Leading Professional Society for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Connecting, Training, Empowering, Worldwide

ISCB News and Announcements

 

Upcoming ISCBacademy Webinar
April 25, 12 PM EDT

Hosted by the Evolution & Comparative Genomics COSi

Join us at 12 PM EDT on Thursday, April 25, for the next installment in the ISCBacademy Webinar Series:
 

Reconstructing the horizontal movement of genes using Bayesian phylogenetic network inference


How Do I Join?
The ISCBacademy webinar series is part of ISCB Nucleus. If you're an ISCB member, you've already been added to the Nucleus platform. All you need to do is request a magic link to login! If you're not an ISCB member, you can join the Nucleus platform by following these instructions.


Reconstructing the horizontal movement of genes using Bayesian phylogenetic network inference

by Nicola F. Müller

The horizontal movement of genes is a crucial driver in the evolution of viral and bacterial pathogens. It enables pathogens to, for example, make large jumps in fitness space, adapt to new host species, or gain novel genes, such as acquiring plasmids carrying determinants for antibiotic resistance. Phylogenetic methods are often used to reconstruct evolutionary events but mostly assume that a phylogenetic tree can describe the shared evolutionary history of pathogens. This assumption—that phylogenetic trees accurately represent that history—is challenged when genes move horizontally, necessitating the use of phylogenetic networks instead.

In this talk, I will first present recent work on inferring phylogenetic networks using a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach. This approach models the horizontal movement of genes using coalescent models, allowing us to quantify reassortment, recombination, or plasmid transfer rates. I will then showcase multiple applications of phylogenetic network inference. First, I will demonstrate how we can use the coalescent with reassortment to infer reassortment rates across different influenza viruses. Next, I will discuss how phylogenetic network inference allows us to infer the complex evolutionary history of human coronaviruses, including MERS and SARS-like viruses such as SARS-CoV-1 and 2. Lastly, I will present work on reconstructing the gain and loss of small plasmids and the recent dissemination of a multidrug-resistance plasmid between Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri lineages. This includes multiple independent events and steady growth in prevalence since 2010 and quantifies the rates at which different plasmids move between bacterial lineages.

 
 
 
 
ISCB Nucleus
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Registration Deadline April 19

RECOMB 2024 is the 28th edition of a series of algorithmic computational biology conferences bridging the areas of computational, mathematical, statistical and biological sciences. The conference features keynote talks by preeminent scientists in life sciences, presentations of ground breaking research in computational biology, selected over the course of a highly-rigorous peer-review process, and poster sessions on the latest research progress.

Register Now
 
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ISCB’s 13th Annual Wikipedia Competition
Furthering Computational Biology Knowledge 


Submission Deadline: May 3, 2024
 
ISCB announces its 13th annual international competition to improve the coverage on Wikipedia of any topic relating to ISCB’s Bioinformatics Core Competencies.
 
A key component of the ISCB's mission to further the scientific understanding of living systems through computation is to communicate this knowledge to the public at large. Wikipedia has become an important way to communicate all types of science to the public and the ISCB aims to further its mission by increasing the quality of Wikipedia coverage of related topics, and by improving accessibility to this information via Wikipedia.
 
The competition is open to students and postdocs, either as individuals or as groups.
 
The prizes for the best Wikipedia articles in any language provided by the ISCB:

•    1st prize - $500 (USD) and 1 year membership to the ISCB.
•    2nd prize - $250 (USD) and 1 year membership to the ISCB.
•    3rd prize - $150 (USD) and 1 year membership to the ISCB.
COMPETITION ENTRY INFORMATION
 
 
 

ISCB Dependent Care Grants Now Available

ISCB recognizes that many of our members have personal care responsibilities that can present a challenge to attending scientific conferences, and hence interfere with career advancement. We also recognize that you know best how to care for your own dependents and what their needs are.

Accordingly, ISCB offers Dependent Care grants in the amount of $600 USD to as many eligible candidates as allowed by available funding to be used towards expenses that will facilitate the member’s attendance at ISMB 2024.

Submission Deadline: May 30, 2024
Notification of Acceptance: June 7, 2024
Learn More

Funding for this grant is proudly provided by the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB)

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Showcase Your Knowledge: Demonstrate your mastery and present the latest advancements in your field to a diverse, engaged audience.


We invite you to contribute to our tutorial program by submitting your proposal.

Why Should You Lead a Tutorial?
Showcase your knowledge and skills to a diverse audience of professionals and students eager to learn.

  • Gain recognition as a thought leader in your field.
  • Showcase your knowledge and skills to a diverse audience.
  • Drive innovation and inspire the next generation of computational biologists.

Deadline for Tutorial Proposals: Monday, April 15

Submit a Tutorial Proposal
ISCBacademy Tutorial Program Information
 

Abstract deadline is April 19!

Dear *|FNAME|*,

 

Do you have new research to share? Do you want to be one step closer to achieving your goals?

 

Get ready to open opportunities by participating in THE international conference on computational biology and bioinformatics!

 

The abstract deadline for ISMB 2024 is just around the corner, on April 19. Why wait? Submit your work today.

