PHASAGE

PhasAGE – Excellence Hub on Phase Transitions in Aging and Age-Related Disorders

phasage international conference

III PhasAGE International Conference

18-20 OCTOBER 2023

i3S, Porto, Portugal

Multiscale understanding of protein aggregation and biomolecular condensates in aging and disease

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we extend a warm welcome to you for the upcoming PhasAGE International Conference on the “Multiscale understanding of protein aggregation and biomolecular condensates in aging and disease”. We are honoured to invite you to join us in the beautiful city of Porto, from 18 to 20 October 2023.

This conference will bring together researchers from multidisciplinary fields dedicated to unraveling the intricacies of protein aggregation and biomolecular condensates in the context of aging and disease. The scientific program features keynote lectures, invited talks, short talk presentations, and poster sessions, where researchers can share their ground-breaking findings and latest advancements. 

The conference will encompass a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from structural biology and biophysics to cell biology, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging-related pathologies. We aim to foster a multidisciplinary dialogue that will pave the way for breakthrough discoveries and novel therapeutic interventions.

The event will take place at i3S renowned for its cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art infrastructure, providing an ideal setting for fruitful discussions and scientific collaborations. In addition to the scientific program, we have also curated a social event and networking opportunities to foster interactions and create lasting connections within the scientific community. These activities will offer a chance to explore the charm of Porto in an informal and convivial atmosphere.

We sincerely hope that this conference will be a remarkable experience for you, marked by academic excellence, lively debates, and collaborative endeavors. Your contribution and active participation will be vital in shaping the future of research in protein aggregation and biomolecular condensates.

We look forward to hosting you in Porto, where together we will embark on an exciting scientific journey toward a deeper understanding of aging and disease.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Sheena Radford | The Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, UK

Sushma Nagaraja Grellscheid | University of Bergen, Norway

Steven Boeynaems | Baylor College of Medicine, USA

Thomas Maresca | University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA

João Pedro Magalhães |  Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, UK

Rebecca Beveridge | University of Strathclyde, UK

Georgios Skretas | Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, Greece

Maria João Amorim | Católica Biomedical Research Centre, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal

Sandrine da Cruz | VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium

Peter Tompa | VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, Belgium

Alexander Monzon | University of Padova, Italy

Salvador Ventura | Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

Ludo Van Den Bosch | VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium

Joana Moscoso | Chaperone & Native Scientists, Portugal

Sandra Ribeiro | IBMC/i3S, University of Porto, Portugal

Isabel Silveira | IBMC/i3S, University of Porto, Portugal

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

A Biotech Workshop will be organized exclusively for invited participants as a pre-event of the scientific conference.  

17 October 2023

Place: Meeting Room A, i3S

14:00-17:00

Biotech Workshop

18 October 2023

Place: Auditorium Mariano Gago, i3S

08:30-09:00

Registration

09:00-09:15

Welcome Session *

Sandra Ribeiro | IBMC/i3S, Portugal

KEYNOTE LECTURE

09:15-10:15

Targeting dipeptide repeat-driven condensation in ALS/FTD *

Peter Tompa | VIB-VUB, Belgium

10:15-10:30

Coffee Break

Aging and neurodegenerative diseases I

10:30-11:00

Predicting protein condensation from sequence: new and widespread roles for condensates in physiology and disease *

Steven Boeynaems |Baylor College of Medicine, USA

11:00-11:30

Probing the Mechanics of Stress Granules in Young versus Senescent cells *

Sushma Grellscheid | Department of Informatics, University of Bergen, Norway

11:30-12:00

Understanding the Role of the Non-coding Genome in Neurodegenerative Diseases *

Isabel Silveira | IBMC, i3S, University of Porto, Portugal

12:00-14:00

Lunch

selected short talks i

14:00-14:20

Redox-dependent formation of a viral amyloid and functional impact

Sonia Longhi,  Aix Marseille University and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France

14:20-14:40

Redox-dependent phase separation and cytoplasmic granulation by human single-stranded DNA binding protein 1 (hSSB1) delineate new mechanisms of cellular stress response 

Mihály Kovács, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary

14:40-14:50

BLM helicase protein negatively regulates stress granule formation through unwinding RNA G-quadruplex structures

Yehuda-Matan Danino, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

14:50-15:15

Coffee Break

ESR SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM

15:15-15:45

Accurate chromosome segregation requires multimerization of sticky kinetochore IDRs *

