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The expanding world of RBPs: from posttranscriptional control to riboregulation – Course and Conference Office

EMBL Conference

The expanding world of RBPs: from posttranscriptional control to riboregulation

Overview

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

Conference overview

Based on recent methodological breakthroughs, the number of identified mammalian RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) has skyrocketed from around 700 to over 2000. More importantly, completely new classes of proteins (including enzymes, signaling molecules, transporters and channels etc.) were recognized as RBPs, posing questions regarding the biological functions of RNA binding.

This meeting will bring together leaders in the field of RBPs – classical and newly discovered – and discuss exciting progress on all fronts, from posttranscriptional regulation of RNA expression to the riboregulation of protein functions, facilitated by rapidly emerging experimental technologies and data analysis tools. Discussion topics will range from structural work over cell biology, including RBP-containing ‘membraneless organelles’, metabolism and progress regarding human diseases. The methodological spectrum will be equally wide, and also include data analysis and AI/modeling approaches.

Since this will be the first time that such a conference is organized, community building or community extension, from the established field of classical RBPs in posttranscriptional control to the emerging perspectives, is also a major objective of the conference.

Topics

  • Systems biology of RBPs (experimental multi-omics and data analysis)                                        
  • Structure and function of RBPs (including modelling/AI)                                        
  • Biological condensates                            
  • Disease RBPs and new therapeutic angles                                      
  • New technologies to study RNA-protein interactions                   

Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Elena Conti

Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry

Germany

Anthony Hyman

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics

Germany

Speakers

Minkyung Baek

Seoul National University

Republic of Korea

Alfredo Castelló

MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research

UK

Ling-Ling Chen

Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science)

