Cell Competition: Fitness, Diversity, and Adaptation Across Scales and Species
Mar 07–10, 2027 | Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Scientific Organizers:
Laura A. Johnston, Thomas P. Zwaka, and Tristan A Rodriguez
×
-
Mar 07–10, 2027 | Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Scientific Organizers: Laura A. Johnston, Thomas P. Zwaka, and Tristan A Rodriguez
Laura A. Johnston, PhD
Columbia University
Laura A. Johnston, Ph.D., is a Professor of Genetics and Development at Columbia University Medical Center, where she has been a faculty member since 2000. Using Drosophila as a model system, her research focuses on the mechanisms that regulate tissue growth, size control, and cell competition during development, regeneration, and cancer. Her lab has made foundational contributions to understanding how MYC drives competitive and cooperative cell behavior in growing tissues. She is a member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, and a past President of the Drosophila Board of Directors.
Thomas P. Zwaka
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Regenerative Biology and Director of the Huffington Center for Cell-Based Research in Parkinson's Disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His research focuses on fundamental questions in stem cell biology, including the mechanisms governing pluripotency, cellular reprogramming, and the molecular control of cell diversity. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Ulm and conducted postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Tristan A Rodriguez, PhD
Imperial College London
Tristan A. Rodriguez, Ph.D., is a Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that regulate cell fitness during embryonic development, particularly the cell-to-cell signaling processes that ensure the elimination of suboptimal cells — a phenomenon known as cell competition. His group also investigates how these fitness-sensing mechanisms are regulated by the nutrient environment and how when dysregulated they impact the fitness of the embryo and the adult. He received his Ph.D. from University College London and conducted postdoctoral training at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research before establishing his independent laboratory.
Available Formats:
Supported by:
Livestream
In Person
On Demand
***Meeting program subject to change.
Available Formats: = Livestream = In Person = On DemandMerchandise Options
Registration Options
Sunday, March 7, 2027
Fundraising
Booking Function
Registration
4:00–8:00 PM
British/Columbia Foyer
Welcome Mixer
6:00–8:00 PM
British/Columbia Foyer
Monday, March 8, 2027
Breakfast
7:00–8:00 AM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Welcome Remarks (Joint)
8:00–8:10 AM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Keynote Address (Joint)
8:10–9:00 AM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Benjamin L. Ebert, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Clonal Hematopoiesis as a Paradigm for Somatic Mosaicism
Clonal Hematopoiesis as a Paradigm for Somatic Mosaicism
Joint Session
9:00–11:30 AM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Laura A. Johnston, Columbia University
Cell Competition as a Framework for Diverse Areas of Biology
Cell Competition as a Framework for Diverse Areas of Biology
Nuria Lopez-Bigas, IRB Barcelona
Somatic Mosaicism and its Association to Cancer Risk
Somatic Mosaicism and its Association to Cancer Risk
Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
Coffee Break
9:30–9:50 AM
British/Columbia Foyer
Flash Talks
11:40–12:40 PM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Poster Setup
12:40–1:00 PM
Vancouver Island Room
On Own for Lunch
12:40–2:30 PM
Poster Viewing
1:00–10:00 PM
Vancouver Island Room
Symposia Spotlight 1
2:30–4:30 PM
Columbia Ballroom
Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
Coffee Available
4:30–5:00 PM
British/Columbia Foyer
Cell Competition as Quality Control I: Genome Integrity and Cellular Fitness
5:00–7:00 PM
Columbia Ballroom
Marco Milán, IRB Barcelona
Cell Competition in Mosaic Aneuploidy
Cell Competition in Mosaic Aneuploidy
Sarah Bowling, Stanford University
Mutation of p53 Increases the Competitive Ability of Pluripotent Stem Cells
Mutation of p53 Increases the Competitive Ability of Pluripotent Stem Cells
Miguel Torres, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares
P53 and BCL-2 Family Proteins Define Competitive Fitness in Pluripotent Cell Competition
P53 and BCL-2 Family Proteins Define Competitive Fitness in Pluripotent Cell Competition
Social Hour with Dinner
7:00–8:00 PM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Poster Session 1
7:30–10:00 PM
Vancouver Island Room
Tuesday, March 9, 2027
