Breakout Sessions
15:45 – 17:30, LMU Biocenter, if not indicated otherwise, rooms will be announced on site
There will be 13 parallel Breakout Sessions.
Selected Breakout Sessions are organized as site visits in different institutions on campus. The participants will be guided from the Biocenter to the respective site.
1. CRISPR/Cas-assisted genome engineering: strategies and applications
Dr. Sebastian Bultmann, Human Biology & BioImaging, Research Group Prof. Dr. Heinrich Leonhardt, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich
Repurposing the CRISPR/Cas system for genome engineering applications has greatly facilitated the generation of precise manipulations in mammalian genomes. This talk will cover the general principles of CRISPR/Cas-assisted genome engineering with a strong focus on practical examples and solutions to common problems.
2. Induced pluripotent stem cells: a novel reprogramming technology
Dr. Mari Ohnuki, Anthropology & Human Genetics, Research Group Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Enard, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich
It has been 9 years since the first induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were generated in Yamanaka laboratory. This technology has influenced not only the field of medicine in transplantation therapy, disease modelling and drug discovery, but also basic research in life science applied to direct reprogramming, cancer biology and evolutionary genetics. In this breakout session you will learn about iPS generation and their application in the past, present and the future.
3. One by one: the age of single-cell genomics
Christoph Ziegenhain, Anthropology & Human Genetics, Research Group Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Enard, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich
Advancing cutting-edge technologies have pushed omics tools to the basic unit of life – single cells. By utilizing single-cell mRNA sequencing, current studies have already shed light on heterogeneity and dynamics of biological processes like differentiation, cellular responses or diseases.
4. Mass spectrometry analysis of proteins: from one to omics
Dr. Nagarjuna Nagaraj, Mass spectrometry and Proteomics, Core Facility, MPI of Biochemistry
Mass spectrometry has evolved to be the most precise and quantitative technique available to check protein purity or check the quantitative level of all expressed proteins and post translational modifications in a system under study. In this breakout session we will briefly see how things work under the hood in this cutting-edge platform. There will be a discussion on what is routinely possible now and also look towards potential applications in the future. Apart from a basic understanding of biology, no special background is necessary for this session.
This Breakout Session takes place on site at the MPI of Biochemistry! Meeting point is in the Foyer of the Biocenter.
Maximum capacity: 12 persons
5. Frontiers in Light Microscopy: from super-resolution to live-cell imaging
Dr. Hartmann Harz, Center for Advanced Light Microscopy, LMU Munich
Fluorescence microscopy has made a quantum leap in its resolving power. The importance of this development is highlighted by the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014, awarded for the development of super-resolved flourescence microscopy.
But, what does this development mean for us and why was light-sheet microscopy - a technique with standard resolution - chosen as method of the year 2014?
6. Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy
Dr. Viola Baumgärtel, Flourescence Applications in Biology, Research Group Prof. Dr. Don C. Lamb, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, LMU Munich
During this tour through our laboratories, you will be introduced to a number of novel fluorescence microscope setups and receive demonstrations of techniques that we have developed and/or assimilated in our group. This includes fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy methods with pulsed interleaved excitation (where we extract signal out of the noise), Super Resolution Microscopy (PALM/STORM, where we collect images at resolutions beyond the optical limit), Single-pair Förster Resonance Energy Transfer experiments (where we can investigate how individual proteins perform their function), and single-particle tracking (where we can investigate the motion of sub cellular organelles in a living Zebrafish embryo).
This Breakout Session takes place on site at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry! Meeting point is in the Foyer of the Biocenter.
Maximum capacity: 10 persons
7. Super-Resolution Microscopy with DNA molecules
Dr. Ralf Jungmann, Research Group Molecular Imaging and Bionanotechnology, MPI of Biochemistry
After an introduction into the basics and applications of optical super-resolution techniques (Nobel Prize 2014 in Chemistry), we will discuss how DNA Nanotechnology can be used to create programmable fluorescent probes for highly multiplexed and quantitative super-resolution imaging. After the theoretical introduction, a hands-on session in the lab will give you an insight into single-molecule fluorescence instrumentation, image acquisition and processing.
This Breakout Session takes place on site at the MPI of Biochemistry! Meeting point is in the Foyer of the Biocenter.
