The 2nd International Electronic Conference on Genes
The 2nd International Electronic Conference on Genes
Part of the International Electronic Conference on Genes series
Event's Timezone: Central European Time
8th September 2024
22nd September 2024
6th December 2024
Human Genomics, Medical Genetics, Functional Genomics, Precision Medicine, Complex Disorders, Disease Gene Discovery
Welcome from the Chair
It is with great enthusiasm that we announce the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Genes (IECGE2024). The conference is organized by the MDPI open access journal Genes (ISSN: 2073-4425; Impact Factor: 2.8) and will be held online from 11 to 13 December 2024.
This conference will provide leading scientists with an online platform to share their latest research and engage in exciting discussions. The main topics and sessions of the conference are:
- Non-coding RNAs in Health and Diseases;
- Single-cell RNA Sequencing;
- Genetics and Genomics of Neurodegenerative Diseases;
- Genetic Diagnosis and Targeted Therapy in Cancer;
- Human Genomics and Genetic Diseases;
- Technologies and Resources for Genetics Research;
- Microbial Genetics and Genomics.
In the virtual conference, there are additional advantages: (1) engagement tools that keep energy levels high, (2) participants are given a voice, (3) far stronger attention is received while one is talking, (4) a Q&A through the Chat is also possible if you do not wish to raise your question verbally, (5) polls, (6) feedback through the Chat, (7) the use of “Reaction” functions to show your voice, appreciation, or a request, (8) greater reach with remote audiences, and (9) the ability to deliver live and pre-recorded presentations simultaneously.
All the accepted abstracts will be available online on Sciforum.net during and after the conference.
Kind regards,
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Event Chairs
Department of Pathology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
Dr. Ponnazhagan is a trained molecular geneticist with a focus on cancer. He is currently a Full Professor and holds an Endowed Professorship in Experimental Cancer Therapeutics. The major research areas of Dr. Ponnazhagan’s lab are experimental cancer therapeutics, including stem cell and gene therapy using adeno-associated virus (AAV), tumor microenvironment (TME), and cancer bone metastasis. In reference to cancer-bone interaction, Dr. Ponnazhagan’s lab models breast cancer to adopt strategies that target tumor cells, immune suppression, and aggressive osteoclast functions. To overcome limitations in current therapies, his lab developed novel molecular tools and targeted delivery mechanisms, utilizing mesenchymal stem cells as effective therapeutic vehicles for bone remodeling in breast cancer osteolytic pathology. Towards targeting receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) activation using osteoprotegerin (OPG), a decoy receptor for RANKL, without interfering in tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis of tumor cells, his lab developed an OPG mutant by structural protein engineering that lacks TRAIL binding affinity and validated in vivo in a disseminated osteolytic malignancy model. His group is the first one to identify a subset of immature myeloid cells, known as myeloid-derived suppressor cells, in the TME within the bone, directly undergo osteoclast differentiation and serve as osteoclast progenitors to enhance bone damage. Recent studies from his lab established the role of RANKL in activating M2 macrophages in breast cancer microenvironment and that dampening the effects of elevated RANKL using the OPG mutant resulted in a shift in the immune milieu favoring an anti-tumor cytokines and chemokine response.
Session Chairs
Dr. Silvia Turroni
Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
Dr. Christos K. Kontos
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, 15701 Athens, Greece
Prof. Dr. Laurent Metzinger
UPJV HEMATIM UR 4666, C.U.R.S, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, France
Prof. Dr. Maria Luisa Chiusano
1. Department of Agriculture, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055 Naples, Italy; 2. Department of Research Infrastructures for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
Event Committee
Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
Assoc. prof. Dubravka Svob Strac, PhD, works as a Head of the Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Department of Molecular Medicine, Ruder Boskovic Institute, Zagreb. She received her MSc and PhD degrees in Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, and MSc degree in Project Management at Baltazar University, Zapresic. In addition to scientific work (95 papers, 22 book chapters, 2271 citations; h-index 26, 30 projects), she teaches at the Universities of Zagreb, Rijeka and Osijek (mentor of 18 MSc and 5 PhD students). She received several stipends and awards, including awards from Ruder Boskovic Institute, Department of Biotechnology University of Rijeka, and Croatian National Science Award.
