7th DNA Repair/Replication Structures & Cancer Conference
This is a transformative time in cancer research and its impacts on advanced therapies. Basic knowledge of DNA Damage Reponses (DDR) and their functional integration with the therapeutically relevant immune responses are fundamentally advancing cancer biology and medicine. Besides being classified by tissue origins, cancers are increasingly being understood at the cellular and molecular level, allowing effective targeting with synthetic lethality for precision oncology. Precision therapies offer the potential for enhanced efficacy with reduced toxicities but come with the major challenge of preexisting or developed resistance. Clinically, most of the resistance to DDR inhibitors arises from the restoration of DNA repair pathways through reversion mutants or rewiring the DDR network. It is increasingly clear that DDR regulation and repair pathway choices drive therapeutic sensitivity and resistance responses. These findings underscore the critical need to develop actionable structural and mechanistic knowledge, spanning from nanoscale of individual enzymes to the mesoscale of regulated protein-complexes and their network responses.
Recent breakthroughs in experimental methodologies (particularly cryo electron microscopy, electron tomography, mass spectrometry, X-ray scattering, and single-molecule biophysical techniques) have enabled the studies of increasingly complex and dynamic biological systems. These cutting-edge tools enable the integration of in vitro and in situ studies to reveal the detailed mechanisms underpinning cellular processes. Furthermore, the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and its expanding applications in structural and mechanistic investigations are driving the field toward the integration of atomic-level structural data with physiological outputs. These advances present game-changing opportunities that enable us to tackle increasingly complex and challenging scientific problems, while also requiring fresh approaches.
The 7th DNA Replication/Repair Structures & Cancer Conference (7th DRRSC) on 24-28 February 2026 will bring together scientists from diverse fields to exchange cutting-edge research findings and stimulate new ideas and approaches to address the critical challenges in cancer research. Furthermore, due to the current challenging funding landscape, it is critical to form partnerships of creative talent to address large-scale problems efficiently. The meeting is designed to optimize opportunities for productive discussion, interaction, and collaboration. Conference talks and discussions will center on developing actionable mechanistic knowledge of DNA replication, transcription and repair stress responses and their inflammation impacts suitable to guide cancer research and intervention. A focus will be on leveraging the synthetic lethality concept for DDR defects. Talks will include emerging basic and clinical findings, cutting-edge trans-disciplinary methodologies and structural and mechanistic insights for dynamic complexes. The vibrant discussions and exchange of ideas will catalyze productive collaborations and offer new insights that will support research both within and between individual labs as well as across the broader scientific community.
