The third edition of the Single Cell Network Ghent (SiNG) Annual Meeting is waiting at the doorstep! This year’s edition will allow you to interact with local researchers more directly. We would like to give you the opportunity to discuss your single-cell/spatial biology research with the local single-cell research community:
– Are you looking for input from your colleagues?
– Are you stuck with your pile of data and need advice?
– Do you have burning questions about single-cell/spatial technologies that you were always ‘too afraid to ask’?
– Would you like to learn about how local research groups use single-cell/special technologies to study biological systems?

Then, the SiNG annual meeting is the place to be! Be prepared for a full afternoon of dedicated sessions on biological applications, technological developments and bioinformatics/computational analysis, followed by casual round-table discussions tailored to your research needs!

We are still looking for flash talk speakers! We encourage everyone, with or without single cell experience, to participate and shortly show where what your research is about.

Location: Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent). Auditorium E (flash talks) and MRBE3 (discussions and gathering)

Preliminary schedule:
13:30 – 13:45 Overview/Introduction
13:45 – 14:30 Flash Talk Session 1: Biological applications of single-cell/spatial technologies
14:30 – 14:50 Break
14:50 – 15:35 Flash Talk Session 2: Technology Development 15:35 – 15:55 Break
15:55 – 16:40 Flash Talk Session 3: Bioinformatics/Computational Tools
16:40 – 18:00 Round Table Discussions with Drinks (in MRBE3)

During the round table discussions, you will be allowed to freely move around between different topics, so you can discuss all your single-cell/spatial biology issues with your peers. We are looking for presenters! If you are interested in presenting, showcasing and discussing your work during the flash talk sessions (3-5 min presentations), please let us know via the registration link above (latest by May 10th)!

Idea:

You present the core scientific questions, how you are trying to address these questions and, in particular, raise potential problems/issues you are/were struggling with. This way, you can obtain direct inputs during the coffee break and the issues raised can be used to drive the round table discussions.

Rules:

– 3 Slides: What is your research expertise (research focus of your group)? What is your project about/project in short? What are your main issues/where do you need help/inputs?
– 3-5 min per talk
– ~9 Flash talks per session
– Send us your Powerpoint slides by the end of May 14th

Don’t know where to start with your flash talk? Check out EMBL’s ‘How to present a memorable flash talk in 12 easy steps’ guideline!

We are looking forward to meeting many of you soon in Ghent!

• Fabian Coscia (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany)

Fabian Coscia is a former PhD student and postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Matthias Mann (MPI Munich and NNF Center for Protein Research, Copenhagen), where he co-developed the ‘deep visual proteomics’ (DVP) workflow for spatial proteomics. Fabian Coscia is currently a junior group leader at the MDC Berlin, where he is continuing the development of DVP to study tissues derived from preclinical models and archived biobank samples.
Link: https://www.mdc-berlin.de/coscia
 
Key publications:

• Mund et al. Deep Visual Proteomics Defines Single-Cell Identity and Heterogeneity, Nat Biotechnol. 40(8): 1231-1240 (2022).
• Bech et al. Proteomic Profiling of Colorectal Adenomas Identifies a Predictive Risk Signature for Development of Metachronous Advanced Colorectal Neoplasia, Gastroenterology. 165(1): 121-132 (2023).
• Makhmut et al. An Automated and Fast Sample Preparation Workflow for Laser Microdissection Guided Ultrasensitive Proteomics, bioRxiv, 2023.11.29.569257 (2023).

• Laurent Gatto (De Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium)

Laurent Gatto is leading a computational proteomics group developing various tools for proteomics data analysis and visualization. Recently, his group also stepped into the field of mass spectrometry-based single-cell proteomics, for which they developed the ‘scp’ R package and the ‘scplainer’ workflow for standardized SCP data analysis. Together with other leaders in the (single-cell) mass spectrometry field (including Ruedi Aebersold, Vadim Demichev, Ryan Kelly, Erwin Schoof and Nikolai Slavov), he co-authored a first manuscript on recommended guidelines for single-cell proteomics experiments.
Link: https://lgatto.github.io/cbio-lab/
 
Key publications:

• Vanderaa et al. The current state of single-cell proteomics data analysis, Curr Protoc., 3(1): e658.
• Gatto et al. Initial recommendations for performing, benchmarking and reporting single-cell proteomics experiments, Nat Methods. 20(3): 375-386 (2023).
• Vanderaa & Gatto. scplainer: Using Linear Models to Understand Mass Spectrometry-Based Single-Cell Proteomics Data, bioRxiv, 2023.12.14.571792 (2023).

• Maarten Dhaenens (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences & ProGenTomics Facility, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium)

Maarten Dhaenens is a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, led by Prof. Dieter Deforce, and coordinator of the proteomics service facility of ProGenTomics at Ghent University. Starting to work in the field of mass spectrometry-based proteomics in 2005, his research increasingly focused on the analysis of histone post-translational modifications (hPTMs), a notoriously difficult task. This research resulted in innovative workflows and data acquisition strategies to enable mass spectrometry-based hPTM analysis aiming to create a comprehensive database for histone/epigenetic fingerprints of patient tissues. Together with his PhD student Laura Corveleyn, he more recently started to combine and miniaturize single-cell proteomics and histone analysis workflows to enable hPTM analysis on the single-cell level.
Link: https://www.progentomics.ugent.be/

• Key publications:
• Vossaert et al. Identification of histone H3 clipping activity in human embryonic stem cells, Stem Cell Res., 13(1): 123-34 (2014).
• Verhelst et al. A large scale mass spectrometry-based histone screening for assessing epigenetic developmental toxicity, Sci Rep. 12(1): 1256 (2022).
• Provez et al. An interactive mass spectrometry atlas of histone posttranslational modifications in T-cell acute leukemia, Sci Data. 9(1): 626 (2022).