The epitranscriptome

Overview

This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg, with the option to attend virtually.

Registration is not yet open for this event. If you are interested in receiving more information please register your interest.

Event details to be confirmed, pending EMBO funding application.

Conference Overview

The regulation of the transcriptome is key to cellular processes that underpin cell biology, development and tissue function. All classes of cellular RNA are subject to post-transcriptional modification, be it by direct chemical modification, editing or non-templated nucleotide additions. Now in its fourth edition, the ‘Epitranscriptome’ meeting first held at EMBL in 2016 (and repeated in 2018 then in 2022 as a virtual conference) was the first RNA modification-dedicated meeting with the focus on mammalian systems. It is now established that biochemical modifications of nucleotides regulate RNA metabolism, modulate cell functions and contribute to severe human diseases including cancer and metabolic disorders. Moreover, the power of single, chemically modified nucleotides to alter the electrostatic charge, base pairing and stability of RNA molecules is exploited for clinical use of stable artificial RNA transcripts such as mRNA vaccines or synthetic small RNA molecules to increase or decrease the expression of therapeutic proteins.  The 2025 meeting will highlight recent developments and focus on future aspects and current challenges of the field:

• Critical evaluation of novel methods quantifying RNA modifications at single-nucleotide resolution – with a focus on RNA modification direct sequencing.
• Biosynthetic mechanism of native and synthetic RNA modifications – implications for therapeutic use.
• Epitransriptomic regulation mediated by RNA modifications during gene expression and signalling.
• Novel metabolic pathways requiring RNA modifications to respond to changes in the microenvironment.
• RNA modifications as prognostic marker in disease.

Together, these basic science discoveries have unravelled the molecular and cellular functions of RNA modifications, have provided new prospects for therapeutic manipulation and have led to a range of innovative clinical approaches. Our program will bring together field-leading experts from across the globe to provide cost-effective access to European researchers to the state-of-the-art.

What past participants say about the conference:

“The Epitranscriptome EMBL conference rapidly became a must in the field.” – Mattia Pelizzola, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy

“The conference provided an excellent opportunity to get the latest insights in the field of epitranscriptomics, presented by the world-leading academic groups.” – Gerhard Müller, Gotham Therapeutics, New York, USA

“This conference was really good for me. I have learnt about new RNA regulatory mechanisms, especially m6A and how it’s an important target for RNA processing.” – Opeyemi Olotu, University of Turku, Finland

Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities

We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities, with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget. Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg. View other conferences, or contact sponsorship@embl.de for further information.

If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event, please visit our media partnerships webpage.