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EMBO Practical Course

Methods for studying phase separation in biology

05 – 13 February 2019 | Dresden, Germany

  • Registration Deadline
  • 01 October 2018
  • Chosen Participants Will Be Notified By
  • 01 November 2018
  • Payment Deadline
  • 01 December 2018

Apply now!

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About the Practical Course

Practical Course illustration

The field of cell biology is in the midst of a revolution in the understanding of how cells are biochemically organized. In recent years, research has shown that liquid-liquid phase separation is a critical organizing principle for cells, improper regulation of which can lead to dysfunction and disease. There are many exciting open research questions in this field, and we aim to provide students with an essential toolkit for addressing them. This course will provide high quality instruction in the physical chemistry theories underlying biological phase separation, followed by hands on practical training in the assays and cutting-edge techniques used in this emerging field. Dresden is a hub for phase separation research, and in addition to our local experts in biophysics and cell biology, our speakers and instructors will also include global authorities on these topics. Following the course, participants should be able to apply their newly learned techniques to their own projects and research questions. We hope that this course will establish the best practices in the field of biological phase separation, which the students can spread more widely at their home and future institutions.

The practical work will begin with 4 days of topics essential to all students in the course: An interactive “bootcamp” covering the physical chemistry theories that underpin biological phase separation and assays for phase separation. The following 4 days will be split into two blocks of specialized modules, and students will choose one module from each block for hands on learning in smaller groups. The modules include practical training in: optical tweezers, coacevates, rheology, photobleaching, temperature manipulation, bioinformatics, and theory and protein expression.

The methods course will be followed by a two-day meeting on phase separation at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, to which the students on the course are invited.


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.

 

Speakers

 

Programme

 

Registration

  • Registration Deadline
  • 01 October 2018
  • Chosen Participants Will Be Notified By
  • 01 November 2018
  • Payment Deadline
  • 01 December 2018

 

  • STUDENT/POSTDOCS EUR 400
  • INDUSTRY EUR 1000

Registration includes:

  • Participation in all lectures and practicals
  • Course materials
  • Accommodation (Students will share rooms.)
  • All meals
  • Local travel during the course
  • Social event

Payment

Selected participants will be notified by email and will receive an invoice.

The method of payment will be wire transfer only.

Selection criteria

Applicants are asked to write a one page letter of motivation and describe the research questions related to the principles of biological phase separation that they plan to address. Applicants with ongoing or future projects related to biological phase separation, as well as from institutions that are able to further disseminate the experience gathered in the course to the local research communities are preferred.

Travel grants

A limited number of travel grants are available for participants. Applicants do not need to apply separately for travel grants for this event but should indicate on the registration form if they wish to be considered for a travel grant. Selection of awardees is handled directly by the organizer who will notify all eligible participants. More information is available at EMBO Travel Grants' page.

 

Contact

Christina Kuss

Christina.kuss@mpi-cbg.de

0049(0)351-210 2805

 

 

Venue

Accommodation

The participants will be accommodated in the Hotel Andreas.

It is within walking distance of the MPI-CBG:

Follow this link for a more detailed google map and how to get to the Hotel Andreas.

Transport

Via plane

Dresden has a relatively small airport connected by Lufthansa to major German hubs such as Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf. There is also an AirFrance flight from London.

Berlin Schoenefeld International airport is about 172 km from Dresden, easily reachable by regular trains.

Vaclav Havel Airport Prague in the Czech Republic is another option, 160 km away, also connected by trains about every two hours.

From the Dresden Airport, please take the train S2 available every 30 min to the train station Bahnhof-Neustadt. Then take the tram 6, in the direction Niedersedlitz, to the station Königsheimplatz. Cross the street and walk along the street Schubertstraße until you come to Pfotenhauerstraße and turn left. Our institute is at Pfotenhauerstraße 108. It is a green and blue building. It takes about 40 minutes.

Via train

Dresden is easily reachable by train. There are two train stations in Dresden: Hauptbahnhof and Bahnhof Neustadt

From the main train station [Hauptbahnhof] please take the tram 10, direction Striesen, to the station Fetscherplatz. Then take the tram 12, in the direction Striesen, to the station Königsheimplatz. Cross the street and walk along the street Schubertstrasse until you come to Pfotenhauerstraße and turn left. Our institute is at Pfotenhauerstraße 108. It is a green and blue building. It takes about 20 minutes.

