The conference will combine presentations from leaders in the field of epigenetics and epigenetic inheritance related to behavior, metabolism and physiology in humans and animal models, from mental health and epidemiology to bioinformatics and ethics. It will address the question of how epigenetic processes mediate the impact of experiences across one or multiple generations.  Germline and non-germline modes of transmission and challenges for DNA methylation, chromatin modifications and ncRNAs as mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance will be discussed. The inherent difficulties of this challenging discipline and the innovative approaches that can address these difficulties will be critically discussed. The program includes lectures, short presentations and poster sessions. It also includes a public lecture (in German) discussing how epigenetics can change our view on health. This public lecture is open to everyone (academics, journalists and any citizen).

Speakers: 

Marisa Bartolomei, University of Pennsylvania, USA

Stefan Beck, University College London, UK

Christoph Bock, University of Vienna, AT

Liran Carmel, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, IL

Katharina Gapp, Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK

Johannes Graeff, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne, CH

Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna, Linköping University, SE

Leah Houri-Ze’evi, Tel Aviv University, IL

Eva Jablonka, Tel Aviv University, IL

Josep Jiménez-Chillarón, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, SP

Maurizio Meloni, University of Sheffield, UK

Eric Miska, University of Cambridge, UK

Ruth Müller, Technical University Munich, DE

Marcus Pembrey, University College London, UK

Vardhman Rakyan, Blizard Institute, London, UK

Minoo Rassoulzadegan, University of Nice, FR

Abhay Sharma, Dehli University Campus, IN

Michael Skinner, Washington State University, USA

Adelheid Soubry, Catholic University Leuven, BE

Peter Spork, Wissenschaftsautor, Hamburg, DE

Moshe Szyf, McGill University, Montreal, CA

Jorg Tost, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Evry, FR

Erica Watson, University of Cambridge, UK

Rachel Yehuda, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, USA

The symposium will be held in the historic main building of ETHZ, talks and the public lecture in the Auditorium Maximum, Room 30, Floor F, and poster sessions in the aula outside the auditorium.