Scope of the meeting

This is the first international meeting to address genome instability and DNA repair in the context of neuroscience and ageing in a multidisciplinary setting. The stability of genomes and gene pools will constantly be challenged by DNA damage induced by endogenous and exogenous agents, as well as spontaneous genome instability, recombination and stress responses. Mechanisms for genome variation, adaptation and maintenance are a necessity to ensure cellular fitness and survival in changing environments. Understanding the impact of genome instability and DNA repair mechanisms requires an interdisciplinary approach of molecular biology, physiology, imaging and clinical medicine.

The objective of the meeting is to highlight key aspects of DNA damage and repair in ageing and the pathogenesis of neurological disease, and to improve our understanding of how nerve cells communicate in the healthy and diseased brain. Topics addressed will be relevant for neurological pathogenesis, genome instability and maintenance, stem cell biology, brain development, microbial model systems and synaptic communication. The aim is to identify new approaches for the treatment of brain disease and age-related neurological impairment.