The meeting welcomed 86 participants on site and 32 online. Eight financial assistance grants were provided by the EMBL Corporate Partnership Programme<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The four day programme alternated between lectures, workshops, and a human experiment. On two evenings, 37 posters were presented, offering a broad snapshot of current research. From these, five poster prize winners were selected, and we are pleased to introduce four of them and present their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Congratulations to Simen, Simon, Jooske and Myah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Presenter: Simen Jacobs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Authors: Simen Jacobs, Nikita Frolov, Istvan Szalai, Nicole Goede, Lendert Gelens, Panna Farkas, Istvan Lagzi<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abstract:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oscillatory dynamics drive biological rhythms across scales, from intracellular cell cycles to chemical and ecological oscillations. Temperature is often treated as a simple rescaling of oscillatory time, implying Arrhenius scaling of the period. However, measurements across broader temperature ranges reveal systematic deviations from this picture, pointing to more general organizing principles. We test these predictions on new measurements of early embryonic development in fish and frogs, showing both the predicted non-Arrhenius scaling of division timing and a systematic increase in variability as temperatures approach the thermal limits of development. We extend this framework to chemical oscillators, focusing on the Belousov\u2013Zhabotinsky reaction. Chemical systems share the same multi-step network structure as biological, but allow high-throughput and high-resolution experiments over exceptionally wide temperature ranges. New experiments and modeling show that BZ oscillations exhibit a similar quadratic scaling regime, providing a systematic test of the theory. Additionaly, these detailed experiments allow us to study the character of the fluctuations at the thermal limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n View poster<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Presenter: Simon Knoblich<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Authors: Simon Knoblich, Cielo Centola Buttigliero, Michael W. Dorrity, Juan R. Martinez-Morales, Alexander Aulehla<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abstract:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The development of organisms involves precise intercellular coordination in space and time. How cells communicate and transmit information in the presence of intrinsic and extrinsic noise has been a central topic of investigation for decades. Here, we address this question by studying spatiotemporal patterns of intercellular calcium dynamics during gastrulation in the teleost fish Medaka (Oryzias latipes). We combine a novel transgenic GCaMP reporter line with fast in-vivo imaging, allowing us to reveal widespread, oscillatory calcium dynamics in the gastrulating embryo undergoing epiboly. Over time, we find these oscillations to organize into striking large-scale wave patterns, which then correlate with rhythmical waves of contraction traversing the embryo. We demonstrate that these calcium contraction waves sweep through the Medaka non-neural ectoderm, previously termed the stellate cell layer, and that these cells synchronize individual oscillatory cell shape changes via calcium signalling in order to collectively give rise to embryo-scale contractions. Strikingly, disruption of initial wave synchronisation by blocking cell-cell coupling was sufficient to induce a developmental arrest phenotype in a stage-specific and reversible manner, leading us to hypothesize that early calcium synchronization could function as a regulator of early developmental progression in a checkpoint-like manner. By rescuing this arrest via external embryo mechanical compression and optogenetic YAP signalling activation, we propose a function of calcium synchronization in giving rise to embryo-scale contractions, providing a global mechanical signal that links to downstream mechanosensory signalling in a relay-like manner. Ultimately, we aim to further our understanding of the origin and function of collective calcium rhythms during vertebrate development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n View poster<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Presenter: Jooske Monster<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Authors: Jooske Monster, Katharina Sonnen<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abstract:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cellular communication is essential for coordinated behavior within tissues, as loss of this collectivity can lead to cancer. Oncogenic mutations in signaling pathways often drive tumorigenesis by causing constitutive activation or repression of signals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, emerging evidence shows that the temporal dynamics of signaling\u2014such as pulsing, ramping, and periodic oscillations\u2014can encode additional layers of biologically instructive information. For instance, we recently demonstrated that in the intestinal epithelium, the frequency of Hes1 oscillations plays a critical role in directing cell fate decisions. In this study, we investigate how sequential mutations found in colorectal cancer alter the dynamic behavior of signaling networks. Using a fluorescent Hes1 reporter and automated single-cell tracking, we analyze oscillation frequencies in intestinal organoids undergoing early oncogenic transformation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We find that overactivation of the Wnt pathway shifts Hes1 oscillation frequencies into a range previously shown to promote stem cell specification. This coincides with an increase in proliferative, stem cell\u2013like cells, and future studies will test causality by manipulating oscillation frequencies using microfluidics. Our results suggest that cancer-associated mutations not only hyperactivate signaling pathways but also may drive tumorigenic behavior by rewiring the dynamic encoding of cellular signals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to the confidentiality of the unpublished data, we cannot share the poster.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Presenter: Myah Verghese<\/p>\n\n\n\n Authors: Myah Verghese, Isabella Hajdu, Peter Johnstone, Deniz Top<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abstract:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Circadian rhythms are physiological and behavioural anticipatory responses to daily changes in the environment, such as day\/night cycles. These circadian rhythms are regulated by circadian clocks, transcription negative feedback loops that oscillates with a ~24-hour period. In Drosophila melanogaster, circadian rhythms are governed by circadian clocks in a network of 240 neurons across the brain. Importantly, external cues such as light ensures that circadian behaviour (e.g. waking, sleeping) is in phase with daily changes in the environment. One pathway through which light information is transmitted to circadian neurons is through the eye. We found that eliminating the retinal circadian clock leads to a delay in timed waking (morning anticipation) and a short waking period in constant dark conditions, mimicking winter-like activity\/sleep behaviours. Interestingly, the loss of the retinal clock disrupts clock oscillations in the dorsal lateral neurons (LNds) and dampens the clock in dorsal neurons (DN1s), two of the seven neuronal clusters that comprise the circadian neuronal network. We interpret these data to suggest that distinct coupling between the eye clock and different neuronal clocks modulates circadian behaviours to adapt to seasonal changes in the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n View poster<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about the #EESBioOsc symposium from the blog post<\/a> written by Shweta Pandey, who participated as an event reporter!<\/p>\n\n\n\nGeneric temperature scaling of biological oscillators<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Here, we present a theoretical framework for temperature scaling in (oscillatory) biological systems, combining deterministic ODE models with stochastic Markov descriptions of multi-step reaction networks. Applied to the embryonic cell cycle oscillator, the theory explains how different temperature sensitivities across coupled biochemical processes generate an emergent quadratic dependence of the log period on inverse temperature (a quadratic-exponential scaling of the period), even when all individual reactions are Arrhenius (Jacobs et al., bioRxiv 2025). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCollective oscillatory large-scale calcium waves in the gastrulating medaka embryo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nSignaling dynamics during progression of intestinal tumors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Netherlands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe retinal circadian clock is selectively coupled to distinct neuronal clocks to inform behaviour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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