Single Cell Biology

Our fifth Single Cell Biology conference will provide a forum for biologists, methods developers and computational modellers from all over the world interested in understanding biology at single cell resolution.

The cell represents one of the fundamental units of biology, yet only recently has it become possible to carry out comprehensive molecular profiling at single cell resolution. Coupled with appropriate functional experiments, this technological revolution heralds a new era of biology and is generating major advances in our understanding of normal tissue development and homeostasis, immunity and infection, as well as tissue pathologies, including cancer.

This year’s programme will discuss how imaging, single cell methods and computational approaches are advancing our understanding of cell dynamics, evolution, cell identity and morphology. A further focus will be on emerging technologies, temporal aspects of single cell, mechanisms of disease, recording cell history and genome regulation.

This interdisciplinary conference will be a hybrid meeting – with onsite or virtual attendance. The programme will also include short oral presentations from submitted abstracts, poster sessions, poster pitch talks and networking sessions for a highly interactive meeting.

The conference will start at approximately 12.50 on Monday 10 June and close at approximately 13.00 on Wednesday 12 June 2024. All times are in British Summer Time.

Discussions aim to address a variety of exciting questions, including:

• How do cells cooperate and compete in tissues and organs?
• How does a cell’s past predict its future?
• What are the cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous mechanisms of disease?
• How can we predict what cells will do next?
• What are the evolutionary principles of cellular robustness?
• How are complex phenotypes regulated by the genome?

Scientific programme committee

Leeat Keren 
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Cole Trapnell
University of Washington, USA

Roser Vento-Tormo
Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK

Itai Yanai
New York University, USA

Keynote speakers

Marianne Bronner
California Institute of Technology, USA

Sarah Teichmann
University of Cambridge, UK

Confirmed speakers

Fei Chen
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, USA

Shila Ghazanfar
University of Sydney, Australia

Elizabeth Hambleton
University of Vienna, Austria

Edroaldo Lummertz da Rocha
Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Samantha Morris
Washington University in St. Louis, USA

Alejo Rodriguez-Fraticelli
Institute for Research in Biomedicine Barcelona, Spain

Alexander Schier
University of Basel, Switzerland

Christina Theodoris
Gladstone Institutes, USA

Bo Wang
University of Toronto, Canada

Nir Yosef
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Judith Zaugg
European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany

Kun Zhang
Altos Labs, USA

Organisers – Wellcome Connecting Science

Scarlett Storr, Conference & events coordinator
Amanda Fletcher, Conference & events organiser
Nagehan Ramazanoğlu Bahadır, Programme developer

Registration deadline: 14 May (in person) | 3 June 2024 (virtual)

The in-person registration fee includes:

• Full access to scientific programme: oral and poster presentations, and networking on campus
• Access to the online conference portal to network with online participants
• Meals (lunch and dinner) and refreshments during the conference. Breakfast will be provided for delegates who have booked onsite accommodation.
• Recordings of the live-stream sessions, which will be available ‘on-demand’ for four weeks after the event ends

Virtual registration fee includes:

• Access to the virtual event portal (Log in details will be emailed a few days before the event starts)
• Live-stream sessions, including posters and online networking channels
• Recordings of the live-stream sessions, available ‘on-demand’ for four weeks after the event ends.

* To promote more inclusive scientific discussions with international colleagues at our conferences, virtual delegates based in Lower and Middle-Income Countries can register for free (see list of countries here).

If you are an editor or journalist, please contact the conference organiser for more information about the discounted fee.

Accommodation
Onsite accommodation is sold out.

The closest accommodation is a 5 minute drive/ taxi ride away, in Whittlesford. Holiday Inn Express and their sister hotel The Red Lion.

If you wish to book campus accommodation either side of the conference dates, please contact the Hinxton Hall Conference Centre directly.

Accommodation services phishing scam – please be vigilant. More information.

Travel visas
Citizens of many countries can travel to the UK to attend a course or conference without needing a visa. Please check the UK government website for visitor information: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor.

Confirmed attendees requiring a letter to support a visa application should contact the event organiser.

Bursaries

Bursary deadline: 19 March 2024

A limited number of registration bursaries are available to attend this conference in person (up to 50% of the registration fee). Priority will be given to PhD students submitting abstracts who are facing financial barriers.

To apply, please use the dedicated bursary application link on the registration site. Please answer the bursary-related questions and submit an abstract before midnight UK time on the bursary deadline for your application to be considered.

Additional funding opportunities

Visit our support page for information on financial support, including carer grants to help delegates with the costs of caring for children or dependent family members while attending a course or a conference.

Abstract deadline: 16 April 2024

We welcome abstracts from all areas relevant to the main themes of the meeting, for both oral and poster presentations. Several oral presentations will be chosen from the abstracts submitted. Presenters of oral presentations as expected to be onsite for the duration of the conference, whereas those presenting posters can do so in person or virtually.

Abstracts will only be considered from registered delegates. Please use our online abstract submission system and follow the instructions given to ensure your abstract is submitted correctly. All abstracts must be submitted by the deadline. You can make changes to your submitted abstract before of the deadline by logging into your account and following the instructions

If you have already completed your registration and subsequently wish to submit an abstract, or wish to submit a second abstract, please follow these instructions.

The scientific programme committee will assess your abstract after the deadline has passed and you will be notified whether you have been selected to present an oral or poster presentation.

Poster boards onsite will accommodate 118 cm high by 84 cm wide (A0-portrait) of printed material. Accepted abstracts will appear in the conference programme book; poster board numbers will be allocated at the conference. All those accepted for a poster presentation will be given the opportunity to upload a short video describing their work.

With thanks to our sponsors:

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If you are interested in supporting this meeting, please contact the sponsorship manager.

See our sponsorship page for information about the benefits.

Single Cell Biology 2022: Conference video

What are your highlights from the single cell biology conference?