2022 SoCal Genome Stability Symposium

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT The 2022 SoCal Genome Stability Symposium is a one-day conference that will be held at the University of California, Irvine. In recent years, many novel cancer therapies have been developed to target DNA repair pathways. These new therapies are currently moving from the lab to the clinic, and we are poised for a rapid expansion of new DNA repair pathway-targeting drugs that will be used to eliminate different types of cancer. The conference will focus on research on genomic instability, DNA mutagenesis, environmental mutagens, DNA damage signaling, mechanisms of DNA repair, and their implications in cancers and therapies. At the conference, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from laboratories located in Southern California working on these specific topics will present their current unpublished research. The goals and objectives of the conference are: 1) To stimulate the interactions among laboratories across Southern California working on these specific topics. The interactions during the meeting will promote the emergence of new collaborations between different laboratories from different research institutions. 2) To expose students and postdoctoral fellows to new frontiers of a rapidly progressing research area. The trainees will be exposed to the newest research approaches in the field. 3) To catalyze opportunities for young scientists to network and to gain formal and informal career development by diversifying their networks and interacting with other PIs in the field, potentially opening future postdoctoral or faculty position opportunities. 4) To provide an atmosphere of inclusion and rigor for the trainees participating in the symposium. The symposium will enhance interactions among students and postdoctoral fellows from all genders, backgrounds, and origins, including historically marginalized identities such as those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, individuals with different sexual orientations, and individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Broader awareness of the field gained through local meetings such as this is particularly important to preparing trainees for their next career stages as postdoctoral fellows or as principal investigators.