neuropsychiatry; genetics; biomarkers; neuropharmacology
Department of Human Sciences and Quality Life Promotion, San Raffaele Open University Rome and CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy
Valeria D’Argenio, MD, PhD, is Associate Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the San Raffaele Open University of Rome (Italy), Principal Investigator (PI) at CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate of Naples (Italy), and Responsible for molecular diagnostics activities at CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate of Naples (Italy). The research activity of Prof. D'Argenio is in the field of translational research and medical biotechnologies, and is focused on technological innovations in laboratory medicine and their application to the study of the molecular basis of human inherited and acquired diseases, also for diagnostic purposes and in the field of personalized medicine. In this context, the activity of Prof. D'Argenio is aimed, also, at the technological transfer of traditional procedures to advanced ""omics"" techniques, such as next generation sequencing-based approaches. In recent years, she focused on the study of the human microbiome in health and disease status. Prof D’Argenio is author of more than 100 articles in international peer reviewed journals and has been invited speaker in more than 30 National and International Meetings in Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Prof. D'Argenio received the ""Nunzio Pascale"" award for young researchers (2012), the SIBioC award for best presentation (2016), the ""Magna Grecia"" award 2021 and the ""Milano Cultura"" award 2022.
Genetics; Molecular Diagnostics; Molecular Oncology; Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancers; Translational Medicine
Thoracic Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
Dr. Gara is interested in exploring and identifying novel drug candidates and molecular pathways that are critical for initiation and progression of thoracic malignancies and eventually translate his research findings to develop new clinical trials in the branch that facilitate better outcomes for patients with these neoplasms. He employs wide varieties of techniques, methodologies and the state of art next generation sequencing in an induced pluripotent stem cell model of thoracic cancers. Additionally, he is passionate towards mentoring summer interns, postbacs and postdoctoral fellows in the branch.
cancer genetics; functional genomics; cell biology ;pharmacology ;structural biology immunotherapy
Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martins de Freitas, Portugal
Isabel Henriques is an Associate Professor at the Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, where she coordinates the PhD programme in Biosciences. She is a Researcher at the Centre for Functional Ecology, where she coordinates the Research Group One Health. Her area of specialization is Microbiology, and her research interests lie in Environmental Microbiology and Health. In the last decades she has been devoted to the study of antibiotic resistance ecology and of the role of microbiomes in the adaptation of organisms and ecosystems to global changes. She made important contributions to her field of research, published in 133 papers cited more than 5000 times. She is associate editor of BMC Genomics and Frontiers in Microbiology, and a member of the editorial board of Genes and Antibiotics.
One Health; Antimicrobial Resistance; Horizontal Gene Transfer; Environmental Microbiomes
Cornelia M van Duijn is a Professor of Epidemiology at the Nuffield Department of Population Health of the University of Oxford. Her research within the Oxford Big Data Institute focuses on large-scale –omics studies of dementia and related disorders including vascular, endocrine, and gastrointestinal disease. Her current research portfolio includes cross-omics research integrating (epi)genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and microbiome data of epidemiological cohorts with state-of-the-art brain imaging and cellular model systems. She co-leads the Dementia Research Oxford (DRO) consortium and is a member of the steering committee of the Oxford British Heart Foundation (BHF) Center of Excellence. Cornelia has been a leading figure in several international consortia including CHARGE (Cohorts for Heart & Aging Research in Genome Epidemiology), IGAP (International Genetics of Alzheimer Disease Project (IGAP) and EADB (European Alzheimer Disease Biobank). Over the years, she served on numerous scientific committees, including the European Research Council (ERC) Advance Research Grants committee. She is a member of the Supervisory Board member of the Lifelines study, the Senate of the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Scientific Advisory boards of the Finish Institute for Molecular Medicine (FIMM; chair) and France Genomique. Cornelia is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences of the Netherlands (KNAW) and a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (UK).