You can also use tram 3 (Wilder Mann) or 7 (Weixdorf) and change at Pirnaischer Platz to bus 62 (Johannstadt). The terminal stop is right opposite ofthe Institute. It takes about approx. 23 minutes.

From the train station Bahnhof Neustadt take tram 6, in the direction Niedersedlitz, to the station Königsheimplatz. Cross the street and walk along the street Schubertstrasse until you come to Pfotenhauerstraße and turn left. Our institute is at Pfotenhauerstraße 108. It takes about 15 minutes.

Reaching the Institute via tram or bus

Take tram no. 6 or 12 and get off at Königsheimplatz. Walk along the street Schubertstraße until you come to Pfotenhauerstraße and turn left.
Alternatively, take bus no. 62 or 64 and get off at the final stop Johannstadt, which is located on Pfotenhauerstraße, only about 300 meters from the MPI. Our institute is at Pfotenhauerstraße 108. The building is green and blue.

Detailed information on public transport in Dresden including connections and timetables can be found here: https://www.dvb.de/en-gb/

Via car

from Berlin (north)

Leave Autobahn A4 at the exit Dresden-Hellerau, which will take you onto the B 170 heading towards the city center (Zentrum). Stay on the B 170 for about 5 km until it reaches the intersection "Carolaplatz". At the next intersection turn right onto the "Albertbrücke" bridge. From now on follow the signs "Uniklinikum" to the medical clinic. Once over the bridge, you have to drive a circle in order to turn to the left, which means taking the second street to the right, then turn to the right and to the right again onto "Käthe-Kollwitz-Ufer." Follow "Käthe-Kollwitz-Ufer" and turn right into "Fetscherstraße." At the first intersection turn left into "Pfotenhauerstraße." Our institute is on the right.

from Munich/Frankfurt/Leipzig (south)

Leave Autobahn A4 at the exit Dresden-Altstadt, which will take you onto the B 6. Follow the signs to the city center (Zentrum) and stay on the B 6 for about 4 km until an intersection with a Turkish Mosque on the left side. Still following the signs to the city center (Zentrum), turn left and pass the Mosque. Follow the road which turns to the right and goes under the railway bridge. This leads you to "Uferstraße" which takes two sharp bends (passing Semperoper opera house). Now you are on the "Terrassenufer" which takes you parallel to the river Elbe. Stay on this road following the sign "Uniklinikum." The street merges to "Käthe-Kollwitz-Ufer." Follow "Käthe-Kollwitz-Ufer" and turn right into "Fetscherstraße." At the first intersection turn left into "Pfotenhauerstraße." Our institute is on the right.

from Prague

Follow the highway D8 going north from the Prague circle towards Aussig (Usti nad Labem) or Teplitz (Teplice) and Dresden. The highway is interrupted in the middle by the scenic Ceske Stredohori mountain for about 20 km (narrow road, follow signs for Dresden). The trip takes about two hours.

About the Area

The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), founded in 1998, is one of 80 institutes of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-profit organization in Germany.

In recent years Dresden has developed at a tremendous pace into one of the leading scientific centers in the areas of cell and developmental biology, biomedicine, biophysics and bioengineering. Dresden is characterized by a vibrant international community of researchers that perform cross-disciplinary research at the highest level in state-of-the-art research centers at the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD), the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS) and several Leibniz and Fraunhofer Institutes.

Dresden is considered one of the most beautiful cities of Germany. It is located in the east of Germany in the valley of the river Elbe. Dresden is about 2.5 hrs away from Berlin as well as Prague. Being the capital of Saxony it has been a center of political and cultural life for centuries, and its skyline with the Zwinger, the Green Vault, the Painting Gallery, the castle, the Semperoper, the Court Chapel, Taschenberg Palace, and the recently rebuilt Frauenkirche are world-famous. But the city is not only famous for its baroque architecture and beautiful surrounding landscapes. Dresden has evolved into a vivid and international scientific and industrial center and is one of the most outstanding locations for research and science in Germany with emphasis on biotechnology, nano- and microelectronics. In appreciation of this dynamic development, Dresden has been awarded the “City of Science” in 2006.

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