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SUMMARY:Inaugural Lectures |  Fides Zenk and Nicolas Thomä
DTSTART:20240909T171500
DTEND:20240909T190000
DTSTAMP:20260428T060505Z
UID:f8aadd4c6e18eb899044da37535a6e91dd6c49cf3494a94cb3aae3e7
CATEGORIES:Inaugural lectures - Honorary Lecture
DESCRIPTION:Nicolas Thomä\nFides Zenk\nProgram \n\n	17:15 - 17:25 Welcome
  by Andy Oates\, Dean SV and introduction by Brian McCabe\, Institute Dire
 ctor Brain Mind Institute\n	17:25 - 17:55 Lecture by Fides Zenk: Epigeneti
 c regulation of human brain organoid development at single-cell resolution
 \n	18:00 - 18:10 Introduction by Elisa Oricchio\, Institute Director ISREC
 \n	18:10 - 18:40 Lecture by Nicolas Thomä - Transcription factors in canc
 er: how they work (and how to get rid of them)\n	18:40 - 18:45 Closure by 
 Andy Oates\n	18:45 Apéritif\n\nLocation: SV 1717 and retransmission to Ca
 mpus Biotech (upon request)\nRegistration by September 3\, 2024\n\nFides Z
 enk | Epigenetic regulation of human brain organoid development at single-
 cell resolution\nAbstract: The human body originates from just one totipot
 ent cell. This cell\, through a series of divisions and cell fate restrict
 ions\, gives rise to the cellular diversity of all organs in the body. Des
 pite sharing the same genetic material\, all cells must fulfil completely 
 different functions and express different sets of genes. How cells acquire
  and maintain their developmental fate is still an open question in Epigen
 etics and Biology. In our lab\, we focus on how chromatin controls gene ex
 pression during early developmental transitions in brain organoids. Using 
 the power of single-cell genomics and transcriptomics\, along with computa
 tional tools\, we have developed the first developmental atlas of histone 
 modifications guiding cell fate transitions from pluripotency to different
 iated neurons in all regional branches of the developing brain. Using this
  roadmap\, we are functionally interrogating the role of epigenetic modifi
 ers in the acquisition and maintenance of cell fates.\n\nBio: Fides Zenk j
 oined EPFL’s Brain Mind Institute in 2023 as NeuroNA Chair for Epigenomi
 cs of Neurodevelopment. Her lab is interested in epigenetic mechanisms con
 trolling development\, and cell fate transitions in the developing brain. 
 During her PostDoc in Barbara Treutlein's lab\, she developed a single-cel
 l multimodal atlas that charts histone modifications and RNA expression du
 ring the early stages of central nervous system development\, employing br
 ain organoids as a model. She was awarded an SNSF starting grant to unrave
 l the function of epigenetic modifiers in early brain development and rece
 ived the Otto Hahn Medal from the Max Planck Society and the Gateff-Award 
 of the German Genetics Society for her work uncovering the fundamental epi
 genetic mechanisms through which H3K27me3 and HP1 control early embryonic 
 development.\n\n\nNicolas Thomä | Transcription factors in cancer: how th
 ey work (and how to get rid of them)\n\nAbstract: The Thomä lab focuses o
 n the structure and function of macromolecular machines at the interface o
 f chromatin and ubiquitin biology. Recent work from the laboratory has dem
 onstrated how transcription factors operate within the context of a chroma
 tinized genome and how both endogenous and synthetic small molecules induc
 e the degradation of transcription factors and other cellular proteins by 
 co-opting the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This research has already eluci
 dated the mode of action of groundbreaking therapeutics (e.g.\, Lenalidomi
 de\, Revlimid\, Fulvestrant) and marks the beginning of the era of proximi
 ty-modulating drugs.\n\nBio: Dr. Nicolas Thomä was educated at the Univer
 sity of Cambridge\, UK\, where he received his PhD under Dr. Peter Leadlay
  in Chemical Biology. He then pursued postdoctoral work in structural biol
 ogy in the laboratories of Prof. Roger Goody (Max-Planck-Institute\, Germa
 ny) and Prof. Nikola Pavletich (MSKCC\, USA). In 2006\, Nicolas became a g
 roup leader at the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel\, Switzerland. As
  of 2023\, Nicolas Thomä holds the Paternot Chair for Interdisciplinary C
 ancer Research at ISREC and EPFL\, and heads the Drug Development Center a
 t the EPFL School of Life Sciences. He has been awarded the Otto Naegeli P
 rize\, the Viva Award from the Novartis Leading Scientist Program\, and is
  a member of EMBO.
LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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