Breakfast
7:00–8:00 AM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Cell Competition as Quality Control II: Metabolism and Stress Surveillance
8:00–11:00 AM
Columbia Ballroom
Marianthi Kiparaki, Alexander Fleming Biomedical Sciences Research Center
Ribosomal Proteins and RNA-Binding Proteins Define Cellular Fitness through a bZip Transcriptional Response
Ribosomal Proteins and RNA-Binding Proteins Define Cellular Fitness through a bZip Transcriptional Response
Jean-Paul B. Vincent, Francis Crick Institute
Mechanisms of Stress Response in Developing Epithelia
Mechanisms of Stress Response in Developing Epithelia
Tristan A Rodriguez, Imperial College London
Sensing of Extracellular L-Proline by the Integrated Stress Response in Cell Competition
Sensing of Extracellular L-Proline by the Integrated Stress Response in Cell Competition
Tatsushi Igaki, Kyoto University Graduate School of Biostudies
Mechanisms of how Cellular Fitness is Determined, Sensed, and Translated into Cell Death Signaling
Mechanisms of how Cellular Fitness is Determined, Sensed, and Translated into Cell Death Signaling
Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
Coffee Break
9:00–9:20 AM
British/Columbia Foyer
Flash Talks
11:10–12:10 PM
Columbia Ballroom
Poster Setup
12:10–1:00 PM
Vancouver Island Room
On Own for Lunch
12:10–3:00 PM
Poster Viewing
1:00–10:00 PM
Vancouver Island Room
Career Roundtable
3:00–4:30 PM
Columbia Ballroom
Coffee Available
4:30–5:00 PM
British/Columbia Foyer
Keynote Address
5:00–5:50 PM
Columbia Ballroom
Harmit S. Malik, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Conflicts, Conflicts Everywhere
Conflicts, Conflicts Everywhere
Cell Competition in Tissue Formation
5:50–7:50 PM
Columbia Ballroom
Leonard I. Zon, HHMI/Boston Children's Hospital
Modeling Clonal Dynamics in Disease in Zebrafish
Modeling Clonal Dynamics in Disease in Zebrafish
Stephanie Ellis, Max Perutz Labs Vienna
Modes of Cell Competition in Skin Formation
Modes of Cell Competition in Skin Formation
Qing-Feng Wu, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Stem Cell Competition in the Developing Brain
Stem Cell Competition in the Developing Brain
Romain Levayer, Institut Pasteur
Collective Effects in Cell Elimination: From Mechanical Inputs to Spatiotemporal Feedbacks
Collective Effects in Cell Elimination: From Mechanical Inputs to Spatiotemporal Feedbacks
Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
Social Hour with Dinner
7:50–8:50 PM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Poster Session 2
7:50–10:00 PM
Vancouver Island Room
Wednesday, March 10, 2027
Breakfast
7:00–8:00 AM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Homeostasis, Aging and Disease
8:00–11:00 AM
Columbia Ballroom
Eugenia Piddini, University of Bristol
Mechanisms pf p53-Mediated Cell Competition in Human Stem Cells
Mechanisms pf p53-Mediated Cell Competition in Human Stem Cells
Jun Wu, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Interspecies Chimerism and Cell Competition
Interspecies Chimerism and Cell Competition
Thomas P. Zwaka, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Bats as Instructive Animal Models for Cell Competition, Longevity and Aging
Bats as Instructive Animal Models for Cell Competition, Longevity and Aging
Coraline Mlynarczyk, Yale University
Competitive Fitness in Germinal Center B Cells and Derived Malignancies
Competitive Fitness in Germinal Center B Cells and Derived Malignancies
Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
Coffee Break
9:00–9:20 AM
British/Columbia Foyer
Sarah Bowling, Stanford University
Jun Wu, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Panel Discussion: Technological Innovations in Studying Cell Competition
11:10–12:10 PM
Columbia Ballroom
On Own for Lunch
12:10–2:30 PM
Symposia Spotlight 2
2:30–4:30 PM
Columbia Ballroom
Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
Coffee Available
4:30–5:00 PM
British/Columbia Foyer
Integrating Old and New Models and Cellular Contexts
5:00–6:45 PM
Columbia Ballroom
Ivana Barbaric, University of Sheffield
Genetically Variant Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Eliminate WT cells through Yap-Mediated Cell Competition
Genetically Variant Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Eliminate WT cells through Yap-Mediated Cell Competition
Rachel Smith-Bolton, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Cell Competition during Tissue Regeneration
Cell Competition during Tissue Regeneration
Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers)
6:45–7:00 PM
Columbia Ballroom
Social Hour with Dinner
7:00–8:00 PM
British/Columbia Ballroom
Cash Bar
8:00–11:00 PM
Entertainment
8:00–11:00 PM
Thursday, March 11, 2027
Departure
12:00–11:59 PM
Subscribe for Updates