Intensive Bioinformatics Workshop
Bologna, July 13-17, 2026
The Bologna Summer School of Genome Regulation, organized by G-Lab Srl Impresa Sociale in collaboration with Fondazione Golinelli and under the scientific direction of Alessandro Gardini, associate professor in Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling at The Wistar Institute (Philadelphia) and Giovanni Perini, Professor of Genetics at the University of Bologna, is a five-day summer school, which will take place at Opificio Golinelli from 13 to 17 July 2026.
This is an intensive workshop comprising lectures on the most advanced genomic technologies, seminars from world-class leaders in genome biology and hands-on analyses of genomic datasets.
The program will cover high-throughput DNA and RNA sequencing technologies, the principles of epigenomics and transcriptomics, and 3D genome organization.
Goals
The regulation of gene expression is the cornerstone of all cellular developmental processes and is crucial for maintaining tissue and cell homeostasis. Defects in gene expression underlie hereditary and sporadic diseases, from cancer to neurodegenerative disorders. In the current genomic era, experimental platforms for studying gene expression are accessible to biomedical researchers, yet the bioinformatic analysis of large genomic/epigenomic/transcriptomic datasets still represents a barrier to many scientists.
The Summer School in Genome Regulation is an intensive workshop for young biomedical researchers interested in learning more about the molecular principles of transcription, epigenetics, and nuclear organization . In addition to seminars and lectures, the school will train students on the analysis of a wide range of genome-wide datasets (e.g., ChIP-seq, CUT&TAG, ATAC-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, Hi-C).
Target audience
Graduate students (currently enrolled in a doctoral program in biological and biomedical sciences), postdoctoral researchers, and senior scientists.
A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) is the minimum requirement, a master’s degree is preferred.
Basic knowledge of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology and basic principles of biostatistics are required.
The course is entirely in English and is designed for participants with basic informatics skills. Although prior knowledge of computational biology is not required, familiarity with the Linux shell and the R environment is appreciated.
How it works
- Registrations are now open, until the maximum number of participants is reached (and in any case no later than May 30th 2026).
- Participation is limited to 40 participants. The school will operate with a minimum of 25 students.
- The registration fee of €750 covers full attendance to the 5-day school, lunches, coffee breaks and the closing reception. Accommodation and travel expenses are not included.
- The Golinelli Foundation has negotiated special rates with hotels that are located within walking distance from the Opificio Golinelli. Further information will be provided during the registration process.
- Detailed Payment instructions will be sent to the selected applicants once the minimum number of participants is reached.
- Participants are encouraged to use their own laptop computer during the bioinformatics dry lab. Access to a cloud-based computing service will be provided for the entire duration of the Summer School. Alternatively, a laptop computer can be provided by the Golinelli Foundation for the duration of the workshop (requests must be submitted at the time of registration).
Program
The Summer school will run from Monday, July 13, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. to Friday, July 17, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
The morning session is dedicated to theoretical lessons on genome-wide techniques and principles of bioinformatics, as well as seminars by invited external speakers. The afternoon session is devoted to the analysis of published datasets, discussions and presentations of the results.
Among the scientific topics that will be covered:
- epigenomic regulation,
- 3D genome organization,
- Single Cell Omics,
- non canonical sequencing methods
The bioinformatics dry-lab will explore:
- mapping, annotation and statistical analysis of histone marks, DNA methylation and transcription factors ( CUT&TAG, CUT&RUN, ChIP-seq)
- analysis of bulk RNA-seq datasets: from differential gene expression to correlation with the epigenome states
- pathway analysis and GSEA
- mapping and annotation of Hi-C datasets
- analysis of enhancer-promoter loops in mammalian cells
- principles of scRNAseq: clustering and pseudotime analysis.
Scientific committee
Alessandro Gardini
Associate professor of Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling
Scientific Director, Shared Genomics Resources
The Wistar Institute
Philadelphia
GIOVANNI PERINI
Professor of Genetics
Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology
University of Bologna
Tutor
Sandra Deliard
Sandra is a bioinformatician at the Winstar Institute, specializing in 3D genome regulation and enhancer dynamics during cell development. She earned her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Temple University in 2019
Marco Russo
Marco is a bioinformatician in the Capranico lab, at the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology of the University of Bologna. He obtained his in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Bologna in 2020.
Speaker
MARIA CRISTINA GAMBETTA
Associate Professor
Center for Integrative Genomics (CIG)
University of Lausanne (UNIL)
Lausanne
GIOVANNI TONON
Director of the Center of the Center for Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics and of the Laboratory of Functional Cancer Genomics
San Raffaele Institute, Milan
YANG SHI
Professor of Epigenetic
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd
University of Oxford
Ali Shilatifard
Director, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Director, Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago
DIDIER TRONO
Professor Laboratory of Virology and Genetics
EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
Lausanne, Switzerland
Organization and coordination
Eugenia Ferrara
Deputy Director Fondazione Golinelli
President G-Lab S.r.l. Impresa Sociale
Raffaella Spagnuolo
Program manager 14-18 years old and scientific director of laboratories
ALESSANDRO SARACINO
Program manager for Educational and Technological Innovation e Scientific Director Golinelli LiVE
Valentina Bonacini
Organizing Secretariat
Endorsed by
