Venice2011

Palazzo Franchetti, Campo Santo Stefano

VENICE, January 24-28, 2011

XV SCHOOL OF PURE AND APPLIED BIOPHYSICS

Protein Stability and Pathways of Self-Assembly

Lecturers

F. Chiti

E. Freire

S. Gianni

R. Goldstein

A. Lenhoff

D. A. Lomas

V. Martorana

A. Pastore

C. Rischel

C. Roberts

P. A. Temussi

G. Tiana

B. Vestergaard

R. Winter

E. Zaccarelli

The Societa Italiana di Biofisica Pura e Applicata (SIBPA) and the Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere e Arti (IVSLA) promote the XV School of Pure and Applied Biophysics.

The school focuses on contemporary biophysical topics. The selected subjects will draw young researchers' attention to frontier research issues of considerable scientific and educational impact. The School will be held in the magnificent Palazzo Franchetti, the seat of the Istituto Veneto located in the historical centre of Venice.

In 2011, the subject of the school is Protein Stability and Pathways of Self Assembly covering the following topics:

Protein folding and conformational stability
Cold denaturation
Protein stability in crowded environments
Thermodynamics of protein solutions
Protein interactions and phase transitions
Mechanisms of protein self-assembly
Misfolding and aggregation
Conformational diseases

School overview.

Thermodynamic and conformational stability of proteins in solution is a main issue in many fields: pathological protein deposition in neurodegenerative diseases, industrial separation processes by salt-induced precipitation, pharmaceutical formulation, protein crystallization, or protein gelation (which is relevant, e.g., in the food industry).

In this context, the study of common pathways leading to different biologically relevant structures (crystals, fibrils, amorphous aggregates) has a pivotal importance. The control and design of a specific morphology require a detailed knowledge of the molecular interactions and the basic mechanisms involved in aggregation.

The school will address this theme by covering several subjects from the physical chemistry of biomolecular solution to the mechanism of protein self-assembly and the strategies for a rational drug design, which enhances protein stability without affecting protein activity and function.

Scientific coordinator of the school:

MAURO MANNO
Istituto di Biofisica,

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Via U. La Malfa, 153

90146 Palermo (Italy)
Phone: +39 091 680-9305

Fax: +39 091 680-9349
E-mail: mauro.manno@pa.ibf.cnr.it

Director of the school:

GIORGIO M. GIACOMETTI
Dipartimento di Biologia,

Universita di Padova
Viale G. Colombo, 3

35131 Padova (Italy)
Phone: +39 049 827-6326

Fax: +39 049 827-6300
E-mail: gcometti@bio.unipd.it