Synergy Forum 2020 (now 2021)

Synergy Forum 2020 will be postponed to  May 2021

We had continued to hope that we would be able to convene the Synergy Forum 2020 as planned - last but not the least in appreciation of the already undertaken preparations of all involved as speakers, organizers and contributors and of the keen interest of all to keep our vivid discourse on synergy research going.  However in view of the dramatic spreading of COVID-19, our responsibility for the health and safety of all participants and the current regulations concerning events/assemblies, international travel and quarantine which are expected to remain in place for still a considerable time we have decided with heavy hearts to postpone the Synergy Forum 2020 by one year.

The new date will be May 15 and 16, 2021

The location, programme, speakers + topics and registration fees are intended to remain the same. Existing registrations will remain valid for 2021.

To maintain our international discourse on synergy research in spite of the current limitations imposed by the COVID-19 epidemic, we plan to compile a special issue of the Synergy Journal to be published as open access edition with "extended abstracts" of the lectures that were planned for the Synergy Forum 2020.

We thank you for your understanding and sincerly hope that you and your family stay healthy and safe. We look forward to seeing you at the Synergy Forum 2021 in Bonn!

We cordially invite you to the Synergy Forum 2021.

It will be convened on May 15 and 16, 2021 in Bonn.

The Synergy Forum 2021 will cover the following main topics:

• Updated reviews of fundamental theories and models of synergy quantification
• The concept of synergy in ancient systems of medicine
• The field of controversy between "biology" and "mathematics"
• The understanding of synergy by systems biology and network pharmacology
• Advanced models, metrics and bioinformatic tools towards the prediction and quantitation of synergistic drug interactions
• Examples of benefits from synergistic approaches and synergistic drug combinations in clinical research and practice
• New opportunities for combinatory uses of natural and allopathic drugs

The Synergy Forum 2021 will take place again at the University Club Bonn which in 2018 all participants appreciated for its good location and facilities, personal atmosphere and great food.

The conference programme will include the following speakers and topics:

• Andreas Bender, Cambridge, UK: DeepSynergy: predicting drug synergy with Deep Learning
• Ting-Chao Chou, New York, USA: Application of the Combination Index (CI) Method for synergy quantitation in in vitro and in vivo experiments
• Georg Feldmann & Savita Bisht, Bonn, Germany: The role of combination therapies in pancreatic cancer
• Mats Gustafsson, Uppsala, Sweden: COMBImage2 - A parallel computational 
  framework for higher-order drug combination analysis using  label-free video microscopy movies
• Shanmugan Hemaiswarya, Chennai, India: Synergism between natural drugs and antibiotics against infectious diseases
• Motlalepula G. Matsabisa, Bloemfontein, South Africa: Approaches towards combinatory treatment regimes against HIV using African natural medicines
• Miguel Angel Medina, Malaga, Spain: Exploring the combinatory interactions of Dimethyl Fumarate and (+)-Aeroplysinin, two well-described anti-angiogenic compounds 
• Michael Menden, Munich, Germany: Advancing the computational prediction of cancer drug combinations by pharmacogenomic screening
• Alison Motsinger-Reif, Raleigh, USA: Terminology and methodology of chemical synergy - perspectives from across disciplines
• Pulok Mukherjee & Subhadip Banerjee, Kolkata, India: Synergism in Ayurveda and network pharmacology
• Alexander Panossian, Vaxtorp, Sweden: Synergy assessments of plant extracts used in the treatment of stress and aging-related disorders
• Bhushan Patwardhan, Pune/New Delhi, India: Systems biology and holistic concepts of traditional Indian medicine
• Hesham Saeed & Ahmed Elwakeel, Alexandria, Egypt: Implementation of the Chou-Talalay method for studying the in vitro interactions of  drug combinations on  breast cancer cells
• Harald Schweim, Cologne, Germany: Approval of biosimilars vs. biologicals (originals) - advantages and risks
• Theresa A. Shapiro, Baltimore, USA: Synergistic interactions of antimalarial drugs
• Anastasiia Shcherbakova, Yoshkar-Ola, Russian Republic: Synergistic potential of lichen extracts for the treatment of cancer cells
• Gudrun Ulrich-Merzenich, Bonn, Germany: The quantification of synergism and its relevance for clinical applications - an update
• Robert Verpoorte, Leiden, Netherlands: The challenge of striking a balance between "biology" and "mathematics" in synergy research
• Anna Vlot, Berlin, Germany: Applying drug synergy metrics to combination screening data - agreements, disagreements and pitfalls

Further speakers and topics will be confirmed shortly

The general programme format for the Synergy Forum 2021 will be:

Friday May 14, 2021

Afternoon: Editorial Board Meeting of the Synergy Journal

Saturday May 15, 2021

9.00 - 19.00 h Synergy Forum Conference Programme Day 1

20.00 h Conference Dinner

Sunday May 16, 2021

9.00 - ca. 16.00 h Synergy Forum Conference Programme Day 2

R E G I S T R A T I O N  to the Synergy Forum 2021:

You will soon find a link here for the download of the registration form.

Registration Fees:

Professionals - Early Bird Fee (until February 15, 2021) ................................... 150,00 Euro

Professionals - Regular Fee (from February 16, 2021) ...................................... 190,00 Euro

Professionals of UKB / University of Bonn ........................................................... 80,00 Euro

Students / Graduates / Docs pursuing their PhD ................................................. 40,00 Euro

Accompanying Persons of Professionals ............................................................. 60,00 Euro

All fees are inclusive of full access to the conference programme, all meals during the conference and the conference dinner on May 16 evening.

You will continuously find updated information about the Synergy Forum 2021 on this website. We look forward to your interest and participation!