The Helicase and Nucleic Acid-based Machines Conference: Structure, Mechanism, Regulation and Roles in Human Diseases

Project Summary/Abstract The goal of this application is to obtain funding to support the biennial FASEB conference Helicases and Nucleic Acid-Based Machines: Structure, mechanism, regulation, and roles in human diseases, July 16-20, 2023, in Southbridge, MA. This will be the 14th meeting of this conference. The FASEB mission is to “advance health and well-being by promoting research

and education in biological and biomedical sciences through collaborative advocacy and service to our member societies and their members”. The 2023 conference will focus on the roles of DNA and RNA helicases, which define fundamental processes of gene expression, genome integrity, and viral replication. Two training sessions are planned for our attendees: one “Meet-

the-Experts” session, which will include a range of topics from starting your own lab to work-life balance and a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) keynote address that will be positioned during dinner for maximum attendance. The requested funds will support limited travel for invited speakers and travel awards for students and postdocs, junior faculty, and our invited DEI

speaker. Nine topical sessions are scheduled which range from post-translational gene regulation to DNA damage and repair, all of which are intimately connected to human diseases. This is especially true for cancer subsets as DNA damage, inefficient or incomplete repair, and aberrant gene expression are well known hallmarks.