large-scale –omics studies of dementia and related disorders including vascular, endocrine, and gastrointestinal disease
Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Israel
Over 20 years ago I finalized my post-doctoral fellowship under the supervision of Prof. Thaddeus P. Dryja (Harvard Medical School), who is a world-renowned expert in the field of retinal genetics. During the 4 ½ years I spent in his lab I studied a large cohort of patients with inherited retinal degenerations and characterized retinal disease genes and phenotype-genotype correlations. In 2003 I established my own research group at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center (affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem), aiming to study the genetics of retinal diseases in the Israeli and Palestinian populations and to develop possible treatment modalities. The major focus of my research group is to identify and characterize human retinal disease genes. Together with Prof. Eyal Banin, we recruited for the study over 2300 families with inherited retinal diseases. We therefore used homozygosity mapping followed by whole-exome-sequencing as our major tool for identifying novel retinal disease genes. This allowed us to identify the FAM161A gene as the most common cause of inherited retinal degeneration in the Israeli population. The encoded protein is expressed in the cilia of photoreceptors and is known to interact with at least 50 other retinal proteins. In addition, we identified 15 novel genes that cause inherited retinal degenerations in humans. In parallel, we performed world-wide carrier frequency calculations and reported that about 1 out of 3 individuals is a carrier of a mutation that can cause a retinal disease. Finally, my research group is involved in the development and application of gene and mutation-based therapy for various IRDs, including gene augmentation therapy for FAM161A, ataluren-based readthrough therapy, RNA-editing, and more. We developed for this purpose mouse and cellular models to study the pathogenicity and treatment efficiency for each studied gene.
Human genetics; Inherited retinal diseases; Gene therapy of retinal diseases; Population genetics of retinal genes
Faculty of Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Professor Jyotsna Batra serves as a Laboratory Head and holds the position of Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellow at the Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. With a background in Biochemistry leading to a Master’s degree and a PhD in Biotechnology focusing on the genetic complexity of hereditary disorders, Dr. Batra leads a research group dedicated to the molecular genetics of prostate cancer. Her current research emphasis revolves around identifying genetic variants associated with cancer risk and comprehending their molecular implications in cancer initiation and progression. Dr. Batra's goal is to develop improved biomarkers for early cancer detection and identify genetic markers capable of distinguishing slow-growing diseases from highly aggressive ones in the early stages. Dr. Batra has made substantial contributions, authoring over 200 research articles, including publications in prestigious journals such as Nature Genetics and Cancer Discovery (H-index 50). Dr. Batra has been a finalist for esteemed awards like ASMR and Women in Technology Leadership awards, winning the Qld Young Tall Poppy Award in 2019 and the Cure Cancer Researcher of the Year Award in 2018. Having secured over AUD 10 million in funding, she is currently funded by Advance Qld Industry Fellowship, DoD Idea Development grant, and MTPConnect REDI Fellowship (placement at TissueGnostics Vienna). Dr. Batra serves on the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports, Cancers, Genes, and several Frontiers Journals. In addition to her research and editorial roles, Professor Batra has served as the convenor or co-convenor for six national and international conferences. This leadership in organizing scientific gatherings further highlights her commitment to fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and advancements in the field.