 

But what’s in it for you?

 

Experience talking publicly

 

Reach global audience

 

Share your new research

 

See reactions and get feedback

 

Brainstorm new ideas

 

Create connections

 

Learn about other tech innovations

 

⚖️ Choose to present in person or virtually

 

It’s not too late to submit!

Learn more about submissions

If you do decide to join in person, we are convinced you’ll enjoy the beautiful city of Montreal, Canada, where this year’s conference will be held from July 12-16.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

 

We look forward to welcoming you to ISMB 2024 for an inspiring and enriching experience!

 

Hope to see you there,

The ISMB Team

 
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ISCB Open Call for Leadership Nominations for ISCB Board of Directors, Vice President, Treasurer, and Student Council Executive Team! 

 
ISCB Board of Directors Nominations Deadline: April 18, 2024

ISCB Officer (Vice President and Treasurer) and Student COuncil Executive Team Nominations Deadline: May 30, 2024

 

ISCB is encouraging members to submit nominations for the Society’s leadership - Board of Directors and open Officer positions.  Nominations are submitted at www.iscb.org/nominate (you must login to your membership record to access the nomination form). In all cases, self-nominations will not be accepted.

The 2024 Officer positions to be elected are Treasurer and Vice President.  If you know of excellent candidates that meet the eligibility requirements, please be sure to submit your nomination(s). Details of the positions, procedures, requirements, and timeline are available on the ISCB website at: https://www.iscb.org/leadership-nominations-and-elections.

We are looking forward to an active participation by the ISCB membership in the nomination and election process, and we thank you in advance for your qualified nominations.

If you have any questions, please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
 
 

ISCB Collaborative, Co-sponsored, and Affiliated Events Calendar

 

28th Annual International Conference on Research in Computational Molecular Biology (RECOMB 2024)

Apr 29, 2024 - May 02, 2024
Cambridge, MA, USA
https://recomb.org/recomb2024/
ISCB Member Discount: 15 percent
 

The Gary Stormo Symposium on Computational Biology

May 21, 2024
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
https://genetics.wustl.edu/the-stormo-symposium-on-computational-biology/
 

8th Brazilian Student Council Symposium - Bioinformatics Training and Education

June 11 - 14, 2024
Salvador, Brazil
http://rsg-brazil.iscbsc.org/
 

11th International Work-Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering

July 15 - July 17, 2024
Hotel Lopesan, Gran Canaria, Spain
https://iwbbio.ugr.es/
ISCB Member Discount: 15 percent
 
 

20th International Symposium on Bioinformatics Research and Applications

July 19 - July 21, 2024
Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
https://genetics.wustl.edu/the-stormo-symposium-on-computational-biology/
ISCB Member Discount: 15%

European Conference on Computational Biology  - ECCB2024

September 16 - 20, 2024
Finland - Turku
https://eccb2024.fi/
ISCB Member Discount: 15 percent
 

Asia & Pacific Bioinformatics Joint Conference

October 22 - 25, 2024
Okinawa, Japan
https://www.apbjc.asia/
ISCB Member Discount: $100 USD
 

PSB (Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing) 2025

January 04 - 08, 2025
Hawaii - Kohala Coast, Big Island, United States
http://psb.stanford.edu/
ISCB Member Discount: $50 USD
 

Interested in applying for the ISCB Collaborative Conferences Program?

ISCB welcomes conference applications in the field of computational biology and bioinformatics to the Collaborative Conferences program. Organizers and co‐organizers must hold an advanced doctoral degree and should have experience organizing a scientific program, as organizers and co‐organizers are responsible for all scientific aspects of the conference. 

ISCB offers several different application options for consideration.

Learn more at https://www.iscb.org/affiliate-conference-form

 
 
 
 

Eager to showcase your latest findings in bioinformatics? Don't miss the chance to present at ISMB 2024 by submitting your abstract today. Join us in advancing the frontiers of computational biology - submit now!

ISMB 2024 provides an intense multidisciplinary forum for disseminating the latest developments in computational biology, fosters fresh dialogues and perspectives to learn about and shape the future of the field. ISMB is conducted over a five-day period. The heart of our scientific programme is the ISCB Communities of Special Interest (COSIs). Participants can look forward to a rich scientific programme organized to engage, inspire, and elevate.
 
 
 

ECCB 2024 Call for Submissions

ECCB2024 invites proposals for full manuscripts for proceedings publications and talks, as well as abstracts for scientific talks and posters in the field of computational biology and bioinformatics. All submissions should fall under one of the six scientific themes of the ECCB2024 conference:

  • Genomes
  • Proteins
  • Systems biology and multiomics
  • Single-cell omics
  • Microbiomes and planetary health
  • Digital health

The theme assigned will be used to streamline the review processes and to group the conference presentations in appropriate thematic sessions.  The authors should indicate the preferred theme in the submission form. The ECCB2024 Programme Committee will determine to which theme a submission is assigned, considering the authors’ preferences.

 

 

Submission Deadlines

Proceedings
4 April 2024 at 23.59 EET (UTC/GMT +2)

Highlight talks and posters
23 April 2024

Submit Today
 
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