Gavin Reynolds is Honorary Professor at Sheffield Hallam University and Professor Emeritus, previously Chair of Neuroscience, at Queen’s University Belfast. After a biochemistry PhD, he undertook postdoctoral work in London, Vienna and Cambridge, following which he held university posts in Nottingham, Sheffield and Belfast. His main research interests lie in two directions: the neurotransmitter pathology of schizophrenia, and the mechanisms underlying the beneficial and adverse effects of antipsychotics and other psychoactive drugs, with a recent focus on pharmacogenetic and epigenetic influences. He has over 300 research publications, including papers in Nature and The Lancet. He has international collaborations with Visiting Professor appointments in Thailand and China. He is Past-President of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.
Dr. Budillon graduated in Medicine and passed the Specialty Certification in Oncology at University Federico II, Naples, Italy. He obtained the PhD in Oncology from University G. D’Annunzio of Chieti, Italy, and a master’s degree in health economy, Management and Bioethics. He gained experience in biochemistry and antitumor experimental therapeutics as post-doc during a stage fellow at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA. Dr. Budillon is currently the chief of Experimental Pharmacology, National Cancer Institute G. Pascale, Naples, Italy. He is author of more than 130 publications. His research interest focusses on the molecular mechanism of novel anticancer drugs and the potential combination approaches between conventional and targeted based drugs, particularly epigenetic drugs. Other scientific interests are related with the identification of new predictive biomarkers for anticancer drugs as well as in proteomic/metabolomics approach in defining new molecular diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
Gavin Reynolds is Honorary Professor at Sheffield Hallam University and Professor Emeritus, previously Chair of Neuroscience, at Queen’s University Belfast. After a biochemistry PhD, he undertook postdoctoral work in London, Vienna and Cambridge, following which he held university posts in Nottingham, Sheffield and Belfast. His main research interests lie in two directions: the neurotransmitter pathology of schizophrenia, and the mechanisms underlying the beneficial and adverse effects of antipsychotics and other psychoactive drugs, with a recent focus on pharmacogenetic and epigenetic influences. He has over 300 research publications, including papers in Nature and The Lancet. He has international collaborations with Visiting Professor appointments in Thailand and China. He is Past-President of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.
Dr. Budillon graduated in Medicine and passed the Specialty Certification in Oncology at University Federico II, Naples, Italy. He obtained the PhD in Oncology from University G. D’Annunzio of Chieti, Italy, and a master’s degree in health economy, Management and Bioethics. He gained experience in biochemistry and antitumor experimental therapeutics as post-doc during a stage fellow at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA. Dr. Budillon is currently the chief of Experimental Pharmacology, National Cancer Institute G. Pascale, Naples, Italy. He is author of more than 130 publications. His research interest focusses on the molecular mechanism of novel anticancer drugs and the potential combination approaches between conventional and targeted based drugs, particularly epigenetic drugs. Other scientific interests are related with the identification of new predictive biomarkers for anticancer drugs as well as in proteomic/metabolomics approach in defining new molecular diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
Dr Cleal received a first class BSc in Molecular Cell Biology in 2001 followed by a PhD in fetal physiology at the University of Southampton in 2006. Dr Cleal was appointed as a lecturer in epigenetics in 2010. She co-leads the Placental Research Laboratory in Southampton which investigates how the placenta supports the growth of a healthy fetus. This seeks to both understand the mechanisms underlying specific placental functions and how these mechanisms interact to form a healthy placenta and baby. Her work examines the environmental factors regulating placental function and the clinical implications. The specific focus is on the interactions between maternal nutrient status, epigenetic mechanisms and fetal outcome. Current projects include the effects of vitamin D on placental epigenetic mechanisms and how these mediate fetal development, as well as the impacts of climate change events on development via epigenetic changes.
Désirée Goubert is a final year PhD student in molecular epigenetics. She's originally from Belgium and is now doing research in the UMCG (The Netherlands) with Professor Marianne Rots. Her research focuses on epigenetic editing and unravelling the specific mechanisms behind switching genes on and off. Epigenetic editing can lead to the development of different treatment options for diseases that are currently uncurable. Furthermore, research is ongoing to use epigenetic editing to reverse therapy resistance and even preventing resistance from arising. A whole world of possibilities lies ahead by switching genes on and off using CRISPR. But where is this technology to take us? And what ethical dilemmas should be taken under consideration?
Désirée is an advocate for open debate about scientific topics and ethical considerations, and puts great importance to science communication and outreach. She loves to write blogs, give talks and has been a speaker in TEDx and Pint Of Science events. Her talk will focus on: “The curable genome – Possibilities and challenges of epigenetic editing”.
Rab Prinjha leads the Adaptive Immunity and Immuno-Epigenetics Research Unit and cofounded the GSK Biology Council and is an elected fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Biology. He represented GSK on the EU-EFPIA Board through which he chaired the Immunology SGG. He currently chairs the OpenTargets Governance Board. He served as a member of the Padlock Board of Directors until its acquisition by BMS in 2016. He has recently been appointed to the UK MRC PSMB Board and is on the SAB of the MRC UK Human Genetics Unit. He is a co-founder and board member of the Milner Therapeutics Consortium and is co-leading the H2020 Epimac collaboration. Previously, under his leadership the GSK Epigenetics DPU was responsible for many novel and exciting discoveries in the area of exploring and exploiting epigenetic inhibitors in human disease treatment. His group has already advanced seven novel epigenetic medicines into clinical studies with many more in the pipeline and has collaborated with many world leading labs leading to an extensive high impact publication record. Rab joined GSK from academia including a post-doc in developmental neuroscience at Guy’s Hospital and PhD in molecular cellular immunology at UCL after a degree in Biotechnology at King’s College London.
