The 2016 DNA Topoisomerases in Biology and Medicine Gordon Research Conference and Associated Gordon Research Seminar provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of recent scientific and methodological advances in the study of DNA topoisomerases and the development of therapeutics that target these enzymes. The meeting will attract scientists in academia and industry from a broad range of disciplines, including structural biology, mechanistic enzymology, biophysics, genetics, pharmacology, drug discovery, cell biology and medicine, with a fertile mix of ideas and approaches. The associated GRS provides an opportunity for graduate students, post-docs, and other early-stage investigators to come together to discuss their current research and build informal networks with their peers. The primary focus of the GRC meeting is to attract scientists with a broad range of backgrounds with the consequent exposure of delegates to different approaches and techniques. The first theme of the meeting will focus on technological innovations that allow the complex interplay of DNA topoisomerases and DNA topology to be tackled, including advances in nano-manipulation of enzyme-DNA complexes and molecular dynamics simulations. A second theme will focus on recent advances in the structural determinations of topoisomerases and exciting new insights gained into the molecular mechanisms of enzyme function. A third theme is on the development of novel microbial and cancer therapeutics that target topoisomerases, and how advances in imaging technologies and proteomics/genomics are enabling new insights into the cellular roles of topoisomerases and their significance in human cancers. The study of these enzymes in the context of cellular processes is of critical importance in research leading to the development of new chemotherapeutic agents. Collectively we aim to showcase new approaches and encourage the cross-fertilization of disciplines that will stimulate new perspectives and new thinking about the roles of topoisomerases in biology and medicine.