Introduction Week: DNA Fundamentals

The LightDyNAmics Introduction Week will be held on 21 - 25 January 2019 the Institute for Biostructures and Bioimaging (CNR) in Naples, Italy.  The ESRs will be introduced to their new field of light/soft-matter interaction and will take the vital first steps in forming the key relationships across the LightDyNAmics network. ESRs will be introduced to the basic principles of genetics, DNA and RNA structure.

Programme

Day 1 

• Presentation of IBB
• ESR presentations
• Nucleic Acids, a histroical perspective: from the first understanding of the principle of genetics to the discovery of the duplex structure (L. Vitiglano, IBB-CNR)
• Basic principles of genetics: DNA/RNA/protein synthesis (M.Müller, LMUM)

Day 2

• RNA structural conformational behaviour (J. Sponer, MUNI)
• Basics of the photophysics of the isolated bases: Experiments (T. Gustavsson, CNRS)
• Basics of the photophysics of Polynucleotides: Experiments (D. Markovitsi, CNRS)
• Guided Tour of the historic centre of Naples

Day 3

• Management Board meeting
• Basics on the photophysics of the isolated bases: Calculations (M. Garavelli, UNIBO)
• Basics of DNA structure and conformational behaviour: Single strand, Duplex, Quadruplex (J. Plavec, KI)
• Exercises on genetics, spectrscopy, formation of hydrogen bonds, QM calculations

Day 4

• Experimental approaches for the characterization of DNA structure and energetics (S. Quinn, UCD)
• DNA based nanomaterials (S. Quinn, UCD)
• Basics of the photochemistry of Polynucleotides: Experiments (D. Markovitsi, CNRS)
• Basics of the photophysics of Polynucleotides: Calculations (F. Santoro, ICCOM-CNR)
• Team Exercises: Short MD simulations and QM calculations on the photophysics of oligonucleotides

Day 5

• Intervening with DNA in drug discovery (K. Herlihy, AZ)
• Basics of the photochemistry of Polynucleotides: Calculations (R. Improta, IBB-CNR)
• Team Exercises: Short MD simulations and QM calculations on the photochemistry of oligonucleotides