La Fondation Ipsen: “Biology in Balance”
Paris (France), 12 October 2009 – In a continuing series called “Exciting Biologies” Cell
Press, Massachusetts General Hospital and La Fondation Ipsen collaborate to offer annual
meetings designed to highlight emerging intersections in biomedical research and promote
interactions between scientists from converging disciplines. This third meeting, held in
Buenos Aires between the 8th and 10th of October, focused on “Biology in Balance”. It drew
together scientists studying various aspects of homeostasis and balance from a diverse
range of approaches and disciplines. Homeostasis, a state of balance in the body, actively
maintained by complex biological mechanisms is well known in physiology. Thanks to
modern biology, the various cellular processes involved in balance are now identified. This
third meeting of the “Exciting Biologies” series examined the concept of balance and system
robustness and how balance and homeostasis are established and maintained within a cell,
tissue, organism, or population. Topics of the various lectures included the mechanisms that
maintain balance, how systems adjust balance, how balance can be tipped, and what
happens when balance is lost. The meeting was organized by Kenneth R. Chien
(Massachusetts General Hospital, USA), Emilie Marcus (Cell Press, USA), Connie M. Lee
(Cell Press, USA), Marie Z. Bao (Cell Press, USA), Elena Porro (Cell Press, USA) and Yves
Christen (La Fondation Ipsen, France).
In 2007, Cell Press, Massachusetts General Hospital and La Fondation Ipsen came together to create a new series of scientific events: the “Exciting Biologies” – three-day meeting – highlighting some of the most dynamic sectors in biological and medical research. The second meeting in 2008 discussed a particularly current topic: the biology of cognition. The success of the meetings is derived from the combination of excellent diverse speakers: Sebastian Amigorena (Institut Curie, France), Shelley Berger (Wistar Institute, USA), Dominique Bergmann (Stanford University, USA), Hans Clevers (Hubrecht Institute, Netherlands), Ivan Dikic (Goethe University, Germany), Michael Elowitz (California Institute of Technology, USA), Oliver Hobert (Columbia University, USA), Juergen Knoblich (Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Austria), Roberto Kolter (Harvard Medical School, USA), Alberto Kornblihtt (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina), Beth Levine (UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA), James Lupski (Baylor College of Medicine, USA), Diane Mathis (Harvard Medical School, USA), Richard Morimoto (Northwestern University, USA), Jodi Nunnari (University of California-Davis, USA), Paolo Sassone-Corsi (University of California-Irvine, USA), Alejandro Schinder (Leloir Institute, Argentina), Pamela Silver (Harvard Medical School, USA) and Juleen Zierath (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden).
About La Fondation Ipsen
Established in 1983 under the aegis of the Fondation de France, the mission of La Fondation Ipsen is to contribute to the development and dissemination of scientific knowledge. The long-standing action of La Fondation Ipsen is aimed at furthering the interaction between researchers and clinical practitioners, which is indispensable due to the extreme specialisation of these professions. The ambition of La Fondation Ipsen is not to offer definitive knowledge, but to initiate a reflection about the major scientific issues of the forthcoming years. It has developed an important international network of scientific experts who meet regularly at meetings known as Colloques Médecine et Recherche, dedicated to six main themes: Alzheimer's disease, neurosciences, longevity, endocrine system, the vascular system and cancer science. In 2007, La Fondation Ipsen started three new series of meetings. The first is in partnership with the Salk Institute and Nature and is an annual meeting which focuses on aspects of Biological Complexity; the second is the “Emergence and Convergence” series, and the third is with Cell and the Massachusetts General Hospital entitled “Exciting Biologies”. Since its beginning, La Fondation Ipsen has organised more than 100 international conferences, published 68 volumes with renowned publishers and close to 206 issues of a widely distributed newsletter Alzheimer Actualités. It has also awarded more than 100 prizes and grants.