China

Gideon Dreyfuss

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

USA

Yoosik Kim

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Republic of Korea

Shinichi Nakagawa

Hokkaido University

Japan

Karla Neugebauer

Yale University School of Medicine

USA

Roy Parker

University of Colorado Boulder

USA

Thomas Preiss

Australian National University

Australia

Anna Pyle

Yale University School of Medicine

USA

Cynthia Sharma

Institute of Molecular Infection Biology

Germany

Gene Yeo

University of California, San Diego

USA

Elsa Zacco

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Italy

Scientific Organisers

Francesca Cutruzzolà

Sapienza University of Rome

Italy

Imed Gallouzi

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Saudi Arabia

Matthias Hentze

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

V. Narry Kim

Seoul National University

Republic of Korea

Event organiser

Julia Patricia Nohle

Course and Conference Officer

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Preliminary programme

Day 1 – Tuesday 11 March 2025
Time (Europe/Berlin)Session
15:00 – 16:30Registration and light refreshments
16:30 – 16:45Opening remarks
16:45 – 17:45Keynote lecture (tbc)
Elena Conti – Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany
17:45 – 18:45Keynote lecture: Phase separation and the role of RNA binding proteins
Anthony Hyman – Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany
18:45 – 19:45Dinner in Canteen
19:45 – 21:30After dinner drinks and Pub Quiz in Canteen
Day 2 – Wednesday 12 March 2025
Time (Europe/Berlin)Session
09:15 – 12:45Session 1: Systems Biology of RBPs (experimental multi-omics and data analysis)
Chair: first name last name – institute, country
09:15 – 09:45Title to be confirmed
Karla Neugebauer – Yale University School of Medicine, USA
09:45 – 10:00Selected short talk #1
10:00 – 10:15Selected short talk #2
10:15 – 10:30Selected short talk #3
10:30 – 11:00Coffee Break and Meet the speakers
11:00 – 11:30Title to be confirmed
Thomas Preiss – Australian National University, Australia
11:30 – 11:45Selected short talk #4
11:45 – 12:00Selected short talk #5
12:00 – 12:15Selected short talk #6
12:15 – 12:45Exploring the world of RNA binding proteins in bacterial pathogens
Cynthia Sharma – Institute of Molecular Infection Biology, Germany
12:45 – 14:00Lunch and meet the speakers
14:00-18:15Session 2: Structure and function of RBPs (including modelling/AI)
Chair: first name last name – institute, country
14:00 – 14:30Title to be confirmed
Anna Pyle – Yale University School of Medicine, USA
14:30 – 14:45Selected short talk #7
14:45 – 15:00Selected short talk #8
15:00 – 15:15Selected short talk #9
15:15 – 15:45Prediction of RNA structures and their interactions using deep learning
Minkyung Baek – Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
15:45 – 16:15Coffee Break and Meet the speakers
16:15 – 16:30Selected short talk #10
16:30 – 16:45Selected short talk #11
16:45 – 17:00Selected short talk #12
17:00 – 17:30Title to be confirmed
Gideon Dreyfuss – University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, USA
17:30 – 18:15Flash talk session 1 (3 min – 1 Slide)
18:15 – 19:30Dinner in EMBL Canteen
19:30 – 21:30Poster Session 1 (odd numbers)
Day 3 – Thursday 13 March 2025
Time (Europe/Berlin)Session
09:15 – 12:45Session 3: Biological condensates
Chair: first name last name – institute, country
09:15 – 09:45RNA binding proteins in RNP Granules and neurodegenerative diseases
Roy Parker – University of Colorado Boulder, USA
09:45 – 10:00Selected short talk #13
10:00 – 10:15Selected short talk #14
10:15 – 10:30Selected short talk #15
10:30 – 11:00Coffee Break and Meet the speakers
11:00 – 11:30Title to be confirmed
Ling-Ling Chen – Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science), China
11:30 – 11:45Selected short talk #16
11:45 – 12:00Selected short talk #17
12:00 – 12:15Selected short talk #18
12:15 – 12:45Title to be confirmed
Shinichi Nakagawa – Hokkaido University, Japan
12:45 – 14:15Lunch and meet the editors
14:15 – 16:15Poster Session 2 (even numbers)
16:15-19:15Session 4: Disease RBPs and new therapeutic angles
Chair: first name last name – institute, country
16:15 – 16:45The intriguing moonlighting function of the U2 snRNP in the infection of cytoplasmic viruses
Alfredo Castello – MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK
16:45 – 17:00Selected short talk #19
17:00 – 17:15Selected short talk #20
17:15 – 17:30Selected short talk #21
17:30 – 18:00Coffee Break and Meet the speakers
17:30 – 18:00Title to be confirmed
Yoosik Kim – Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea
18:00 – 18:15Selected short talk #22
18:15 – 18:30Selected short talk #23
18:30 – 18:45Selected short talk #24
18:45 – 19:15Going out of phase: RNA aptamers to interfere with pathological protein condensation
Elsa Zacco – Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy
19:15 – 20:15Conference dinner in the canteen
20:15 – 00:00Party
Day 4 – Friday 14 March 2025
Time (Europe/Berlin)Session
10:00 – 11:30Session 5:
New technologies to study RNA-protein interactions
Chair: first name last name – institute, country
10:00 – 10:30Title to be confirmed
Gene Yeo – University of California, San Diego, USA
10:30 – 10:45Selected short talk #25
10:45 – 11:00Selected short talk #26
11:00 – 11:15Selected short talk #27
11:15 – 11:30Closing remarks
11:30 – 12:00Packed lunch and departure

Practical Information

Registration fees and abstract submission

On-site registration fees include admission, conference materials, meals and coffee breaks. Participants are expected to book and pay their own accommodation and travel expenses.

Virtual registration fees include access to all of the talks (livestreamed and on demand) and facility to submit questions.

On-site Academia€800
On-site PhD Student€700
On-site Industry€1000
On-site Journal Editors*€300
Virtual Academia€225
Virtual PhD Student€175
Virtual Industry€275

* Editors from scientific journals are allowed to attend at a reduced rate, but asked to contribute to the conference in return by taking part in ‘meet the editors’ sessions or other planned activities within the programme.

A letter to support your visa application will be issued, on request, once payment of the registration fee is confirmed. We recommend that you book your visa appointment as soon as possible, to avoid any delay with your visa application.

Accredited journalists may be eligible to register for complimentary press registration. Registrants may be required to provide accreditation or equivalent proof of press membership after registration. Please contact Julia Patricia Nohle for more information. Please note that we do not offer complimentary registrations for editors of scientific journals.

Confirmation and payment

Registration will be on a first come, first served basis. Your place can only be confirmed after payment of the registration fee. If you are added to our waiting list, please consider taking advantage of our offerings to participate virtually.

On-site participants: Types of payments accepted are international bank transfers and credit card payments. 

Virtual participants: We are only able to accept card payments. In exceptional cases we can accept bank transfers. Please contact Julia Patricia Nohle for details.

Abstract submission

Only participants registering to attend the on-site event are eligible to submit an abstract. Abstracts will not be accepted from virtual participants.

After registration you can submit your abstract via a separate link that will be provided in the email confirmation. Alternatively, you can access the link on the confirmation page directly after registering. The same login credentials are used for both processes.

Please note:

Abstract body: The limit of 2000 characters refers to manually typed text and excludes spaces. If an error occurs try using a different web browser (preferably Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox).

