Somatic Mosaicism in Human Development, Aging, and Diseases
Important Deadlines
Early Registration Deadline: January 5, 2027
Scholarship Deadline: November 10, 2026
Short Talk Abstract Deadline: November 10, 2026
Poster Abstract Deadline: February 12, 2027
Meeting Summary
Title: Somatic Mosaicism in Human Development, Aging, and Diseases
Date: March 7 - 10, 2027
Location: Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Scientific Organizers: Nuria Lopez-Bigas, Gilad Evrony, and Young Seok Ju
Keynote Speaker(s): Benjamin L. Ebert, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The study of somatic mosaicism has provided new fundamental insights into human development, aging, and diverse diseases. Comprehensive analyses of somatic mosaicism has enabled tracing of lineagess from the fertilized egg to adult organs, and it has revealed novel aspects of mutational processes active across tissues. Furthermore, somatic mosaicism has been identified as consequential to human diseases with previously unknown etiology.
This meeting will serve as a forum for exchange of emerging research concepts and directions in the field of somatic mosaicism, and it will provide an opportunity for new investigators to be introduced to this exciting new field. The meeting will integrate diverse aspects of somatic mosaicism, from mechanisms to translational disease insights. Specifically, the program will cover:
- the development of new sequencing and bioinformatic tools for accurately detecting somatic mosaicism;
- the involvement of somatic mosaicism in human development and aging;
- somatic mosaicism in disease biology, and modeling thereof;
- efforts to translate research on somatic mosaicism to the clinic.
This meeting will bring together scientists and clinicians from developmental and aging biology, bioinformatics, systems biology, molecular and genetic biology, medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry to collaboratively explore the intersection of these diverse fields and collectively advance our understanding of somatic mosaicism in health and disease.
*This meeting will be held jointly with Cell Competition: Fitness, Diversity, and Adaptation Across Scales and Species
Join Options
Attend in person, via livestream, or catch sessions on demand after the conclusion of the conference.
*Keystone Symposia Scholarships & Awards*
Keystone Symposia offers discounted registration to students in undergraduate, M.S., Ph.D., or M.D. programs, providing access to the latest scientific advances, technologies, and approaches to further research and careers.
In addition, several financial aid opportunities are also available to support attendance at its scientific meetings:
- Student and Postdoctoral Scholarships provide up to $1,200 to help defray travel, lodging, registration, and related costs when presenting a poster at an in-person conference. Awards are competitive, based on the abstract’s scientific quality and relevance, and you must apply by the individual scholarship deadline for the desired meeting (abstract + mentor letter required).
- Early-Career Travel Awards (ECITAs) support early-career investigators with funding to attend meetings; these also require application by the posted deadline for each conference.
- Global Health Travel Awards (GHTAs) provide financial aid for scientists, clinicians, fellows, and students from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to participate in select Keystone Symposia meetings, especially those focused on global health topics. These awards may cover registration, lodging, airfare, and ground transportation, and applications are submitted through the Financial Aid Portal by the listed meeting deadlines. Learn which meetings have in-person GHTAs available: https://www.keystonesymposia.org/financial-aid/global-health-awards/ghta-listing
For details on eligibility, deadlines, and how to apply for financial aid, visit: https://www.keystonesymposia.org/financial-aid.
Cell Competition: Fitness, Diversity, and Adaptation Across Scales and Species
Important Deadlines
Early Registration Deadline: January 5, 2027
Scholarship Deadline: November 10, 2026
Short Talk Abstract Deadline: November 10, 2026
Poster Abstract Deadline: February 12, 2027
Meeting Summary
Title: Cell Competition: Fitness, Diversity, and Adaptation Across Scales and Species
Date: March 7 - 10, 2027
Location: Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Scientific Organizers: Laura A. Johnston, Thomas P. Zwaka, and Tristan A Rodriguez
Keynote Speaker(s): Benjamin L. Ebert, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harmit S. Malik, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Cell competition is a fundamental feature of biology across evolution, contributing to morphogenesis, tissue homeostasis, and disease, including clonal evolution in cancer, regeneration failure, aging, and responses to microbial infection. Cell Competition: Fitness, Diversity, and Adaptation Across Scales and Species convenes researchers from diverse fields to highlight advances in the mechanisms and consequences of cell competition and technical approaches in model systems over an evolutionary scale (bacteria, early chordates, Drosophila, zebrafish, mouse, human organoids, and patient tissues).
The meeting seeks to establish cell competition as a framework for informing organismal development, normal biology, and disease. Program sessions span genome integrity, cellular fitness, metabolic surveillance, and cellular stress response, as well as tissue formation, homeostasis, and disease. The program also includes a panel discussion on technological advancements in studying cell competition.
This meeting is held jointly with Somatic Mosaicism in Human Development, Aging, and Diseases. Through a joint keynote and scientific session, focused plenary sessions, and abstract-selected oral presentations attendees will explore how principles of cell competition operate across scales and species, offering new perspectives and revealing actionable therapeutic targets and biomarkers to modulate competitive dynamics.
*This meeting will be held jointly with Somatic Mosaicism in Human Development, Aging, and Diseases
Join Options
Attend in person, via livestream, or catch sessions on demand after the conclusion of the conference.
*Keystone Symposia Scholarships & Awards*
Keystone Symposia offers discounted registration to students in undergraduate, M.S., Ph.D., or M.D. programs, providing access to the latest scientific advances, technologies, and approaches to further research and careers.
In addition, several financial aid opportunities are also available to support attendance at its scientific meetings:
- Student and Postdoctoral Scholarships provide up to $1,200 to help defray travel, lodging, registration, and related costs when presenting a poster at an in-person conference. Awards are competitive, based on the abstract’s scientific quality and relevance, and you must apply by the individual scholarship deadline for the desired meeting (abstract + mentor letter required).
- Early-Career Travel Awards (ECITAs) support early-career investigators with funding to attend meetings; these also require application by the posted deadline for each conference.
- Global Health Travel Awards (GHTAs) provide financial aid for scientists, clinicians, fellows, and students from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to participate in select Keystone Symposia meetings, especially those focused on global health topics. These awards may cover registration, lodging, airfare, and ground transportation, and applications are submitted through the Financial Aid Portal by the listed meeting deadlines. Learn which meetings have in-person GHTAs available: https://www.keystonesymposia.org/financial-aid/global-health-awards/ghta-listing
For details on eligibility, deadlines, and how to apply for financial aid, visit: https://www.keystonesymposia.org/financial-aid.