Epigenetic mechanisms, including chemical modifications of DNA and histones as well as regulation by non-coding RNAs, are fundamental mechanism regulating gene expression. Various epigenetic mechanisms have pivotal roles in the nervous system and aberrant epigenetic regulation contributes to pathogenesis in many brain disorders. In parallel, epitranscriptomic mechansims cover over 170 different modifications of various RNA. Recent studies have shown diverse role of epitranscriptomic regulation of diverse process in the nervous system, from neurogenesis, learning and memory, to regeneration and cancer. The field is particularly excited by the possibility of clinical translation as shown by the recent profound success in using modified mRNA for COVID 19 vaccine. This meeting will bring together pioneers, experts and junior investigator in studying neuroepigenetics and epitranscriptomics to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive picture of epigenetic and epitranscriptomic mechanisms in neural development, reprogramming and cell identity, plasticity, neuronal function and dysfunction, and discuss future directions of the field. The meeting will offer opportunity and platform for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows and junior investigator to present their work and interact with leaders in the field and for interdisciplinary collaborations.

Key Sessions

•    Epigenetic mechanisms regulating brain development and stem cells 
•    Transcriptional and translational regulation
•    Neuronal specific splicing
•    Brain developmental disorders, aging and neurodegeneration
•    Single-cell transcriptome, epigenomic, epitranscriptomic, and multi-omics analysis
•    Spatial transcriptomic analysis
•    3D epigenome and chromatin topology 
•    Diverse roles of various RNA modifications in basic neurobiology and clinical translation
•    Brain cancer

Confirmed Plenary Speakers

Angel Barco (European Neuroscience Institute)
EXPERIENCE-DRIVEN EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION IN ADULT HIPPOCAMPAL NEURONS 
Anne Brunet (Stanford Medicine)
SPATIAL TRANSCRIPTOMICS IN THE AGING BRAIN
Gonçalo Castelo-Branco (Karolinska Institutet)
SINGLE-CELL AND SPATIAL OMICS OF OLIGODENDROGLIA IN DEVELOPMENT AND IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS 
Chuan He (University of Chicago)
Guo-li Ming (University of Pennsylvania)
Anne Schaefer (Icahn School of Medicine)

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Timothy Bredy (University of Queensland)
Yanxiang Deng (University of Pennsylvania)
MULTIPLEXED SPATIAL MAPPING OF CHROMATIN FEATURES, TRANSCRIPTOME, AND PROTEINS IN TISSUES
André Fischer (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen)
Johannes Graeff (EPFL)
EPIGENETIC ENCODING OF MEMORY EXPRESSION
Junjie Guo (Yale School of Medicine)
Daniel Lim (UCSF)
Ram Madabhushi (UT Southwestern Medical Center)
DNA TENSION IN NEURONAL TRANSCRIPTION
Kate Meyer (Duke University)
Alexi Nott (Imperial College London)
VASCULAR AND IMMUNE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING DEMENTIA 
Richard Phillips (University of Pennsylvania)
Jelena Radulovic (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
Yin Shen (University of California, San Francisco)
Yanhong Shi (City of Hope)
Na Sun (MIT)
UNCOVERING BRAIN DISORDER COMPLEXITY THROUGH CELLULAR HETEROGENEITY AND INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION
Anne West (Duke University)
REGULATION OF NEURONAL MATURATION BY THE RAHMAN SYNDROME GENE HISTONE H1-4

Target Audience

Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinical researchers in the academia as well as scientists in the industry.  

Educational Need

Neuroepigenetics and neuroepitranscriptomics are emerging new fields that have expanded dramatically in the past few years with numerous new technologies and exciting new discoveries. The purpose of the conference is to provide an update of latest progresses, and discuss future studies in the new fields of neuroepigenetics and neuroepitrancriptomics to encourage collaboration and clinical translation.

Although the programme has not yet been released, we are able to confirm that the conference should begin no earlier than 14:00 with opening comments on Wednesday 01 October 2025. The conference will conclude no later than 12:30 on Saturday 04 October 2025.