This meeting provides an exciting opportunity to present and discuss emerging concepts in adhesion and migration research, and routes to translating findings into diagnostic tools and therapies for a broad range of diseases. We encourage participants from all disciplines with an interest in the field from both academia and industry to attend. There will be opportunities for earlier career scientists to present their research and interact closely with world leaders in this field.
Objectives of the meeting:
- To discuss the potential of targeting the regulation of cell migration to address the need for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for various diseases.
- Explore new funding and professional opportunities to develop translational projects.
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Scientific Organisers:
Yolanda Calle
Yolanda is interested in the regulation of cell adhesions and cytoskeletal dynamics in inflammation and cancer. A key objective of her studies is understanding the development of the invasive, immunosuppressive and drug resistant phenotype of cancer cells mediated by the coordination of cytoskeletal dynamics and gene expression. Her ultimate goal is the identification of therapeutic targets to design more efficient anti-cancer therapies to overcome drug resistance mediated by the interaction of cancer cells with the surrounding tumour microenvironment.
Claire Wells
Claire's laboratory is interested in how cancer cells are able to dissociate from the primary tumour, invade the surrounding tissue and subsequently metastasise to distal sites. They use a lot of microscopy in the work, including confocal, TIRF and FRET in addition to live cell imaging to investigate the role of PAK family kinases in cancer cell migration, adhesion and invasion.
Kurt Anderson
Kurt is a cell biologist who uses advanced imaging methods to study cell migration. He completed his PhD at the University of Salzburg in 1997 on the actin-based mechanism of fish keratocyte migration. He then spent 2 years as a post-doc at the Marie Curie Cancer Research Institute (UK) before moving to Dresden in 2001 to set up the light microscopy facility at the new MPI-CBG. In 2005 he moved to the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow, where he runs the Beatson Advanced Imaging Resource (BAIR) and a research group investigating tumor cell migration. His work at the Beatson used imaging methods such as FRAP and FRET to study the molecular dynamics of cell adhesion and migration in vitro and in vivo. In 2016 Kurt moved to the Francis Crick Institute, where he is now Head of the Crick Advanced Light Microscopy Facility (CALM)
Ines M Anton
Ines´ laboratory is interested in how actin cytoskeleton contributes to cellular functions such as physiological and pathological migration and invasion, differentiation and stemness. They combine different in vitro cellular models (lymphocytes, dendritic cells, neurons, glioblastoma) with in vivo mouse models, and their work is based on biochemical and cell biology methods, with much use of microscopes including confocal, live imaging and superresolution approaches.
Alex Ivetic
Alex Ivetic is a Reader in Cardiovascular Biology at King’s College London. He obtained his BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from Imperial College London. He then embarked on a PhD at the Marie Curie Research Institute (through the Institute of Cancer Research, University of London), where he investigated how DNA replication is triggered during the cell cycle. His first postdoc position was hosted at the National Institute for Medical Research (now part of the Francis Crick Institute), where he began his investigations in cell adhesion molecules and their contribution to immune cell recruitment in inflammation with Prof. Ann Ager. In his second postdoc position, he established in vitro flow assays (monitoring leukocyte/endothelial cell interactions) in Prof. Anne Ridley’s lab. After successfully obtaining a Research Career Development Award from the Welcome Trust, Alex moved back to Imperial College London to start his own group at the National Heart and Lung Institute to further understand mechanisms underlying immune cell responses to inflammation. Since starting at King’s as a Senior Lecturer, Alex spent sabbaticals in the labs of Paul Kubes (Calgary, Canada) and Michael Hickey (Monash, Australia) to gain expertise in intravital microscopy – elaborating his understanding of leukocyte recruitment on an organismal level. The majority of his research now focuses on understanding the mechanisms that regulate leukocyte homing to sites of “sterile injury” in cardiovascular disease, and how subverting this process might bring improved outcomes in relevant models. He also has a focus on molecular mechanisms governing endothelial cell permeability and vascular leak.
Maddy Parsons
Maddy is Professor of Cell Biology at King’s College London. Maddy completed her PhD in Biochemistry within the Department of Medicine at University College London in 2000. During her PhD she analysed the role of mechanical forces in dermal scarring. She then moved to Cancer Research UK laboratories in London for a 4-year postdoctoral position where she used advanced microscopy techniques including FRET/FLIM to dissect adhesion receptor signaling to the actin cytoskeleton and how this controlled directed cell invasion. Based on these achievements, Maddy was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in 2005 to establish her own group within the Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics at King’s College London.
Following completion of her fellowship, Maddy was appointed Reader at King’s in 2013 and Professor of Cell Biology in 2015. Maddy has established collaborations with developmental biologists and clinical researchers to study adhesion receptor signalling in skin blistering, wound healing, inflammation and cancer. She works closely with physicists, biophysicists and other world-leading cell migration groups in the field to develop and apply new imaging technologies to dissect spatiotemporal cytoskeletal signalling events in live cells, tissues and whole organisms. As a result of her interest and applications of advanced microscopy, Maddy developed a strong working partnership with Nikon, which subsequently led to the establishment of the state-of-the-art, world-class Nikon Imaging Centre at King’s College London of which she is Director. Maddy also currently works alongside other biotech and pharmaceutical companies to develop and apply advanced imaging approaches to basic mechanisms that underpin drug discovery.
Ferran Valderrama
Ferran is a cell biologist with research interest in cell polarity and migration in the physiological context of cancers of epithelial origin (particularly prostate cancer). Our laboratory has been developing 3D cell culture models aiming to recapitulate the early events observed in the glandular structures of the prostate that lead to prostate cancer. Using epifluorescence and confocal microscopy in live and fix specimens we aim to understand how changes in cell polarity and cell migration lead to early disruption of the epithelial organization of the glands (intraepithelial neoplasia) and subsequent proliferation and migration towards the lumen (intraluminal proliferation). We believe that cytoskeleton-adaptor proteins, such as the Ezrin-Radixin-Moesin family, may have an important role in controlling these processes. Since 2013, Ferran is also the academic director of the Image Resource Facility at St George’s University that holds a light microscopy section including widefield, confocal and light-sheet imaging systems as well as an electron microscopy section.
RMS Organisers:
Nick Cameron
nick@rms.org.uk
01865 254772
Contact Nick for exhibition and sponsorship event queries and RMS Corporate Membership.
Dawn Hopkins
dawn@rms.org.uk
01865 254774
Contact Dawn for corporate opportunities and RMS Corporate Advisory Board (CAB) enquiries.
