Scientific Symposium on Key Issues in Life Sciences to be Held at LABVOLUTION

At LABVOLUTION, high-calibre speakers from science and research will provide insights into the latest trends and findings in the fields of molecular cell biology, genome editing and microbiome research. The Scientific Symposium will be making its debut at LABVOLUTION, Europe's flagship trade fair for lab users in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, life sciences and biotechnology in Hannover, Germany, on Wednesday 22 May.

The Scientific Symposium at LABVOLUTION will be focusing on key issues in the life sciences. Accordingly, a high level of visitor demand is anticipated. "We are delighted that LABVOLUTION is hosting the Scientific Symposium," said Bernd Heinold, project manager for LABVOLUTION in the Deutsche Messe AG team. "LABVOLUTION's mission is to be the trade fair home to both industry and science – we bring academia and industry together."

The Scientific Symposium is organized by three institutes: the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM), the Society for Toxicology (GT) and the Society for Genetics (GfG).

Three topics will be on the agenda on Wednesday 22 May.

The first is molecular cell biology. The processes within a cell are highly complex and finely coordinated with each other. Everything that is understood at molecular level helps to quickly identify the causes and processes of diseases and to develop targeted drugs for prevention and cure. Professor Michael Knop from Heidelberg will be speaking about "High throughput functional gene tagging" in the Molecular Cell Biology session. Other topics at this session will include "High-resolution microscopy for neurodegenerative diseases" and the "Dynamics of protein folding".

The origin of all cellular processes is the genome – this applies to all life, including humans. Directly targeting the genome, for example in model organisms, helps scientists to research cellular processes, develop agricultural crops and even cure genetic diseases. Where can, may and should genome editing, with its targeted method, be used advantageously? These and other questions will be addressed in the Genome Editing part of the program. Speakers at this session will include Professor Frank Buchholz from Dresden ("Designer recombinases for genome surgery") and Dr Claudio Mussolino, Freiburg ("Genome and epigenome editing technologies for novel therapeutic options"). Another topic will be the editing of induced pluripotent stem cells.

The third part is devoted to microbiome research. In recent years, biomedical research has shown that the microbiome (all the bacteria in an organism) is of crucial importance for health and well-being. The role played by the human microbiome in the supply of nutrients, programming of the immune system and resistance to pathogenic microbes should not be underestimated. Various research approaches will be presented here as well as possible therapeutic approaches. Professor Philipp Rosenstiel from the University of Kiel will give a presentation on "The microbiome – our other genome", while Dr Till Strowig from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig will speak on "Insights into the microbiome: from microbial signatures to functions". The final presentation in the third session will be given by Professor Stefan Pelzer, Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH. The event will be moderated by Professor Christine Lang from the MBCC Group, Berlin.

The three presentation sessions will be followed by a hands-on session on the Wednesday afternoon. All symposium participants are invited to visit the exhibiting companies' stands, where they can find out about the latest developments in laboratory equipment, kits and techniques directly related to the presentation topics.

In total, around 300 participants are expected at the Scientific Symposium, which will be held in the hall New York I located in the conference area of the LABVOLUTION exhibition hall 19/20. Before and after the presentations, participants will have the opportunity to visit the companies at their stands.

Boasting around 3,500 members, the Association for General and Applied Microbiology(VAAM) is Germany's largest microbiological society for scientists from industry, universities and research institutions. Its mission is to apply the results of microbiology research for the benefit of society and the environment.

The Society for Toxicology (GT) – part of the German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (DGPT) with approx. 2,500 members – is the leading body in Germany for advancing toxicological science, training toxicologists and applying toxicological findings in practice for the continuous improvement of human and animal health and their environment.

The Society for Genetics (GfG) is an association of scientists in universities, non-university research institutions, industry and public authorities who are involved in various aspects of genetics. The Society promotes these scientific efforts across the whole field of genetics.

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