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The neuropeptide connectome: Unlocking secrets of the brain鈥檚 dark matter

12 - 13 April 2027 09:00 - 17:00 蘑菇视频 Free Watch online
Abstract illustration of a neural network showing glowing white neuron-like nodes connected by branching blue fibres on a dark blue background, with scattered light points suggesting electrical signalling and communication between cells.

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Discussion meeting organised by Professor Isabel Beets, Professor Christine Li, Professor William R Schafer FRS FMedSci and Emeritus Professor John G White FRS

Neuropeptides are at the centre of brain function, as ancient and diverse signalling molecules that mediate communication both between nerve cells and between the brain and body. This meeting discusses recent advances in our understanding of how the complex neuropeptide language in the brain is organized, and how this organization relates to the roles of neuropeptides in behaviour and in disease. Recent studies investigating how neuropeptidergic signalling networks are organized, evolve, and underpin behaviour in diverse species will be discussed.

Programme

The full programme, including speaker biographies and abstracts, will be available soon. Please note the programme may be subject to change.

Poster session

There will be a poster session on Monday 12 April 2027. If you would like to present a poster, , abstract (up to 200 words), author list, and the name of the proposed presenter and institution no later than Friday 12 March 2027. Acceptances may be made on a rolling basis so we recommend submitting as soon as possible in case the session becomes full. Submissions made within one month of the meeting may not be included in the programme booklet.

Attending the event

This event is intended for researchers in relevant fields.

  • Free to attend
  • Both virtual and in-person attendance is available. Advance registration is essential
  • Lunch is available on both days of the meeting for an optional £25 per day. There are plenty of places to eat nearby if you would prefer to purchase food offsite. Participants are welcome to bring their own lunch to the meeting

Please note that scientific meetings hosted by 蘑菇视频 do not necessarily represent a Royal Society position or signify an endorsement of the speakers or content presented.

Enquiries: contact the Scientific Programmes team.

Image credit: ©锔� iStock.com / imaginima

Organisers

  • Dr Isabel Beets, KU Leuven, Belgium; MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK

    Many neuropeptide systems originated early in metazoan evolution and have conserved functions as hormones, but also as modulators of neural circuits and adaptive behaviours. Dr Isabel Beets studied the evolution and functions of oxytocin and vasopressin during her PhD research at KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium), demonstrating this neuropeptide family has ancient neuromodulatory functions in associative learning circuits. Her recent work has focused on the large-scale deorphanisation of neuropeptide receptors, to characterise the diverse network of peptide-GPCR interactions in C. elegans and their functions in behavioural adaptation. Isabel is currently an EMBO and FWO postdoctoral fellow, working at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Cambridge, UK).

  • Dr William Schafer, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK

    Bill Schafer studied Biology at Harvard University, then moved to UC Berkeley for graduate studies in Biochemistry. His PhD thesis in the lab of Jasper Rine described the role of protein prenylation in yeast mating factors and Ras proteins. His postdoctoral research in the lab of Cynthia Kenyon at UCSF investigated the effects of monoamines on behavior. In 1995, he established his own group in the Division of Biology at UCSD, and in 2006 he moved his group to the LMB in Cambridge. His current research focuses on the molecules of somatosensation, the processing of sensory information by neuronal microcircuits, and the quantitative analysis of behavioral phenotypes. He is a member of EMBO, and has been the receipient of a Presidential Early Career Award from the NIH and a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award.
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    Emeritus Professor John G White FRS

    Dr John White obtained a BTech in Physics from Brunel University in 1969 and a PhD from University of Cambridge in 1975, with a project entitled Computer-aided reconstruction of the nervous system of C. elegans. Between 1964 and 1969, John was based at the Medical Research Council (MRC) National Insitute for Medical Research where he developed instrumentation for neurophysiology. From 1969 to 1993, John moved to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge. Here, his research covered reconstructions of C. elegans nervous system from electron micrographs; studies of anatomical defects in nervous sytem of mutants; studies of early cellular events during embryogenesis; and development of confocal microscopes. Then, between 1993 and 2008, John became a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working on studies of cytokinesis and cell polarity in C. elegans; development of multiphoton imaging systems. Since 2008, John has been an Emeritus Professor working on development of instrumentation for fluorescent spectral/lifetime imaging.