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<div class="column"><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">Dear Colleagues,
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">the upcoming International and European Congress of Biophysics that will take place in Edinburgh this
July (</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'; color: rgb(0.000000%, 0.000000%, 100.000000%)" class=""><a href="http://www.iupab2017.org/" class="">http://www.iupab2017.org/</a></span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">) features a full session devoted to a new class of organic ionic
compounds interacting with biomolecules, modifying their properties and opening wide new avenues
for applications.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">More precisely, the session, named “</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'; font-weight: 700" class="">Ionic Liquids meet Biomolecules</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">”, is focussed on the interaction
between organic ionic liquids and biological structures, such as biomembranes, proteins, nucleic acids,
and mono- and poli-saccharides.<br class="">
This represents a fast growing field of studies in between the biophysical and the ionic liquids
communities, with potential impact on a variety of subjects from bio-physics to pharmacology and bio-
medicine, spilling over to nanotechnology and materials science.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">The session is scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday 19</span><span style="font-size: 7.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'; vertical-align: 2.000000pt" class="">th </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">of July, and will be followed by the gala
dinner of the Congress.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">The Congress itself will run from the 16</span><span style="font-size: 7.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'; vertical-align: 2.000000pt" class="">th </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">to the 20</span><span style="font-size: 7.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'; vertical-align: 2.000000pt" class="">th </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">of July in Edinburgh, and has a very exciting
program that spans all biophysical sciences, providing an ideal setting for our session. The opening
Plenary Lecture will be given by Venki Ramakrishnan, while Bob Lewkowitz will present the closing
Plenary Lecture. Chris Dobson will deliver a Public Engagement Lecture on the first day of the congress
at 2:30pm.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">The “Ionic Liquids meet Biomolecules” session is going to be added to the on-line program in a few
days. The other sessions and the list of invited speakers can be found at:
<a href="http://www.iupab2017.org/speakers" class="">http://www.iupab2017.org/speakers</a>
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">I kindly invite you to submit an abstract to our special ionic liquid session for either a contributed talk
and/or a poster. This is a unique opportunity for the room-temperature ionic liquid practitioners to
gather together and meet the broader biophysics community, discussing the present state and future
prospects of basic science and applications concerning ionic liquids in biosystems.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">You can submit your abstract on-line on the Congress web-site (deadline 24 March 2017). You then
need to register to the Congress. Registration includes all lunches, refreshments, conference dinner and
events.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me either by e-mail at
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'; color: rgb(0.000000%, 0.000000%, 100.000000%)" class=""><a href="mailto:antonio.benedetto@ucd.ie" class="">antonio.benedetto@ucd.ie</a> </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">or by phone at +353-1-716-2233.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">Looking forward to see you in Edinburgh, I send my best regards. </span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Cambria'" class="">Sincerely,</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt;" class="">Antonio Benedetto </span></p><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>