The 20th Ataxia-Telangiectasia Workshop, held jointly with the 15th International Symposium on DNA Damage Response & Human Disease (ATW-2024/isDDRHD-2024), successfully took place from October 17 to October 20, 2024, at the Lihu Campus of Shenzhen University.
The symposium was jointly organized by several esteemed institutions, including Shenzhen University Medical School (SZUMS), the Guangdong Key Laboratory for Genome Stability & Disease Prevention, Carson International Cancer Center, the Marshall Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, the Chinese Society of Chromatin Biology (CSCB), and the Shenzhen University General Hospital-Dehua Hospital Joint Research Center on Precision Medicine. Dr. Xingzhi Xu, Executive Dean of SZUMS, served as the meeting president. The event was co-organized by distinguished scientists, including Dr. Xingzhi Xu (SZU), Dr. Zhao-Qi Wang (Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute), Dr. Peter J. McKinnon (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital), and Dr. Weiguo Zhu (Carson International Cancer Center, SZU).
The ATW traditionally brings together basic research scientists, clinicians, and community partners to discuss progress in AT research, to advance strategies for a cure. The isDDRHD series, which centers on DNA damage response, genome stability, and cancer, began in 2010 as the Sino-German DNA Repair meeting and has evolved into an annual international symposium since 2012. Over the past 14 years, isDDRHD has gained a reputation as one of the most respected research conferences in China.
Welcome remarks by Profs. Xueji Zhang and Xingzhi Xu
The symposium began with opening remarks by Profs. Xueji Zhang and Xingzhi Xu, followed by an opening ceremony chaired by Profs. Xingzhi Xu and Zhaoqi Wang. Keynote speeches were delivered by Prof. Shunichi Takeda (Shenzhen University) and Prof. Yosef Shiloh (Tel Aviv University School of Medicine).
More than 20 renowned international experts, including Profs. Guoliang Xu (Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology), Ian Hickson (University of Copenhagen), Stephen Kowalczykowski (University of California, Davis), Stephen West (Francis Crick Institute), Alan D’Andrea (Harvard Medical School), Simon Boulton (Francis Crick Institute), Martin Eilers (Theodor-Boveri-Institute Biocenter), Vincenzo Costanzo and Marco Foiani (IFOM), Xiaodong Zhang (Francis Crick Institute), Gerd Pfeifer (Van Andel Research Institute), Lee Zou (Duke University), Zhenkun Lou (Mayo Clinic), Weihang Chai (Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University), Akira Shinohara (Osaka University), and Hisao Masai (Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science), shared their groundbreaking research through engaging presentations.
The event fostered vibrant discussions and knowledge exchanges with over 200 early-career scholars from diverse universities and research institutes.
Keynote speeches by Prof. Shunichi Takeda (Shenzhen University) and Prof. Yosef Shiloh (Tel Aviv University School of Medicine)
The symposium received high praise from participants, with international colleagues commending China’s gathering of qualified experts in A-T and DNA damage response and the steady improvement in research quality. The event has substantially promoted the development of DNA damage repair research not only within Shenzhen University, but also across China.
ATW-2024/isDDRHD-2024 Speakers
The 21st Ataxia-Telangiectasia Workshop (ATW-2026) is scheduled to take place in February 2026 in Kolkata, India, while isDDRHD-2025 will be hosted by Qingdao University from October 17 to 19, 2025.
ATW-2024/isDDRHD-2024 Group photo
Source: Chinese Society for Cell Biology