Thomas Maresca | Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA

15:45-16:15

Phase transitions and aggregation of RNA binding proteins: towards mechanisms of toxicity in ALS/FTD *

Sandrine da Cruz | VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium

16:15-16:45

Drivers of influenza A virus liquid inclusions *

Maria João Amorim | Católica Biomedical Research Centre, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal

18:00-22:00

Social Event/Conference Dinner

19 October 2023

Place: Auditorium Mariano Gago, i3S

Aging and neurodegenerative diseases II

09:00-09:30

Abnormal phase separation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): hype or reality? *

Ludo Van Den Bosch | VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium

09:30-10:00

Design of novel functional amyloid assemblies *

Salvador Ventura | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

10:00-10:10

Getting a grip on biomolecular condensates with optical tweezers

Vincenzo Mascoli | Lumicks, The Netherlands

10:10-11:30

Poster Session & Coffee Break

11:30-12:00

Bacteria to the rescue: engineering microorganisms to function as an early-stage living drug discovery platform for protein misfolding diseases *

Georgios Skretas | Institute for Bio-innovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, Greece

12:00-13:30

Lunch

13:30-14:00

Group Photo

Advances on integrative computational and experimental methods to study condensates

14:00-14:30

PED in 2024: improving the community deposition of structural ensembles for intrinsically disordered proteins *

Alexander Monzon, Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Italy

Selected Short Talks ii

14:30-14:40

NAGPKin: A new web tool to quantify Nucleation-And-Growth Parameters from the KINetics of protein phase separation

Pedro Martins, IBMC, i3S, University of Porto, Portugal

14:40-14:50

Advanced optical microscopy approach to biophysical study of biocondensates

Pedro Silva, Hasselt University, Belgium

14:50-15:00

In planta expression of human polyQ-expanded huntingtin fragment reveals mechanisms to prevent disease-related protein aggregation

Ernesto Llamas, University of Cologne, Germany

15:00-16:00

Poster Session & Coffee Break

Selected Short Talks iiI

16:00-16:10

Barrier-properties of Nup98 FG phases ruled by FG motif identity and inter-FG spacer length

Sheung Chun Ng, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Germany

16:10-16:20

A crystal-based assay for sensing transthyretin monomers

Diogo Rodrigues, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Porto, Portugal

16:20-16:30

Exploring membraneless organelles and disease connections through integrated network analysis

Francesco Gregoris, University of Padua, Italy

KEYNOTE LECTURE

16:30-17:30

Surveying the energy landscape of amyloid formation *

Sheena Radford | Astbury Centre, University of Leeds, UK

20 October 2023

Place: Auditorium Mariano Gago, i3S

Selected Short Talks iv

09:15-09:35

Phase separation of TDP-43 and its fragments

Fabrizio Chiti, University of Florence, Italy

09:35-09:45

TP53INP2 induced p62 condensates regulate autophagy

Saska Ivanova, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Spain

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

09:45-10:45

The pursuit of a dream: science for me and for all

Joana Moscoso | Chaperone & Native Scientists, Portugal

10:45-11:00

Coffee Break

New and Notable

11:00-11:30

Ion mobility mass spectrometry unveils global protein conformations in response to conditions that promote and reverse liquid-liquid phase separation *

Rebecca Beveridge |  Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

11:30-12:00

Unlocking the Potential of Small Molecule Inhibitors to Disrupt Amyloid Aggregates: Lessons for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 Therapies *

Sandra Ribeiro | IBMC, i3S, University of Porto, Portugal

plenary lecture

12:00-13:00

Integrative genomics of ageing: New approaches for an “old” problem *

João Pedro Magalhães | Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, UK

13:00-13:30

Closing Session

REGISTRATION

Registration for this conference is closed.

ABSTRACT INFORMATION

  • Participants are invited to submit one first-authored abstract to present their work as a short talk or poster.
  • Participants can select to have their submission for short talk or poster. The abstracts which are not selected for short talk will be considered for poster presentation. 

SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Sandra Ribeiro | IBMC/i3S, University of Porto, Portugal

Rita Vilaça | IBMC/i3S, University of Porto, Portugal

Catarina Ferreira | IBMC/i3S, University of Porto, Portugal

SPONSORS

Gold

Silver

Bronze

BRONZE

PATRONAGES