Invited Speakers

List of invited speakers including contribution abstract

Reiner Siebert – University of Ulm, Germany

Head of the Institute for Human Genetics

The Quantum Physical Aspect of Epigenetics in the Living Cell Epigenetic mechanisms are informational cellular processes instructing normal and diseased phenotypes. They are associated with DNA but without altering the DNA sequence, and usual comprise chemical processes like DNA methylation or histone modifications. We recently proposed the existence of an additional quantum physics layer of epigenetics (Siebert et al., Clin Epigenetics, 2023). In this lecture, based on experimental data and theoretical considerations from the fields of life sciences, physics and chemistry, a series of testable hypotheses will be presented on how quantum physical properties of DNA could potentially influence epigenetic informational processes and gene expression regulation in health and disease of living beings.

Ai-Min Guo – Central South University, China

Professor at the School of Physics and Electronics

[Abstract text to be added here when available.]

Helene Kretzmer – Hasso Plattner Institute and University of Potsdam, Germany

Professor for Computational Genomics

Epigenetics – Basic principles and physiological relevance Epigenetic regulation enables cells to stably maintain identity while remaining responsive to developmental and environmental cues. This talk introduces the basic principles of DNA methylation, focusing on the enzymatic machinery that establishes, maintains, and interprets methylation patterns and how these patterns shape gene regulation, chromatin organization, and cellular function, including the physiological roles of DNA methylation across development and cell differentiation, and how epigenetic deregulation is associated with malignant transformation.

Agostino Migliore – Padua University, Italy

Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemical Sciences

[Abstract text to be added here when available.]

Susan Quinn – University College Dublin, Ireland

Professor at School of Chemistry

[Abstract text to be added here when available.]

Hans-Achim Wagenknecht – Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany

Research group leader at Wagenknecht group

Natural epigenetic DNA modifications cause DNA photodamage by triplet energy transfer Investigating the migration of excited-state energy in DNA is crucial for a deep understanding of protection mechanisms and light-induced DNA damage. While numerous reports focused on single electron transfer and Förster-type energy transfer in DNA, studies on the Dexter-type triplet-triplet energy transfer are scarce, in particular those with direct detection of photoexcited triplet states. We study these processes using artificial photosensitizers, including xanthones, thioxanthones, benzophenones and acetophenones, as synthetic C-nucleosides in specially designed photoactive DNA architectures, by photochemical and spectroscopic means. We observe cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers as DNA photodamages as a result of the triplet photochemistry. Moreover, 5-formyl-2’-deoxycytidine, an intermediate during the erasure of the epigenetic marker 5-methyl-2’-deoxycytidine, and 5-formyl-2’-deoxyuridine, an oxidative lesion of thymidine, are naturally occurring DNA modifications. The carbonyl groups of these two modified nucleotides are the smallest possible photosensitizers. To demonstrate their damaging potential, special ternary DNA architectures were used in which the formylated nucleotides and the site for damage formation were located at well-defined positions in the DNA sequences. This shows for the first time that epigenetic DNA modifications interact with sunlight and can induce DNA photodamages, not only locally, but also at remote site, few base pairs away. References
M. Schrödter, H.-A. Wagenknecht, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 20742−20749.
S. Häcker, J. A. Moghtader, C. Kerzig, H.-A. Wagenknecht, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2025, 23, 5826-5832.
S. Häcker, T. J. B. Zähringer, H.-A. Wagenknecht, C. Kerzig, JACS Au 2025, 5, 2770-2778.
S. Häcker, M. Schrödter, A. Kuhlmann, H.-A. Wagenknecht, JACS Au 2023, 3, 1843-1850.
H.-A. Wagenknecht, ChemBioChem 2022, 23, e202100265.

Danny Porath – The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Vice Dean Research, Head of The Porath Nano-Bio-Electronics Lab

[Abstract text to be added here when available.]

Ron Naaman – The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Head of the Molecular Electronics Ron Naaman's Group

The Role of Electron’s Spin in Transferring Information and Energy in Biological Systems Spin-based properties, applications, and devices are typically associated with magnetic effects and magnetic materials. However, chiral organic molecules, and in particular chiral biomolecules, can inject spin-polarized electrons. These electrons enhance electron-transfer efficiency and play a significant role in many biological processes, such as respiration and proton transfer. This phenomenon of Chiral-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) has been investigated in proteins and enzymes, in electron conduction through DNA, and in numerous biochemical reactions. Several examples illustrating the role of spin-polarized electrons in biological systems will be discussed in detail.

Alexander Eisfeld – Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

PostDoc researcher at the Chair of Theoretical Quantum Optics

[Abstract text to be added here when available.]

Dennis Herb – University of Ulm, Germany

Researcher at the Institute for Complex Quantum Systems

[Abstract text to be added here when available.]

Maria Coral del Val Muñoz – University of Granada, Spain

Associate Professor at Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

[Abstract text to be added here when available.]