Program themes
The scientific scope
The University of Texas at Austin
DNA structure and molecular mechanisms
Sequence determinants, energetics, dynamics, and cellular formation of G-quadruplexes, Z-DNA/Z-RNA, cruciforms, hairpins, triplex/H-DNA, and slipped structures.
- structural biology
- biophysics
- chemical probing
- single-molecule
Genome instability, replication, repair, and recombination
How alternative structures affect fork progression, repair pathway choice, recombination, chromosome breakage, repeat instability, and mutation.
- replication stress
- repair pathway choice
- repeat instability
- mutagenesis
Cancer and human disease
Links between structure-forming sequences and mutational hotspots, repeat-expansion disorders, rearrangements, cancer mutagenesis, and inherited disease.
- mutational hotspots
- repeat expansion
- rearrangements
- biomarkers
Genome-wide mapping and computational discovery
Detection and prediction of structure-forming sequences by sequencing, chemical and enzymatic mapping, motif discovery, biophysical scoring, and integrative analysis.
- genome-wide maps
- motif discovery
- biophysical scoring
- integrative analysis
Evolution, population variation, and pangenomes
How structure-forming sequences arise, persist, and turn over — across population variation, pangenomes, repetitive DNA, and diverse species.
- pangenomes
- population variation
- repetitive DNA
- selective constraint
AI, new technologies, and scalable biological discovery
Foundation models, machine learning, long-read and single-cell sequencing, high-throughput perturbation, databases, and reproducible benchmarking.
- foundation models
- long-read sequencing
- perturbation screens
- benchmarking
Therapeutics, diagnostics, and biotechnology
Structure-targeting molecules, biomarkers, genome engineering, synthetic biology, and diagnostics — including limitations, specificity, and safety.
- structure-targeting ligands
- genome engineering
- diagnostics
- safety
Each theme maps onto one scientific session — see the draft program for session descriptions and indicative times.
Abstracts are invited across all seven themes, with short talks selected from every session.