Jens Lüders, head of the "Microtubule Organisation" group at IRB Barcelona, is the coordinator, together with Tim Stearns, at the University of Stanford, of the Barcelona Biomed Conference "The microtubule cytoskeleton in development and disease", an event supported by the BBVA Foundation. The conference brings together 22 international experts from the United States, Canada and Europe. Before an audience of 150 invited scientists, these speakers will address the breakthroughs and challenges in this field of biomedicine, which has implications on many human diseases, and it is of special interest in cancer research. This event will be held from 20 to 22 March at the Institut d'Estudis Catalans, in Barcelona.

“The inside of cells is organized by microtubules, without which cells cannot function”, explains Jens Lüders, researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). Microtubules are tiny filaments that shrink, lengthen, cluster and bend, depending on cell requirements. They are involved in cell mobility, cell division, intracellular transport, positioning of organelles in the cytoplasm and intra and extra-cellular signalling, among other functions.

Microtubules are involved in the segregation of chromosomes during cell division, pulling them apart so that each daughter cell receives the correct number. Knowledge about the function of microtubules during mitosis is crucial for human health. For example, interfering with microtubule function prevents the separation of chromosomes and is one way to halt the out-of-control growth seen in cancer cells.

“Some of the most efficient drugs against cancer act on microtubules, but also on microtubules in healthy cells. A better understanding of the mechanisms that control microtubules will allow the design of less aggressive and more specific treatments that do not affect healthy cells”, says Lüders. Much of the conference focuses on this function, and cell division and the diverse components involved in this process, with a special emphasis on the division of stem cells and associated pathologies.

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