If you copy-paste the text into the form, hidden formatting might still be included which may cause the text to exceed the 2,000 character limit resulting in an error message. We recommend you clear all formatting before pasting in the text.

If you have special symbols in your text, make sure you are using Unicode characters, otherwise these will not be recognised.

Title: The title should not exceed 20 words. Only the first word of the title should start with a capital letter and the rest should be lowercase.

Authors and affiliations: Please fill in the author’s details as requested in the online form. The compulsory fields are: First Name, Last Name, Organisation Name (Affiliation or Company), Country and Email.

Kindly mark only one author in the role of First Author and please don’t forget to indicate who will be the Presenter.

Please enter your co-authors correctly via the system by adding accounts together with their organisation/institute. Do not copy-paste them into the body of the abstract text, as they will not be indexed in the abstract book.

Presentation types: When submitting your abstract, you can apply for an oral or poster presentation. A selection process will take place with the results announced 2-3 weeks after the abstract submission deadline.

For detailed instructions on how to submit a conference abstract, follow the instructions provided in this video.

Please check our FAQs pages for further information on how to submit an abstract.

Financial assistance

Financial assistance

Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme and EMBO in the form of registration fee waivers, travel grants, and childcare grants.

Your place in the meeting is only confirmed by paying the registration fee, which is mandatory even when receiving a fee waiver.

Registration fee waiver

The fee waiver will cover the registration sum that you have paid to attend the course or conference.

Travel grant

The travel grant will cover the cost of travel to an on-site event (airfare, train, bus, taxi, accommodation, visa, and/or registration fees*) and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows:

–up to €400 for participants travelling to an EMBL Conference or EMBO|EMBL Symposium from within Europe.

–up to €1000 for participants travelling to an EMBL Conference or EMBO|EMBL Symposium from outside Europe.

The organisers may reduce the grant cap to accommodate more participants. Recipients will be notified of their travel cap amount when they are informed of the outcome of their application. Original receipts must be provided with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel. Scanned copies cannot be accepted.

Childcare grant

There is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants, speakers, and organisers when attending a conference.

Eligible costs include (but are not limited to) fees for a baby-sitter or child-care facility, and travel costs for a caregiver. Please note that priority will be given to early stage researchers. In order to apply for this grant, you must be registered by the abstract submission deadline. There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants.

Application

On-site participants

You may apply for financial assistance when submitting your abstract. In your application you will be asked to answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

Virtual participants

If you are attending virtually, you can apply for financial assistance in the submission portal by the abstract deadline. Read the instructions on how to apply for financial assistance. Only submissions for financial assistance will be accepted. Presentation abstracts cannot be submitted here and will be declined. 

In your application you will be asked to summarise your current work,  answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance, and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

Selection

The scientific organisers will select the recipients of registration fee waivers and travel grants during the motivation letter or abstract selection process. Results will be announced approximately 6 – 8 weeks before the event start date, however for some events this may be delayed. Selection results do not impact your admission to the meeting. Selection for registration fee waivers and travel grants is based on scientific merit, your current work or study location, the reasons for needing financial support, and the impact this event will have on your career.

Childcare grants will be allocated in the same timeframe (6-8 weeks before the event start date). Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers.

Reimbursement

Costs will be reimbursed after the meeting only once a reimbursement form and original receipts (from travel costs) have been received.

Further details

View our list of external funding opportunities and information on attending a conference as an event reporter.

For further information about financial assistance please refer to the FAQ page.

Accommodation and travel

Accommodation is not included in the conference registration fee.

The hotels below have rooms on hold for participants until 11 February 2025, in some cases at special rates. Please email the hotel directly, quoting the booking code RBP25-01 to confirm the exact price of the room.

Hotel AnlageHotel ibis HeidelbergPremier Inn Heidelberg City
Hotel Bayrischer Hof ISG Hotel Staycity Aparthotel Heidelberg
B&B HotelHilton Heidelberg

Travel information

For travel information, please see here.

If you are travelling to the conference within Germany then you are eligible for the Deutsche Bahn ‘Event Ticket’ (called the ‘Veranstaltungsticket’ in German). This will result in a lower ticket price if your travel distance to Heidelberg is more than 100 km. You need to provide proof of your event attendance when purchasing the ticket.

For more information in English see here or in German see here.

You can book your ticket here.

Conference shuttle buses

Conference shuttle buses are free of charge for participants, and depart from designated bus stops near the hotels to EMBL and back, mornings and evenings.