About Cell Press
Cell Press, an imprint of Elsevier, is committed to improving scientific communication through the publication of exciting research and reviews. Each of its titles is viewed as a must-read by the scientific community it serves. Cell Press primary research journals include the flagship journal Cell, as well as Neuron, Immunity, Molecular Cell, Developmental Cell, Cancer Cell, Current Biology, Structure, Chemistry & Biology, Cell Metabolism, Cell Host & Microbe, Cell Stem Cell and, new to Cell Press in 2008, The American Journal of Human Genetics. Also new to Cell Press this year are the fourteen Trends reviews journals, including Trends in Cell Biology and Trends in Neuroscience. As it introduces publications and expands online content to serve its growing audience, Cell Press’s mission remains to publish and develop journals that deliver the highest possible intellectual rigor, promote community trust, and are widely disseminated. For more information, please go to http://www.cellpress.com/
About Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital, located in Boston, is the third oldest hospital in the United States and the largest in New England. It consistently ranks as one of the country's best hospitals by U.S. News and World Report. Massachusetts General Hospital is guided by the needs of their patients and their families. They aim to deliver the very best health care in a safe, compassionate environment; to advance that care through innovative research and education; and, to improve the health and wellbeing of the diverse communities they serve. For more information, please go to http://www.massgeneral.org/
In 2007, Cell Press, Massachusetts General Hospital and La Fondation Ipsen came together to create a new series of scientific events: the “Exciting Biologies” – three-day meeting – highlighting some of the most dynamic sectors in biological and medical research. The second meeting in 2008 discussed a particularly current topic: the biology of cognition. The success of the meetings is derived from the combination of excellent diverse speakers: Sebastian Amigorena (Institut Curie, France), Shelley Berger (Wistar Institute, USA), Dominique Bergmann (Stanford University, USA), Hans Clevers (Hubrecht Institute, Netherlands), Ivan Dikic (Goethe University, Germany), Michael Elowitz (California Institute of Technology, USA), Oliver Hobert (Columbia University, USA), Juergen Knoblich (Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Austria), Roberto Kolter (Harvard Medical School, USA), Alberto Kornblihtt (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina), Beth Levine (UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA), James Lupski (Baylor College of Medicine, USA), Diane Mathis (Harvard Medical School, USA), Richard Morimoto (Northwestern University, USA), Jodi Nunnari (University of California-Davis, USA), Paolo Sassone-Corsi (University of California-Irvine, USA), Alejandro Schinder (Leloir Institute, Argentina), Pamela Silver (Harvard Medical School, USA) and Juleen Zierath (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden).
About La Fondation Ipsen
Established in 1983 under the aegis of the Fondation de France, the mission of La Fondation Ipsen is to contribute to the development and dissemination of scientific knowledge. The long-standing action of La Fondation Ipsen is aimed at furthering the interaction between researchers and clinical practitioners, which is indispensable due to the extreme specialisation of these professions. The ambition of La Fondation Ipsen is not to offer definitive knowledge, but to initiate a reflection about the major scientific issues of the forthcoming years. It has developed an important international network of scientific experts who meet regularly at meetings known as Colloques Médecine et Recherche, dedicated to six main themes: Alzheimer's disease, neurosciences, longevity, endocrine system, the vascular system and cancer science. In 2007, La Fondation Ipsen started three new series of meetings. The first is in partnership with the Salk Institute and Nature and is an annual meeting which focuses on aspects of Biological Complexity; the second is the “Emergence and Convergence” series, and the third is with Cell and the Massachusetts General Hospital entitled “Exciting Biologies”. Since its beginning, La Fondation Ipsen has organised more than 100 international conferences, published 68 volumes with renowned publishers and close to 206 issues of a widely distributed newsletter Alzheimer Actualités. It has also awarded more than 100 prizes and grants.
About Cell Press
Cell Press, an imprint of Elsevier, is committed to improving scientific communication through the publication of exciting research and reviews. Each of its titles is viewed as a must-read by the scientific community it serves. Cell Press primary research journals include the flagship journal Cell, as well as Neuron, Immunity, Molecular Cell, Developmental Cell, Cancer Cell, Current Biology, Structure, Chemistry & Biology, Cell Metabolism, Cell Host & Microbe, Cell Stem Cell and, new to Cell Press in 2008, The American Journal of Human Genetics. Also new to Cell Press this year are the fourteen Trends reviews journals, including Trends in Cell Biology and Trends in Neuroscience. As it introduces publications and expands online content to serve its growing audience, Cell Press’s mission remains to publish and develop journals that deliver the highest possible intellectual rigor, promote community trust, and are widely disseminated. For more information, please go to http://www.cellpress.com/
About Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital, located in Boston, is the third oldest hospital in the United States and the largest in New England. It consistently ranks as one of the country's best hospitals by U.S. News and World Report. Massachusetts General Hospital is guided by the needs of their patients and their families. They aim to deliver the very best health care in a safe, compassionate environment; to advance that care through innovative research and education; and, to improve the health and wellbeing of the diverse communities they serve. For more information, please go to http://www.massgeneral.org/