The “2.0nd Meeting of the Italian C. elegans Research Community” (MICeRCo) took place last month in Naples at the Art Relais Palazzo Cappuccini. The meeting has been organized by Elia Di Schiavi (IBBR, Naples) and Simone Martinelli (ISS, Rome), with the help of Pamela Santonicola, Giuseppina Zampi (IBBR, Naples) and Luca Pannone (ISS, Rome). Many of these people are also part of BOW project and a talk acknowledging the project was presented by Pamela.
After the cancellation of the previous edition in 2020 due to the pandemic, they successfully met in person during two half-days. The event had over 65 registrants from Italy, Germany and UK and 24 abstracts submitted. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together Italian Researchers using C.elegans as animal model and to facilitate their scientific interactions in a friendly environment. In fact, thanks to an increasing interest in this powerful animal model and an evergrowing local community, they succeeded in gathering together historical and recent C.elegans labs to share informations, tools, ideas.
In particular, the main objectives of the meeting were:
- to favor the exchange of ideas, materials and information (on the example of small national meetings already held in Spain, France, United Kingdom and local meetings organized in the United States);
- to consolidate the Italian scientific community of C. elegans thanks to the interaction of Italian researchers working with C.elegans, both in Italy and in Europe;
- to allow researchers working with different models to be aware of the potential offered by C.elegans (whether they already collaborate or intend to collaborate) and give them the opportunity to present results or ideas for future collaborations;
- to give an opportunity to Italians working abroad with C.elegans to know and be known by those who work in Italy;
- to give young people the chance to present their data in an informal environment;
- to introduce the most advanced equipment and technologies from the C.elegans community.
Thanks to the sponsors, they were able to offer 18 travel and 21 accommodation grants to young participants and two amazing Lectures have been given by Prof. Mario de Bono (Institute of Science and Technology Austria, ISTA, Vienna, Austria) and by Dr. Germano Cecere (Department of Development and Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France).
