8^th Visegrad Symposium on Structural Systems Biology

Topics:

• Computational simulations and spectroscopy of biologically relevant systems.
• Applications of various computational methods (bioinformatics, MD simulations, QM calulations) or spectroscopical/microscopical techniques in studies of complex biological systems
• Development of new computational approaches or new spectroscopical/microscopical techniques in biochemistry and biophysics

The Visegrad Symposium on Structural Systems Biology (VSSSB) gathers researchers interested in the study of biomolecular systems with wide array of scientific approaches. They range from computational mehtods, including quantum calculations and atomistic or coarse-grained simulations, to experimental, mainly spectroscopic techniques. As such the meeting is a unique platform for sharing ideas and approaching common scientific problems from different points of wiev, often leading to the estabilishment of fruitful, intersisciplinary collaboration.

The history of the meetings dates back to 2009 and 2010, when two „Mini-symposium on computation of interactions in biological systems“ were organized by the research teams from Nove Hrady and Szeged in their respective towns. Later joined by partners from Bratislava and Kraków, and benefiting from the support of Visegrad International Fund, they established the tradition of annual symposia on structural systems biology. The 1^st VSSSB was organized in 2011 in Nové Hrady, Czech Republic, followed by 2^nd VSSSB in 2012 in Gyöngyöstarján, Hungary, 3^rd VSSSB in 2013 in Smolenice, Slovakia, 4^th VSSSB in 2014 in Nové Hrady, 5^th VSSSB in 2015 in Szeged, Hungary and 6^th VSSSB in 2016 in Warsaw, Poland and till now the last 7^th VSSSB in 2017 again in Nové Hrady.

The conferences were very succesfull. Apart of the scientists from the partner institutions and their colleagues in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the conferences attracted many scientist from the other countries like Austria, Germany, France, Great Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain and Switzerland. The conferences were also attended by many students including the participants of the summer schools organized in Szeged (later in Miskolc) and Nové Hrady, that are mainly the undergraduate students from USA, Canada and UK.

This year the conference will beheld in Lučenec, Slovak Republic. As in the previous years, this year conference will mainly focus on various computational methods used in the study of biologicaly relevant macromolecules ranging from quantum calculations via atomistic models to coarse-grained molecular dynamics of biological systems. The other main topic will focus on experimental techniques, mainly spectroscopic methods, that complement the simulations or can be used for verification. We hope that this year conference will be as successful as the previous ones.
We hope that this conference will be as successful as the previous ones.

The organizing team