The international conference “Unlocking the Epigenome: New Horizons in Molecular Medicine and Rare Diseases” opened today in the “Prof. Marin Drinov” Hall of BAS. The two-day forum is organised by the “Acad. Roumen Tsanev” Institute of Molecular Biology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The event is taking place as part of the AEGIS-IMB ERA Chair project funded by the European Union.
Leading scientists, doctors, researchers and representatives from the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors from a number of countries are taking part in the conference. They will discuss the latest advances in the fields of epigenetics, chromatin biology, molecular medicine and rare diseases, as well as the potential for scientific discoveries to be translated into new diagnostic methods, technologies and personalised therapies.
The international speakers include researchers from prestigious scientific institutions and universities, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) (India), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), Grenoble and the University of Grenoble (France), the University of Crete and the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH) (Greece), the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB–University of Antwerp) (Belgium), the University of Essex (United Kingdom), the Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (Turkey), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), the University of Würzburg (Germany) and the Moores Cancer Centre at the University of California, San Diego (USA).
The plenary lecture will be delivered by Prof. Tapas Kumar Kundu from JNCASR, India – an internationally recognised scientist in the field of epigenetics and molecular biology. His research into the regulation of gene expression and chromatin organisation is contributing to the development of new approaches to the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Bulgarian participation includes scientists and specialists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski”, the medical universities in Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna, the National Genome Diagnostics Laboratory, healthcare facilities, diagnostic laboratories and biotechnology companies.
A particular highlight of the programme is the panel discussion “From scientific research to medical practice: innovations in the field of rare diseases and epigenetics” which focuses on the challenges involved in applying scientific discoveries in clinical practice. The programme also includes a poster session, presentations of scientific research and awards for young scientists. The conference forms part of the AEGIS-IMB ERA Chair project’s efforts to strengthen the scientific capacity of the “Academician Roumen Tsanev” Institute of Molecular Biology and to develop international partnerships in the field of epigenetics and molecular medicine.
Further information: https://imb-era.eu/