Maximum capacity: 15 persons
8. Using Photopharmacology to control neural activity
Laura Laprell and Arunas Damijonaitis, Chemical Genetics and Chemical Biology, Research Group Prof. Dr. Dirk Trauner, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, LMU Munich
Photochromic ligands can be used to control a wide variety of molecular targets in-vivo and in-vitro with the spatial and temporal precision of light. In our laboratory we have developed photoswitchable molecules for the optical control of voltage-gated ion channels and various receptors like AChR, AMPAR, NMDAR, RTK or mu-opiod receptors. Furthermore, photochromic ligands can be used for vision restoration approaches, targeting native receptors and channels in the remaining circuitry of blind retinae. By applying the photochromic channel blocker DAD, we are able to induce light-dependent spiking patterns in retinal ganglion cells and restore innate light-driven behavior in blind mice.
This Breakout Session takes place on site at the Department of Chemistry! Meeting point is in the Foyer of the Biocenter.
Maximum capacity: 12 persons
9. 2 Photon-Microscopy: applications in vascular biology
Dr. med. Florian Gärtner, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, Research Group Prof. Dr. med. Steffen Massberg, Medical Faculty, LMU Munich
Intravital 2 Photon-Microscopy is a fluorescence imaging technique that allows imaging of living tissue up to a very high depth and thus provides a powerful tool to understand cellular processes within their physiological microenvironment. During this breakout session we will first cover the principles of 2-Photon-Microscopy. In the following part, we will demonstrate the practical application of this technique by showing experiments in vascular biology.
This Breakout Session takes place on site at the Walter Brendel Center for Experimental Medicine! Meeting point is in the Foyer of the Biocenter.
Maximum capacity: 12 persons
10. Resolution revolution in Cryo-Electron Microscopy
Dr. Thomas Becker, Cryo-Electron Microscopy and Single Particle Analysis, Research Group Prof. Dr. Roland Beckmann, Gene Center, LMU Munich
The session will cover an introduction into the principle workflow of Cryo-EM and Single Particle Analysis. Hereby also new technological developments which led this technique to achieve atomic resolution 3D structures (Direct Electron Detectors, new software) will be explained and discussed. On top, we will give a tour through our cryo-EM facility in the Biocenter where basic techniques like grid making and microscope handling will be demonstrated.
Maximum capacity: 16 persons
Cancelled! 11. Nanospectroscopy: What can we learn from single molecules?
Dr. Diana Pippig and Dr. Michael Nash, Biophysics and Molecular Materials, Research Group Prof. Dr. Herrman E. Gaub, Faculty of Physics, LMU Munich
Single-molecule methods reveal in unprecedented detail the inner workings of biological macromolecules. Here we present a series of specific examples from our laboratory describing how mechanical forces can be applied to individual proteins and isolated domains, protein complexes, and synthetic smart polymers. The effects of force on biological function are further highlighted.
12. Next Generation Sequencing: a tool in clinical science
Dr. Meino Rohlfs, Dr. von Hauner Children’s Hospital, Research Group Prof. Dr. med. Dr. sci. Christoph Klein, Medical Faculty, LMU Munich
The first human genome took 13 years for sequencing and annotation and had a price tag of 3x109 US$. These days sequencing of a human genome is achieved in less than a week for cost under 5000 €. This offers the exciting opportunity to use NGS to discover causative genes in patients with inherited diseases. In this breakout session we will discuss different techniques on the market, used for sequencing. We will briefly look at the different experimental opportunities such as ChIP-Seq, RNA-Seq and whole genome sequencing. The main topic will be an example from the clinic where whole exome sequencing (WES) led to the identification of a novel gene involved in T-cell immunity. In this context we will discuss the whole process from obtaining the patient material, preparing an exome library using a hybridization technique, sequencing using Illumina technology and the bioinformatics approach to identify rare mutations.
13. Optogenetics: activation and suppression of targeted neurons by genetically encoded light-driven actuators
Cvetalina Coneva, Research Group Prof. Dr. Tobias Bonhoeffer, Hakan Kucukdereli, Research Group Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Klein, Sercan Sayin, Research Group Dr. Illona Grunwald Kadow, MPI Neurobiology
Optogenetics, genetically encoded light driven actuators, enables activating and suppressing targeted neurons in a non-invasive manner in biological systems as complex as behaving animals. Coupling behavior to optogenetically-controlled neuronal circuits provides the framework to bridge the gap between neuronal computation and behavior. In this session, we will talk about how we can make use of optogenetics to study the fundamental mechanisms behind synaptic plasticity and show an example of optogenetically-driven olfactory behavior.
This Breakout Session takes place at the MPI of Biochemistry and MPI of Neurobiology. Meeting point is in the Foyer of the Biocenter.
Maximum capacity: 12 persons