Telomeres are specialized structures that protect the ends of linear chromosomes in eukaryotes. Research in this area has revealed that telomere maintenance is critical for stem cell function and normal tissue homeostasis but is also hijacked in cancers as a means to cellular immortality. This EMBO Workshop will explore the latest advances in telomere basic biology, its involvement in organism homeostasis and disease, as well as its impact on ecology and evolution. By providing an ideal forum for open discussions, this Workshop will foster new and exciting collaborations between discovery scientists and clinicians, and provide a welcoming environment for new and young researchers to engage in this highly dynamic area of science.

Topics to be covered include:

• Structural organization of telomeres

• Telomeric chromatin and transcription

• Telomere and telomerase regulation

• Mechanisms counteracting replication stress and damage at telomeres

• Consequences of telomere dysfunction

• Pathogenesis and therapeutic perspectives of telomeropathies

• Telomere ecology and evolution