Gsk Siena hosts the Embl event in Italy
Infection biology, microbiology, structural biology and artificial intelligence are some of the areas of common interest that will be discussed during theevent organized by Embl and Gsk vaccinis, which will be attended by numerous numerous Italian research institutes.
In the session dedicated to artificial intelligence, Sameer Velankar, team leader at the English headquarters of the EMBL will present Alphafold, the algorithm capable of predicting protein structures starting from their sequence. The algorithm, developed by DeepMind and made available to the scientific community through a partnership with the EMBL, has been defined as the most important scientific discovery of 2021 by the journal Science. Almost a year after its publication, over a million protein structures have already been determined by Alphafold.
There will also be a keynote lecture by Professor Sergio Abrignani, Scientific Director of the National Institute of Molecular Gene, who will also participate in the discussion “Tools for dealing with the pandemic”, which will close the event.
Since 2016, the Embl has been organizing the annual appointment “Embl in Italy” in collaboration with public and private research institutions. The aim is to share the research results of the EMBL with the Italian scientific community and the local community of alumni, and to increase the network of collaborations in Italy – one of the founding states of the EMBL and which for over twenty years has hosted a of its 6 offices in Europe.
“Embl events in Italy are an exciting way to meet industry leaders and stay up-to-date on research,” said Cornelius Gross, interim director of the Italian Embl headquarters in Monterotondo, near Rome. “We are thrilled that GSK will host the annual event this year which is being organized by the EMBL and its alumni network for the benefit of the Italian life sciences community.”
There are numerous scientific connections already existing between Embl and Gsk, also the result of the presence of a group of Embl alumni within Gsk, promoters of the event. Among these, Ennio De Gregorio, global director of bacterial vaccine research Gsk Vaccines, who completed his training with a PhD at Embl.
“It is an honor to host the annual Embl event at the Gsk Vaccines site in Siena for a high-level scientific discussion on the subject of infectious diseases and, more generally, human health” – comments De Gregorio. “I am sure that this meeting will pave the way for new opportunities to collaborate, network and share innovation in common areas of scientific and research interest, both with the center of excellence for molecular biology in Europe, and through the molecule network. Embl alumni that we will have the pleasure of hosting “.
The event also aims to promote a valuable dialogue between public and private research institutions, highlighting the mutual resources, collaboration opportunities and career opportunities offered by participating bodies.
“This is the sixth annual EMBL event in Italy and the second to be hosted in a company, thanks to the network of Embl alumni facilitating these events,” said Mehrnoosh Rayner, coordinator of the EMBL Alumni relations team. “These meetings offer an excellent opportunity – she concludes – to foster exchange between researchers, network with key players and new talents in the life sciences field, and be inspired by new research. Don’t miss this event! “