Cancer, Genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics, biomarker
Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
genome interpretation; protein coding variants; pathogenic effects; disease driver genes
Huffington Center on Aging & Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Hongjie got his bachelor’s degree from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2010, did his PhD with Dr. Henri Jasper at University of Rochester, New York, and then at Buck Institute for Research on Aging, California (2010-2016), and got his postdoctoral training with Dr. Liqun Luo at Stanford University (2016-2020). Hongjie started his own lab in early 2021 at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). Currently, he is an assistant professor and CPRIT Scholar at Huffington Center on Aging & Department of Molecular and Human Genetics. He developed several single-cell/nucleus sequencing platforms in Drosophila (2017 Cell; 2020 Current Biology; 2021a eLife; 2021b eLife), and has been leading the Fly Cell Atlas project (2022 Science). His lab recently established the Aging Fly Cell Atlas for studying whole organism aging at cellular resolution (2023 Science). His current research focuses on applying single-cell sequencing technologies to understand aging, with the ultimate goal of improving human healthy lifespan. His achievements have been recognized by receiving several awards, including the Stanford Neuroscience Institute Interdisciplinary Award (2017), NIH K99/R00 Award (2019/2021), Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Award (2020), Impetus longevity research Award (2021), Ted Nash Long Life Foundation Award (2022), and Welch Foundation Award (2023).
aging; genetics; model organism; longevity; senescence; health lifespan; aging clock; pro-longevity mechanisms
Jianping (JP) Xu obtained his BSc from Jiangxi Agricultural University, MSc from Nanjing Agricultural University, and PhD from the University of Toronto. After postdoctoral training at Duke University, JP joined the faculty in the Department of Biology at McMaster University, first as Assistant Professor and subsequently promoted to Associate and Full Professor. His main research interest is in fungal genetics.
Mycology, Population Genetics, Genomics, Molecular Epidemiology
psychiatric genetics; population genetics; personality genetics; genetics of depression
School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey. Edward Jenner Building 388 Stag Hill, GU2 7XH Guildford, UK
Nicholas K. Moschonas is Emeritus Professor of Medical Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, U. of Patras, and Affiliated Scientist of the Institute of Chem. Engineering Sciences (ICE-HT), of the Foundation of Research and Technology (FORTH), Greece. He has studied biology, and evolutionary developmental biology at the U. of Patras, Natl. Kapodistrian U. of Athens, and Harvard U., and medical molecular genetics at the Natl. Inst. of Medical Res., MRC, London, UK. He teaches medical genetics, genomics, and molecular cell biology. He has served as faculty member and Professor of the Dept. of Biology, U. of Crete, head of the Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory (1984-2006) and collaborative faculty member of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) of FORTH, and Professor (2006-2020) and chair of the Laboratory of General Biology of the School of Medicine, U. of Patras. N. Moschonas’ research interests are in medical molecular genetics and functional genomics with an emphasis on the study of the molecular architecture of genetic diseases in the light of the reconstruction and analysis of protein interaction networks. His research group had a longstanding contribution (1990-2004) to the Human Genome Project (HGP). He has served as principal investigator or head of research group in 11 international and 25 national competitive research programs. He has published more than 90 research and review articles in international journals including Cell, Nature, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Mol. Cell. Biol., Devep. Cell, Bioinformatics, J. Biol. Chem., Nucl. Acid Res, Hum. Molec. Genet., Trends in Biochem. Sci., Biomolecules, etc. He is member of the Editorial Board of Human Genomics, and Genes (section Human Genomics and Genetic Diseases), and the Scientific Editor of the Greek edition of 8 university textbooks and 8 popular biology books. He has contributed to more than 250 international and national research Conferences, with more than 70 lectures as a guest speaker.
medical molecular genetics; genomics; protein interaction networks; network biology; molecular architecture of genetic diseases.
1. Section of Statistical Multi-Omics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
2. Institute for People-Centred AI, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7X, UK
genetics; multi-omics; gut microbiome; metabolomics; neurodegenerative diseases; metabolic diseases; machine learning
Sessions
B. Single-cell RNA Sequencing
C. Genetics and Genomics of Neurodegenerative Diseases
D. Genetic Diagnosis and Targeted Therapy in Cancer
E. Human Genomics and Genetic Diseases
F. Technologies and Resources for Genetics Research
G. Microbial Genetics and Genomics
Registration
The registration for IECGE 2024 will be free of charge! The registration includes attendance to all conference sessions.