Marcus have been trained in molecular cancer research and chromatin biology at several institutions that include the Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry, the University of Oxford and the Center of Genomic Regulation. In 2009 he have combined the two fields to start my own lab at the IMPPC, a small institute embedded in the biomedical research Campus Can Ruti located in the oustkirts of Barcelona, Spain. By joining the Josep Carreras Institute in Leukemia Research on the same campus at the beginning of 2015, Marcus have also started new lines of research focusing on the hematopoietic stem cell defects known as myelodysplastic syndromes and the blood cancer myeloid leukemia.
Dr William Michael Brown, a research psychologist, completed his PhD at Dalhousie University with funding from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Killam Trust. Subsequently, he received a NSERC postdoctoral fellowship to study genomic imprinting in the USA. After founding the Centre for Culture and Evolutionary Psychology at Brunel University, he moved to Queen Mary, University of London and University of East London to teach research methods and behavioral biology. Dr Brown has been at the University of Bedfordshire since 2011 and was appointed Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology in 2015. Dr Brown’s research interests reside in the evolution of cooperation, development, and genomic imprinting. The three topics merge in his work on the effects of intra-genomic conflict on physical development and socio-emotional functioning.
Dr. Angela Garding works at Covaris as a Field Application Scientist for Epigenomics. Before joining the Covaris team she studied epigenetic regulatory mechanisms during development and disease. For twelve years in academic research she mastered projects centered around chromatin biology and gained a profound background in adapting and optimizing state-of-the-art epigenetic techniques. In collaborative work between the University Clinic Ulm and the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg she studied how epigenetic mechanisms are involved in leukemogenesis. During her PostDoc at the IMB in Mainz she received her own grant money to study epigenetic regulatory mechanisms involved in cancer metastasis as well as embryonic, neuronal development. Her interest for chromatin research made her understand the importance of input material quality in order to uncover the real biology in epigenetic assays. Therefore, she would like to share her enthusiasm for how Covaris technology can improve sample preparation.
Dr Kanhere is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, UK. She leads a research group which seeks to understand the role of non-coding RNAs in epigenetic modifications and transcriptional regulations in cancer. Her group combines cutting-edge molecular biology techniques with computational biology methods. In recent years, she has been involved in consortia projects investigating mechanisms behind genome-wide gene expression regulation. Prior to coming to Liverpool, Dr Kanhere worked in many reputed institutions, gaining postdoctoral experience in Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics and UCL Cancer Institute. She started her independent career as a group leader in the University of Birmingham. She has published in many reputed journals and has a patent based on novel epigenetic therapy for proliferative diseases.
A Senior Business and Market development manager for NGS, Epigenetics and Gene Regulation projects. Researcher C level - Special Research Scientist in Epigenetics at the University Research Institute of Athens.
In Active Motif, a leading company in Life Science Industry, I am responsible for Strategic Business Development, Marketing Programs and Scientific consulting. I work directly with scientists from Pharma, academic and biotech institutions. I support them scientifically developing their studies, guiding their decisions as to which epigenetic experiments and models are best suited to answering their scientific questions.
Louise Affleck is a Reagents Accounts Manager at PerkinElmer since the acquisition of Cisbio. At Cisbio she was the HTRF UK Accounts Manager for 12 years and the UK Team Leader for the last two years. Prior to Cisbio Louise was the Technical Support Flow Cytometry Specialist at Dako Ltd. Louise has also worked in the Assay Development Groups at AdProTech focusing on inflammatory diseases and also at Smart Holograms developing immunoassay based holographic biosensors. Louise obtained her PhD in 1998 at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine developing recombinant anti-venoms followed by Post-Doctoral training in transplantation immunology at University of Leeds, Department of Molecular Medicine. Following her studies she has gained 16 years of biotech experience working within the drug discovery environment.
Dr Nabil Hajji (NH) was awarded his PhD in Molecular Oncology (Seville University). NH was appointed in several postdoctoral positions (Spain, Sweden, UK, USA). AS group leader and lecturer at Imperial College London, NH established the epigenetic mechanisms behind anticancer treatment resistance of several types of cancer. Previously Lecturer at MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health and deputy director in Toxicology Unit Imperial College London. Currently, NH is a senior research fellow at brain tumour research centre at imperial college London. He examines how epigenetic alteration and tumour microenvironment leads to tumours resistance to chemotherapy and uses approaches to improving treatment by overcoming drug resistance. His research area of interest and expertise includes different aspects of epigenetic and genetic alterations as biomarkers of drug resistance and that can be used to stratify and personalise patient’s treatment.
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Professor Festenstein is a molecular biologist and physician at Imperial College, MRC LMS and the National Hospital for Neurology, Queen Square, London. He discovered that the archetypal epigenetic phenomenon, Position Effect Variegation occurs in mammals and can be modified by altering the dosage of epigenetic modifiers in vivo. This work provided important insights into the interplay between gene regulatory elements and where they are in the genome. He showed that triplet repeats can induce gene silencing resembling PEV which has recently led to a multi-centre efficacy trial of an epigenetic modifier in Friedreich’s ataxia. He was the first to show, in vivo, that heterochromatin exists in a highly mobile state. More recent work has identified sex dimorphism in gene expression to be dependent on epigenetic factors early in development.
François Fuks is the Director of the Laboratory of Cancer Epigenetics and Full Professor at the University of Brussels (ULB). He is also the Director of the ULB-Cancer Research Center.
Dr. Fuks’ research focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying epigenetic alterations in cancer, with a particular interest in the study of DNA modifications. His recent research concerns RNA modifications in health and disease.