The bus stops for this conference are:

  • Staycity Aparthotel (Speyerer Str. 7)
  • Kurfürsten-Anlage (Opposite Main Train Station)
  • Premier Inn (Kurfürsten-Anlage 23)
  • Leonardo Hotel Heidelberg City Center (Bergheimer Str. 63)
  • Neckarmünzplatz (Heidelberg Tourist Information)
  • Peterskirche (Bus stop)
  • Hilton Hotel (Kurfürsten-Anlage 1)
  • ISG Hotel (Im Eichwald 19)

View Conference shuttle bus stops and hotels in a larger map. Please note that not every bus stop will be used for every event.

Further details

Address: EMBL, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.

For more information about accommodation and travel, please refer to the FAQ page.

On-site information

Catering

All meals and coffee breaks are included in the registration fee. Our catering staff will prepare a wide variety of vegetarian meals, meat and fish dishes, soups, pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a variety of desserts.

Please wear your badge at all times when serving yourself.

No food or drinks are allowed in the auditorium.

Charging lockers

There are lockers available next to the stairs leading down into the Auditorium. You will find some of those equipped with sockets to charge your smartphone/tablet etc.

Electricity and charging station

In most places the electricity is 220 volts AC (50 cycles). An adaptor and a plug that fits the German socket may be needed for your appliances/laptop (i.e. American, Japanese, etc.). A USB charging station for electronic devices is available at the registration desk.

EMBL merchandise

If you are interested in purchasing EMBL merchandise (products presented in the glass display in the registration area), please email the EMBL shop to place an order or get in contact with your Course Organiser.

Kindly note the EMBL shop is only open upon request and all purchases must be made in cash (Euros only).

Health and safety notes

Please read EMBL’s COVID-19 safety policy for on-site events.
Do not smoke in any EMBL building.
Eating and drinking is prohibited in the Auditorium and all laboratories.
Do not enter any restricted areas or the laboratories unless instructed to do so.

If first aid is required …

  • The first aid room is located next to the ATC Registration Desk (room 10- 205).
  • Dial the Emergency number 222 from any EMBL internal phone only.
  • Where is the accident? What happened? How many injured?
  • Emergency number 06221-387 7821 from mobile phones.
  • Please report all accidents to the conference officer at the registration desk.

In case of fire …

  • Press the nearest fire alarm button or the Emergency number 222 from any internal phone.
  • A loud fire alarm will go off if an evacuation is required. On hearing the alarm leave the building immediately following the escape route and fire wardens and head to one of the meeting points
  • Do not use the lifts.

Beyond first aid…

Please remember to bring your own medication, if needed, to the conference. Note that the next pharmacy is a 4-minute drive from the EMBL, but for many medications you will be required to see a doctor to get a prescription.

Ensure in advance that your medical insurance will cover you during your visit in the event that you do need to see a doctor while in Heidelberg. In any case, the EMBL Course and Conference Office will assist you to get to the pharmacy and a doctor of your choice if necessary.

Internet

Wi-Fi is available on campus using the EMBL-Events network and the event specific password, which will be provided on site. The eduroam network (secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community) is also available.

Lost and found

‘’Lost and Found’’ items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the conference.

Luggage

There are lockers available on-site to store your luggage, which require a 2 EURO coin to operate. There is another luggage room on level E0, which is free to use but remains unlocked during the conference.

Nursing room

There is a nursing room available in the ATC Rooftop Lounge on level A29.

Photography

During the conference, an EMBL Photographer may be taking photos. If you would not like to appear in these, please inform the photographer or a member of the Course and Conference Office.

Printing

We can help to print your boarding pass/train ticket. Please send it to events@embl.de and collect your print-outs at the registration desk.

Room for prayer, yoga and meditation

There is a room for prayer, meditation and yoga located on level E0 behind the Auditorium. Please be respectful of others using the room.

Sightseeing

A variety of activities in Heidelberg can be found on the website of Heidelberg Marketing.

Travel to and from the venue

During the event, we provide conference shuttle buses to and from EMBL. In addition, there is the public bus 39A that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time. Information on the conference shuttle buses can be found on the individual event website and more detailed information on travelling to EMBL can be found on our Travel Information page.