If you are registering several people under the same registration, please do not use the same email address for each person, but their individual university email addresses. Thank you for your understanding.
Please note that the submission and registration are two separate parts. Only scholars who registered can receive a link to access the conference live streaming. The deadline for registration is 6th December 2024.
Instructions for Authors
The 2nd International Electronic Conference on Genes will accept abstracts only. The accepted abstracts will be available online on Sciforum.net during and after the conference.
1. Deadline for abstract submission: 8 September 2024.
2. Deadline for abstract acceptance notification: 22 September 2024. You will be notified of the acceptance of an oral/poster presentation in a separate email.
Abstract submissions should be completed online by registering with www.sciforum.net and using the "New Submission" function once logged into the system. No physical template is necessary.
1. The structure abstract should include the introduction, methods, results, and conclusions sections of about 200–300 words in length.
2. All abstracts should be submitted and presented in clear, publication-ready English with accurate grammar and spelling.
3. You may submit multiple abstracts. However, only one abstract will be selected for oral presentation.
Detailed Requirements:
1. The submitting author must ensure that all co-authors are aware of the contents of the abstract.
2. Please select only one presenter for each submission. If you would like to change the presenter after submission, please email us accordingly.
Note: We only accept live presentations.
b. File format: PDF (.pdf).
c. Size in cm: 60 width x 80 height–portrait orientation.
d. Font size: ≥20.
e. Maximum size: 250 M
It is the authors' responsibility to identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of clinical research. If there is no conflict, please state "The authors declare no conflicts of interest." This should be conveyed in a separate "Conflict of Interest" statement preceding the "Acknowledgments" and "References" sections at the end of the manuscript. Any financial support for the study must be fully disclosed in the "Acknowledgments" section.
MDPI, the publisher of the Sciforum.net platform, is an open access publisher. We believe authors should retain the copyright to their scholarly works. Hence, by submitting an abstract to this conference, you retain the copyright to the work, but you grant MDPI the non-exclusive right to publish this abstract online on the Sciforum.net platform. This means you can easily submit your full paper (with the abstract) to any scientific journal at a later stage and transfer the copyright to its publisher if required.
Publication Opportunity
1. Genes Journal Publication
Participants in this conference are cordially invited to contribute a full manuscript to a Special Issue published in Genes (ISSN: 2073-4425, Impact Factor 2.8), with a 10% discount on the publication fee. Please note that no other discounts are applicable. All submitted papers will undergo MDPI’s standard peer-review procedure. The abstracts should be cited and noted on the first page of the paper.
2. Proceeding Paper Publication
All accepted abstracts will be published in the conference report of IECGE 2024 in Biology and Life Sciences Forum (ISSN: 2673-9976); if you wish to publish an extended proceeding paper (4-8 pages), please submit it to the same journal after the conference.
Authors are asked to disclose that it is a proceeding paper of the IECGE 2024 conference paper in their cover letter.
Proceedings submission deadline: 10 February 2025
Carefully read the rules outlined in the 'Instructions for Authors' on the journal’s website and ensure that your submission adheres to these guidelines.
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Title.
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Full author names.
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Affiliations (including full postal address) and authors' e-mail addresses.
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Abstract.
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Keywords.
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Introduction.
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Methods.
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Results and Discussion.
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Conclusions.
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Acknowledgements.
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References.
Proceeding_paper-template.docx
Event Awards
To acknowledge the support of the conference's esteemed authors and recognize their outstanding scientific accomplishments, we are pleased to announce that the conference will provide six awards including Best Oral Presentation Awards and Best Poster Awards.
The Awards
Number of Awards Available: 6
The Best Oral Presentation Awards are given to the submission judged to make the most significant oral contribution to the conference.
The Best Poster Awards are given to the submission judged to make the most significant and interesting poster for the conference.
There will be six winners selected for these awards. The winner will receive a certificate and 200 CHF each.
Sponsors and Partners
For information regarding sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please click here.
Organizers
Media Partners
