ABSTRACT Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled “3D Genome: Gene Regulation and Disease”, organized by Drs. Bing Ren, Ana Pombo and Joseph R. Ecker. The conference will be held in Banff, Alberta from March 17-21, 2019. Transcription of the eukaryotic genome is not only driven by the cis regulatory elements embedded in the linear DNA sequence but also by the way chromosomes fold in the three-dimensional (3D) nuclear space. Growing evidence has pointed to a key role of the 3D genome architecture in gene regulation and human disease. However, the details of dynamic chromatin organization in different cell types remain opaque. Additionally, how chromatin organization shapes the gene regulatory program and influences disease pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. The major objective of this conference is to accelerate the study of 3D genome organization particularly with regard to gene regulation and human disease. The conference program will highlight recent technological advances, such as omics-based and imaging-based technologies. The conference will also discuss emerging concepts of chromatin organization and its role in cancer and other human diseases. Finally, the conference program will provide workshops and tutorials on the latest computational tools and data resources for 3D genome analysis. Because epigenetic processes such as chromatin remodeling and DNA methylation are intimately linked to the 3D genome architecture, this conference will be held jointly with the Keystone Symposia conference on “Epigenetics and Human Disease”, further enhancing the goal to stimulate cross disciplinary interactions among researchers from genomics, epigenomics, computational biology, cell biology and molecular biology fields.

PROJECT NARRATIVE The genome is traditionally viewed and studied as a linear entity, which has enabled research in the past but is becoming increasingly inadequate for modern biomedical research due to the demands of needing a comprehensive and quantitative understanding of genome function, especially with regard to gene regulation. Recent progress has been made in the understanding of higher-order structure of the genome organization, and its functional role in gene regulation and disease. This conference will take place at a time when technological advances have allowed researchers to explore the chromatin organization at an unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution.