About the Workshop
Membrane rearrangements are essential in all forms of life, and in particular in eukaryotic life, which relies in controlled fission and fusion of lipid membranes, both within a cell or between cells. This meeting will focus on one of the two aspects of membrane rearrangements: membrane fusion, which is a key step not only at the cellular level but also at the level of organisms in multicellular eukaryotes (fertilization, placenta formation, embryogenesis, are just a few examples). The principles governing the controlled fusion of two lipid bilayers are expected to be the same, but the regulation of this essential process varies depending on the particular system. This workshop will bring together scientists working in the membrane fusion events occurring in three broad categories: 1 - intracellular (fusion of vesicles, fusion of mitochondria, fusion of inner and outer nuclear membranes to make a fusion pore); 2 -extracellular fusion between cells; 3 - fusion of enveloped viruses with the membrane of eukaryotic cells, including many viruses that are highly pathogenic to humans (HIV, ebola virus, influenza virus, dengue virus, etc). All these apparently disconnected fields come together into a single topic: the membrane fusion event that is central to them all.
About EMBO Courses and Workshops
EMBO Courses and Workshops are selected for their excellent scientific quality and timelines, provision of good networking activities for all participants and speaker gender diversity (at least 40% of speakers must be from the underrepresented gender).
Organisers are encouraged to implement measures to make the meeting environmentally more sustainable.