Useful German expressions

HelloHallo
GoodbyeAuf Wiedersehen (formal)
Tschüss (informal)
Good morningGuten Morgen
Good afternoonGuten Tag
Good eveningGuten Abend
Good nightGute Nacht
I’m sorryEs tut mir leid
Excuse me…Entschuldigen Sie
How are you?Wie gehts?
I’m fine thanks. And you?Mir geht es gut , danke. Und Dir/Ihnen?
What is your nameWie heißen Sie? (formal)
Wie heißt Du? (informal)
My name isIch heiße…
Do you speak EnglishSprechen Sie Englisch?
I don’t understandIch verstehe nicht
Please speak more slowlyKönnen Sie bitte langsamer sprechen
Thank youDankeschön
Where is the toilet?Wo ist die Toilette?
Please call me a taxiBitte rufen Sie mir ein Taxi
How do I get to….?Wie komme ich zum/zur…..?
A beer/two beers pleaseEin Bier/zwei Bier bitte
A glass of red/white wine pleaseEin Glas Rot/Weisswein bitte
The menu, pleaseDie Speisekarte, bitte
Is there a local speciality?Gibt es eine Spezialität aus dieser Gegend?
I’m vegetarianIch bin Vegetarier/ Vegetarierin
It was deliciousEs war hervorragend
The bill, pleaseDie Rechnung, bitte
I have a headacheIch habe Kopfschmerzen
I have a sore throatIch habe Halsschmerzen
My stomach hurtsIch habe Magenschmerzen
I’m allergic toIch bin allergisch gegen
I need a doctor who speaks EnglishIch brauche einen Arzt, der Englisch spricht
Virtual participation

What’s included?

  • Access to all the livestreamed talks
  • Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for 4 weeks afterwards. Please note: at the request of individual speakers, some talks are not recorded.
  • Facility to submit questions

* Talks will only be recorded upon speaker’s consent

Please note that only on-site participants are able to submit abstracts and participate in the poster sessions.

Event platform

We are using an event platform for this conference. More information about the platform will be shared ahead of the conference.

Guidelines

  • Do not broadcast the conference to unregistered participants.
  • You are encouraged to tweet and post about the event. Tweet unless the speaker specifically says otherwise, but be mindful of unpublished data. 
  • Please do not capture, transmit or redistribute data presented at the meeting.

Additional information can be found in our Code of Conduct.

Health and well-being

It is important to stay healthy and move around, especially when you are attending an event virtually. We have put together a few coffee break stretches and yoga videos in the conference platform for you to enjoy during the event.

How to ask questions

Please use the Q&A function in the event platform.

If you have any other questions, you can go to the Help Desk in the event platform. Click on ‘more’ on the top menu and click Help Desk. 

Time zone

The programme is planned based on the Europe/Berlin time zone, unless otherwise stated. Please take your time zone into consideration when planning your attendance.

Additional information

Please find additional information including FAQs, terms and conditions, COVID-19 safety policy and travelling to EMBL on our Information for participants page.

COVID-19 related questions

COVID-19 information for on-site events at EMBL Heidelberg can be found in our COVID-19 FAQs.

Sponsors

Event sponsor

SiTOOLs Biotech

Media partners

Advanced Biology, a Wiley journal

Advanced Genetics, a Wiley journal

BioEssays, a Wiley journal

Journal of Cell Science, The Company of Biologists journal

Medinformatics, a Bon View Publishing journal

Molecular Systems Biology, an EMBO Press journal

Open Biology, a Royal Society journal

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 on sponsoring possibilities.

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

Warning

EMBL wishes to warn sponsors of EMBL conferences and courses of fraudulent schemes purporting to offer sponsorship opportunities on behalf of EMBL or affiliated with EMBL officials. One current scam campaign of which we are aware is conducted using the name ‘Judy Eastman’ (judy@gopcontact.a2hosted.com) and entails approaches to sponsors offering sponsorship opportunities on EMBL’s behalf. Please be kindly advised that all relevant communication regarding sponsorship of EMBL conferences, symposia and courses is handled by EMBL directly and is sent from an official EMBL account. EMBL does not work with any external providers on sponsorship acquisition.

Please also note that:

  • EMBL never provides attendee lists for purchase. Any offers of such are fraudulent.
  • EMBL will never call or email you to ask for your credit card details or to request a payment.
  • All payments are on invoice.

Suspicious communications purportedly from, for or on behalf of EMBL should be reported to EMBL at the following email address sponsorship@embl.de.

Media kit

Want to let others know you’re attending this event? Take a look at our shareable media and feel free to use them in your social media channels or presentations.

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Date: 11 - 14 Mar 2025

Location: EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual

Venue: EMBL Advanced Training Centre


Deadline(s):

Abstract submission: 15 Dec 2024

Registration (On-site): 28 Jan 2025

Registration (Virtual): 3 Mar 2025


Organisers:

  • Francesca Cuttruzola
    Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
    • Imed Gallouzi
      King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia

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