This international conference is the latest in a series, the previous ones having been held in Heidelberg, Dresden and Freiburg, all of which focus on various topics of systems biology of eukaryotic cells and beyond. Fuelled and inspired by the rapid advancement of ‘omics technologies, imaging techniques, novel bioinformatic tools and new computational, physical and engineering approaches, systems biology is now aiming at understanding and predicting not only the biochemical and cell biological processes within a cell, but also those at more complex levels of organization such as in tissues, organs, and even whole organisms. Modelling across scales of time and space is challenging, but may enable us to transform the exciting wealth of information on the physiological and patho-physiological behaviour of biological systems into holistic insight, on the one hand, and into novel therapeutic strategies, on the other.
SBMC 2012 will present cutting-edge experimental, theoretical and computational approaches as well as exciting examples of modelling complex biological systems across scales, in an evolutionary context and this year in particular, will span the range of interests from basic to biomedical research, and on towards industrial applications. The fundamentals and challenges of systems biology will be the focus of a keynote debate between Nobel-laureate Sydney Brenner and long-standing champion of systems biology Dennis Noble of Oxford University, chaired by Peter Hunter from the University of Auckland.
We would also like to welcome you in Leipzig, a city full of history, modernism, trade fairs and sports as well as the home of glorious poets, composers and writers such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Sebastian Bach. Founded in 1409, its University looks back over an exciting history as the second oldest university in Germany, where the teaching, uninterrupted for more than 600 years, has been held in high esteem for its academic achievements in humanities and the natural sciences. In the last 20 years since the reunification of Germany, the University of Leipzig has also developed into a vivid centre of Systems Biology with an emerging international visibility.
Having satisfied yourselves intellectually at the stimulating scientific sessions, the city boasts many cosy little cafés in the old town around the Gewandhaus, that welcome you to relax and enjoy the beauty of Leipzig.
Visit us at SBMC 2012
