• 10 to 13 September, Austria Center Vienna
• More than 120 leading researchers deliver a diverse programme covering the full range of the molecular life sciences
• Three plenary lecture sessions: hosts & microbes, genome evolution and brain & behaviour
• Two Meet the Press events: Susan Lindquist and Giacomo Rizzolatti

HEIDELBERG, Germany, 17 May 2011 – More than 120 leading researchers from across the molecular life sciences will speak at The EMBO Meeting 2011 – the third annual life sciences conference to be organized by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and held in Vienna from 10-13 September 2011. The annual meeting is one of Europeʼs most widely recognized life sciences events. It offers the opportunity to interact with scientists, career advisors, policy makers and scientific editors who will present latest thinking and news from their areas of expertise.

Confirmed special lecturers and keynote speakers include:

• Helga Nowotny, President of the European Research Council: opening address
• Susan Lindquist, 2010 winner of the US National Medal of Science: Protein Folding Empowering Evolutionary Change
• Giacomo Rizzolatti, whose team discovered the mirror neurons: Understanding Actions, Intentions, and Emotions of Others
• Richard Axel, winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology: Internal Representations of the Olfactory World

All journalists are welcome to participate in the range of activities including lectures, concurrent sessions, poster session viewing and social receptions. Two press events are also planned:

• Meet the Press with Susan Lindquist: “Lamarck was right after all”. Sunday, 11 September, 1-2pm
• Meet the Press with Giacomo Rizzolatti: “New ideas about the perception of other peopleʼs actions”. Monday, 12 September, 10-11am

Leading researchers will present in the plenary lecture sessions on host & microbes, genome evolution and brain & behaviour:

Bonnie Bassler, Princeton University, speaking about Cell-to-Cell Communication in Bacteria. Until recently, no one thought bacteria communicated with one another and coordinated their behaviour. Bassler has discovered "quorum sensing": In some cases, when certain bacteria sense that they are in a large enough group (a quorum), they mobilize to attack a host, triggering disease. This discovery has important implications for medical science. In 2011, Bassler received the National Academy of Sciences award for extraordinary scientific achievements.

Brett Finlay, University of British Columbia, speaking about The role of microbiota in enteric & allergic diseases. Finlay is one of the world's foremost experts on the molecular understanding of the ways bacteria infect their hosts. He is best known for his work with Salmonella and Escherichia coli. His innovative research on how bacteria cause disease in people is resulting in new tools for fighting infection.

David Anderson, California Institute of Technology, speaking about Genetic dissection of emotion circuits in flies & mice. Anderson is working to localize, identify, characterize, and turn on neurons in the hypothalamus associated with attack and bring the study of aggression into the modern molecular era. He recently discovered that the same part of the brain triggers sexual and violent behaviour.

Explore the full programme online at www.the-embo-meeting.org. Online press registration and more information for journalists is available at: http://www.the-embo-meeting.org/media.html. The EMBO Meeting newsroom will be located on the ground floor of the Austria Center Vienna. The Abstract Book will be available online to registered participants and journalists two weeks before the conference starts. Interview opportunities can be arranged prior to the meeting or onsite, beginning on Saturday evening after the opening address.

Media participation

• Complimentary meeting registration is available to members of the media who provide appropriate press credentials and identification using this registration form (PDF).
• All scientific sessions at The EMBO Meeting 2011 are open to registered members of the media. Registered journalists must wear/display their conference press badge at all times while onsite. Exchanging, loaning or borrowing of the conference press badge is not allowed.
• Filming onsite during the conference must be pre-arranged with the EMBO Public Relations & Communications office.
• Complimentary media registration is not available to: advertising, marketing, public relations or sales representatives from any publication; publishers; editors; in-house newsletters or promotional publications staff; public relations representatives of exhibitors or educational institutions; writers of commercial reports and financial analysts; medical education companies; or others who are not reporting on the content of The EMBO Meeting 2011.

Media contact information:

Yvonne Kaul, EMBO Communications Officer Tel: +49 6221 8891 111, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it