6th EU-US Conference on Repair of Endogenous DNA Damage

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Project Summary / Abstract The 6th US-EU Conference on Repair of Endogenous DNA Damage will be held September 24-28, 2017 in Udine, Italy. The uniqueness of this series of meetings is its focus on the cellular responses to naturally formed genomic damage, and the relationship of defects in these responses to genetically inherited disorders associated with cancer predisposition, neurological deficits and premature aging. Understanding the contributions of endogenous DNA damage to human disease, in particular cancer, and the pathological changes associated with aging is indeed the major theme of this conference. Recently, there has been an explosion-like increase of information on cancer genomes; the development of novel technologies for genome editing; visualizing DNA repair complexes; the role for RNA in genome stability; novel mechanisms of DNA repair and epigenetics; and the role of aging and environmental exposures in genome stability. A major goal of this meeting is to foster collaborative research on the cellular processes that affect genomic instability in cancer. The role of endogenous DNA damage, in particular oxidative DNA damage, as a driver of normal and accelerated aging and the study of premature aging syndromes remain important areas of interest. Insights from rare inherited human diseases with defects in the DNA damage response continue to illuminate links between endogenous DNA damage and cancer, aging and neurologic disease. To promote the translation of knowledge about the sources and repair of endogenous DNA lesions into interventions that improve global human health, this meeting will stimulate collaborative translational research focused on the identification of new therapeutic targets and the development of treatment strategies that either regulate DNA repair pathways in order to enhance cancer treatment, or delay neurodegeneration, or reduce the pathological changes associated with aging. A key objective of the 2017 meeting is to provide an environment for both early career and senior investigators of diverse backgrounds to communicate their latest results on relevant scientific topics and establish interactions that will not only strengthen the numerous basic science and translational research efforts in this arena, but also enhance the development of the next generation of researchers. The meeting will be held at the University of Udine, a venue chosen because it offers a unique informal interactive environment in the center of Europe. This location will maximize interactions amongst participants, ensuring that the goal of promoting productive interactions between scientists in the US and the European Union (EU) is achieved.