Plant Systems Biology Summer School: tools and strategies for elucidating gene regulatory networks
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| 12th-16th September 2011 | We thank IAS, PRESTA and Warwick Systems Biology Centre for funding this workshop |
| Palazzo Pesaro-Papafava, Venice |
Elucidating gene regulatory networks is one of the key challenges facing plant science; an important challenge as predictive models of gene regulatory networks would enable dramatic advances in both translational crop and synthetic biology applications. Changes in gene expression underpin every biological process in plants, from development to environmental stress responses. Gene expression can be regulated at many levels (for example, changes in chromatin, transcription, translation) and involves a complex network of interactions between and within modules. The ability to generate large-scale data sets drives the development of new mathematical tools for analysis and for understanding how a complex system behaves.
This summer school run by the University of Warwick will be a mixed program of research talks and workshops focused on different experimental and theoretical methods for elucidating gene regulatory networks. The school will also highlight the advantages of taking a systems approach to understand a complex process such as gene regulation, and the necessity of mathematical approaches to understand how emergent properties of such a system arise.
Participants:
The summer school is designed to foster the development of interdisciplinary research in plant science and develop a cohort of plant systems biologists in the EU for future collaboration and increased uptake of quantitative methods in plant science. This school is aimed at PhD students and researchers with less than 5 years postdoctoral experience from across Europe (including the UK). Participants may be already pursuing plant systems biology research but interested plant scientists and mathematicians/computer scientists are just as welcome. There is a maximum of 20 places on the summer school. Please apply for the school via the registration link below.
Outline of summer school:
Lectures will present up to date research highlighting the integration of experimental and theoretical techniques and how a systems biology approach has benefitted biological understanding. Each topic will also be associated with one or more workshops at which participants will use theoretical tools to analyse data sets provided. We will cover multiple levels of gene regulation (gene-gene interactions, protein-DNA interactions, protein-protein interactions) as well as integration of multiple data types and tools for model visualisation and simulation. The aim is to equip participants with an understanding of systems biology methodologies, the type of data required for such approaches and the ability to apply systems biology tools to their own research.
The School will be run by the Plant Systems Biology Group at the University of Warwick School of Life Sciences and Systems Biology Centre along with Prof. Steve Kay (UC San Diego), Dr Markus Owen (University of Nottingham) and Dr Richard Adams (University of Edinburgh).
Topics include:
- Gene regulatory network inference from transcriptome data: selection of gene modules, Dynamic Bayesian network modelling.
- Experimental methods for determining transcription factor binding to plant promoters, computational elucidation of functionally important regions of promoters, learning transcription factor binding site information from Chip-seq data
- Analysis and visualisation of protein-protein interactome data
- Integration of multiple data types and scales (from single cell to tissue)
- ODE model creation, simulation and parameter fitting
The Plant Systems Biology summer school is being run in parallel with another University of Warwick summer school "Computational Statistical Modelling of Biological and Environmental Systems
". Participants from both workshops will mix to stimulate discussion across both areas and participants will also be able to attend sessions in both summer schools.
NEW - A draft programme can be found here. The workshop will commence at 10 am on Monday 12th Sept and finish by 2 pm on Friday 16th Sept.
Registration:
There is no registration cost for attending the summer school and lunch will be provided each day. In addition, a contribution (minimum of €15 per day) will be given towards evening meals. Participants will need to pay for their own travel and accommodation, however, rooms have been reserved at a reasonable rate close to the workshop venue.
There are 20 places on the Summer School. Registration is now closed. Applicants were selected on the basis of relevant research experience (either experimental or theoretical), extent of interest in interdisciplinary work, and ability to apply approaches learned at the school to their research in the near future.
Travel and Accommodation:
The summer school will be held at the University of Warwick in Venice and information on the venue and travel to the Palazzo Pesaro-Papafava can be found here.
Single and twin rooms have been reserved at the Istituto Ciliota and Istituto Canossiano for participants at these workshops. Participants do not have to use this accommodation but they are reasonably priced and close to the summer school venue.
Istituto Canossiano: 22 single (€70) and 10 twin rooms (€108) have been reserved from Sunday 11th Sept until Friday 16th Sept (i.e. 5 nights). Please contact the Istituto directly (info@romite1323.com) to arrange payment.
Istituto Ciliota: 8 single rooms have been reserved from Sunday 11th Sept to Friday 16th Sept. 4 standard (€80) and 4 with a French bed (€105). Please contact the Istituto directly (info@ciliota.it) to arrange payment. Please note that rooms at the Istituto Ciliota are only reserved until March 15th unless secured with credit card details. Payment will only be taken one month ahead of arrival.
If you need to find a room mate to share a room, please state this on your registration form and we will put you in touch with other suitable participants.