Chromatin Organization and Genome Stability Conference

The international conference "Chromatin Organization and Genome Stability" organized by Dr. Kobi Maman, Prof. Itai On, Dr. Avi Matityahu, and Dr. Michal Mor, took place on September 5-7, 2023 in Safed with the participation of some 70 leading scientists from Israel worldwide. Topics discussed at the conference included, among others: the structure of chromosomes and chromatin, proteins that control the organization and stability of the genome, and DNA repair.

Among the participants were Prof. Erez Lieberman Aidan from Baylor College, USA, one of the developers of the technology for three-dimensional mapping of the genome. In his lecture, he discussed principles in genome mapping, and described, among other things, an ambitious project for three-dimensional mapping of the genomes of all organisms that live today or lived in the past on the planet. In addition to lectures by leading researchers, many students were given the opportunity to present their work in a lecture or poster. Between the lectures, the participants enjoyed good food, and a tour of the old city. The tour included a stop at Beit Kita, the satellite campus of the Faculty of Medicine, located in a beautiful building in the heart of the city. They visited a virtual reality laboratory and received an explanation from the head of the laboratory, Dr. Hana Keren, about her research on psychopathology and mood states.

The conference participants concluded: "The conference was excellent, the combination of scientists from two close but different fields helped us learn a lot of new things." Dr. Maman and Prof. On added, "We hope that the tremendous success of the conference will mark the beginning of a tradition of similar conferences in the north of the country." The organizers thank the National Science Foundation, the Vice President for Research and the members of the academic and administrative faculty of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine for their support of the conference and its execution.