Over 1000 in attendance for ComBio kick-off

More than 1000 delegates have rolled up for this year's ComBio conference at Sydney's Darling Harbour, according to organisers.

The fourth ComBio is a joint meeting of the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), the Australia and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology and the Australian Society of Plant Scientists.

Opening the conference, Prof Gerry Wake of the School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences at the University of Sydney emphasised the importance of biochemistry in life science research today.

"I cannot understand anyone being here without a basic understanding of biochemistry," he said. "I urge the ASBMB never to drop 'biochemistry' from its name."

Wake said it wasn't long ago that organisers were debating the future of broad-based meetings like ComBio, which presents concurrent symposia on proteins and small molecules, negative regulation of signalling, resistant starch and human health, analysis of low-abundance proteins, global climate change, plant biotropic interfaces, phenotypic transformations in development and disease, and muscle development.

"But I believe there will be an increasing need to address broader and broader topics at meetings such as this," he said.

"I cannot imagine a time when all the questions that biology throws out will be answered, but I hope some of the questions will be answered at this meeting."

Wake said a recent paper by UK biologist and writer Steven Rose "reminds us that DNA is a relatively inert molecule," and that the cell around it was what brought it to life.