International Workshop on
Blebs and Cell Cortex Mechanics in Cell Movement

October 6 - 8, 2008

Scientific coordinators:
Frank Jülicher (Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems Dresden, Germany)
Ewa Paluch (IIMCB, Warsaw, Poland and Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics Dresden, Germany)
Erez Raz (Institute for Cell Biology, University of Münster, Germany)

Organisation:
Katrin Lantsch (Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems Dresden, Germany)

Blebs are dynamic membrane protrusions induced by contractions of the actomyosin cortex that play an important role in cell migration within 3-dimensional environments. In this workshop we plan to bring together scientists interested in the dynamics of the actin cortex and blebs, from fields including cell Biology, developmental Biology as well as theoretical and experimental biophysics. The workshop will be limited in size to favor discussions of old data, new findings and future challenges in this emerging topic.

List of confirmed invited speakers:
Tobias Baumgart (Philadelphia, USA), Guillaume Charras (London, UK), Stephan Grill (Dresden, Germany), Carl-Philipp Heisenberg (Dresden, Germany), Tony Hyman (Dresden, Germany), Jean-Francois Joanny (Paris, France), Rob Kay (Cambridge, UK), L. Mahadevan (Cambridge, USA), Fred MacKintosh (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Timothy Mitchison (Cambridge, USA), Michael Olson (Glasgow, UK), Jacques Prost (Paris, France), Anne Ridley (London, UK), Eric Sahai (London, UK), Michael Sheetz (New York, USA), Thierry Soldati (Geneva, Switzerland), Julie Theriot (Stanford, USA)

Application for participation and poster contributions are welcome and should be made by using the application form on the workshop's web page (please see URL below). Some abstracts will be selected for short talks. The number of attendees is limited. The registration fee for the workshop is 100 Euro and should be paid by all participants. Costs for accommodation and meals will be covered by the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems. Limited funding is available to partially cover travel expenses. Please note that childcare is available upon request.

Deadline for registration is July 15, 2008.

For further information please e-mail to: cellmo08@mpipks-dresden.mpg.de