About the Workshop
The major focus of this EMBO Workshop on Mechano-Genomics and AI is to integrate recent advances in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) with mechano-genomics to accelerate discoveries in this emerging field. The goal is to showcase innovative ML/AI frameworks that enable a deeper understanding of how the mechanical microenvironment of cells interacts with three-dimensional (3D) genome organization to regulate cellular behavior. Although significant progress has been made in elucidating the roles of epigenetic modifications, biochemical signaling pathways, kinases, transcription factors, and chromatin-remodeling enzymes in gene regulation, the mechanochemical basis underlying these regulatory programs remains poorly understood. Key unanswered questions include how cell mechanics activate transcription factors, how regulatory molecules undergo active cytoplasmic-to-nuclear translocation, how cytoskeletal networks couple to the mechanical architecture of the nucleus, how active physical forces influence the spatiotemporal dynamics of chromatin, how mechanical forces regulate genome organization and maintenance, and how alterations in nuclear mechanical architecture contribute to disease pathogenesis. These topics have emerged as major areas of investigation in recent years. This workshop will bridge mechano-genomics and AI to advance our understanding of the interplay between nuclear mechanics and genome regulation, and how this coupling contributes to disease pathologies. It will highlight the integration of cutting-edge imaging and multi-omics technologies with ML/AI approaches to uncover the mechanistic principles governing nuclear function.
This EMBO Workshop will also emphasize transformative technological advances, including high-resolution bioimaging, live-cell labeling and tracking methods, microfabrication-based engineering of cellular microenvironments, ultrasensitive molecular detection technologies, single-cell and spatial omics, and advanced computational methods powered by ML and AI. Together, these approaches are reshaping our ability to investigate nuclear mechanics, genome regulatory programs, and their roles in human disease. Importantly, this workshop will bring together physicists, engineers, computer scientists, biologists, and clinician-scientists to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and establish new connections across the mechanobiology, genomics, and ML/AI communities. By creating a forum for cross-disciplinary exchange, the conference aims to catalyze the development of next-generation technologies and computational frameworks that will drive the future of mechano-genomics.
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.
