Deadline postponed to August 23rd

Researchers from eight countries who are international references in metabolism research will meet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for an unprecedented event promoted by Serrapilheira and the Nature group. The Nature Conference on Advances in Metabolic Communication will take place on October 15-18, 2019, at the Belmond Copacabana Palace. Registration is already open, and individuals interested in participating can submit their abstracts by August 23.

The international event will mark the launch of a new Nature periodical, Nature Metabolism, and will address topics ranging from basic research to clinical applications of cell therapies. To facilitate participation by students and postdoctoral researchers with less access to financial resources, Serrapilheira will grant ten scholarships. The deadline for these registration fee waivers is July 1st.

The conference will feature the most recent insights in metabolic communication, or the way energy flows are distributed on various scales – for example, in tissues, organs, or cells. A key topic will be the systemic control of energy homeostasis, that is, the regulation that guarantees harmonious distribution of energy by the organism.

The conference will also debate the physiological processes governing these interactions and how metabolic miscommunication influences the development of metabolic diseases and aging “The conference is an initiative by Brazilian scientists and will feature a high level of excellence, convening the world’s foremost experts in the field,” emphasizes the President of Serrapilheira, geneticist Hugo Aguilaniu.

Latin America has a tradition in metabolism research, mainly from the perspective of Biochemistry, the understanding of which is highly complex. For example, Brazil is known for specific techniques used in measuring energy flows. “The country now has excellent researchers who are ‘scientific offspring’ of such outstanding scientists as Leopoldo de Meis and Anibal Vercesi,” says Aguilaniu. The two scientists will receive tributes during special sessions at the conference in October.

The idea is to combine Brazilian expertise in the field of metabolism with the approach developed in other countries in the last 20 years, focused more on Genetics. “This distinction between Genetics and Biochemistry no longer has any reason for being,” says Aguilaniu. “In modern science, everyone has background in various areas. This trend already exists, but the conference will be a prime opportunity to draw the Brazilian and international communities even closer together.”

Confirmed presences include two internationally renowned speakers in the field: C. Ronald Kahn, expert in research on diabetes and obesity at Harvard Medical School, and researcher M. Celeste Simon, a reference in the study of cell metabolism related to cancer and professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

The event is organized in partnership with Brazilian researchers Marcelo Mori (Unicamp), Julio Ferreira (USP), and Fernanda Cunha (Unifesp). The complete program, confirmed speakers, and information on registration are available at the conference website.

Nature Conference on Advances in Metabolic Communication
Dates: October 15-18, 2019
Venue: Belmond Copacabana Palace – Avenida Atlântica, 1702 – Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil
Registration: https://serrapilheira.org/natureconference/