O-GlcNAcylation in health and disease

July 10–13, 2025
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, Durham, N.C.

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the discovery of protein O-GlcNAcylation. Since its discovery, the importance of post-translational protein O-GlcNAcylation has been recognized across diverse biomedical research areas. It plays a pivotal role in helping us understand how environmental factors impact signaling pathways and the onset of a range of diseases. This modification of proteins found in the nucleus, mitochondria and cytoplasm has far-reaching implications for governing cellular biology, including epigenetics, cell cycle regulation, proteostasis and more. Additionally, disruptions in O-GlcNAcylation are associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurological disorders and various forms of cancer.

Despite 40 years of research and over 15,000 substrates described to date, O-GlcNAcylation remains incompletely understood. Recent breakthroughs in identifying the specific functions of proteins and their connections to many diseases have positioned it as an emerging field with important implications for physiology and disease.

This meeting will draw experts from around the world to discuss the O-GlcNAc cycling enzymes and the O-GlcNAc modification in modulating protein function in basic biological processes as well as in disease states, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurological diseases. Additionally, graduate and postdoctoral students will be selected for oral talks and have opportunities to discuss their work at poster sessions.

If you want to learn about O-GlcNAc, have just started working on this modification, want to find a collaborator for your next project, or learn the latest discovery in the field, this meeting is for you!