer conference on diseases affecting the immune system, specifically those related to lymphocytes (immune system cells responsible for acquired immunity) that can be altered in leukemias, lymphomas, autoimmune and immunodeficiency diseases. The conference will take place on the 13th-14th September at the Ateneu Barcelonès, in the centre of Barcelona. The symposium will be attended by more than a hundred people.
The symposium takes part of the lecture series on cancer that IDIBELL is organizing since 2009. The activity is coordinated by Stephen Ballestar, head of the Chromatin and Disease research group, by Maribel Parra, head of the Cell Differentiation research group, both from IDIBELL, and Thomas Graf, group leader of Genomic Regulation Centre (CRG).
The main aim of this conference is to bring together world experts pioneers in the field of cell biology to discuss the latest developments in this field. During the conference, researchers will discuss about new findings in understanding of the epigenetic events that contribute to normal and aberrant function of lymphocyte function. In recent years, the researchers working in this field have made significant progress in understanding the contribution of transcription factors and epigenetic control during process whereby cells are formed (lymphopoiesis) both physiological and pathological. These complex relationships between transcription factors and epigenetic machinery are essential for the establishment and maintenance of lymphocyte identity. All these issues will be discussed during the congress.
According to Dr Ballestar, “in recent years we have witnessed a dramatic process of understanding the role of epigenetic alterations in the development of human diseases. These alterations resembling a signalling system of genetic material, affect different groups of diseases involving altered behaviour of lymphocytes. The conference will discuss both aspects related to the functioning of the same, as the keys to understanding epigenetic mechanisms that trigger the development of lymphoma or leukaemia.”
Dr. Parra said “in the past two decades, researchers in this field have focused on understanding how specific transcription factors act in the formation of lymphocytes and as its deregulation can lead to the onset of haematological diseases. However, more and more evidence indicating that epigenetics plays an important role in that process. Recent advances in genomic techniques global scope as is the latest ultra-sequencing are forming an indispensable tool for understanding how transcription factors expressed in lymphocytes modify the state of the chromatin of their target genes and epigenetic modulators what with they interact. The ICC on Epigenetics is the first global conference that encompasses both aspects of the biology of lymphocytes: the transcription factors’ role and their connection to epigenetic changes that take place in these cells.”