Interest group sessions

Cancer biology

The dynamic actin cytoskeleton in cancer metastasis

These talks will feature in vivo imaging of cancer cell migration, single cell RNA-seq, transcriptional signaling coupling to cytoskeletal regulation, small molecules and vaccines targeted to actin-binding proteins.

Organizers

Partha Roy, University of Pittsburgh
Gina Razidlo, Mayo Clinic

Cell and developmental biology

Multifaceted mitochondria

This session will emphasize the importance of mitochondria and mitochondria-related pathways such as metabolic pathways, proteostasis and retrograde signaling in human health, and their unique roles in processes that lead to diseases. The speakers will highlight a number of new and emerging paradigms that would be of broad interest to and address challenging questions of the ASBMB community.

Organizers

Oleh Khalimonchuk, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Laura Lackner, Northwestern University

Chemical biology

Citrullination and acetylation: Unveiling PTMs cross-talk in neurodisease

This interest group session will cover:

• Advanced understanding of citrullination — featuring the latest research on protein arginine citrullination, including its role in neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune disorders. This will include new insights into the molecular activities of peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) and their contributions to disease mechanisms.
• Innovative techniques for studying acetylation — introducing groundbreaking methods for studying Nε-lysine acetylation, particularly its recent identification in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Techniques for exploring ER acetylation machinery, including the cytosol-to-ER-lumen acetyl-CoA transporter AT-1 and ER-resident acetyltransferases ATase1 and ATase2, will be highlighted.
• Cross-talk between citrullination and acetylation — delving into the complex interplay between citrullination and acetylation, examining how these modifications influence protein folding, protein-protein interactions and cellular processes such as gene expression and RNA processing.
• Emerging therapeutic targets — discussing the potential of targeting citrullination and acetylation pathways for therapeutic intervention in diseases like multiple sclerosis and Frontotemporal Lobar Dementia. This includes exploring new drug targets and therapeutic strategies based on recent research.
• Integrative biochemical approaches — emphasizing integrative approaches combining biochemical, cellular and molecular techniques to understand PTMs in disease comprehensively.

Organizers

Nicola Orefice, Northwestern University Chicago
Emanuele Buratti, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

Enhancing the productivity of collaborations — Lessons learned

Cutting edge research at interdisciplinary interface of chemical biology achieved through collaborative and sustained partnerships. The unique content of this session is the frank discussion of mistakes made, lessons learned and success achieved by this model.

Organizers

Mary Konkle, Ball State University
Keri Colabroy, Muhlenberg College

Computational biology, predictive technology and AI

Protein function prediction and design using large language models

This session will cover:

• Evolutionary-scale and transformer models for protein structure prediction and annotation
• Best practices in applying and fine-tuning protein language models for biochemical applications
• Protein evolution and design using PLMs

Organizers

Natarajan Kannan, University of Georgia
Ramanathan Arvind, Argonne National Lab; University of Chicago

DNA structure and function and RNA

Mechanistic consequences of impaired genomic processing

This is a highly active field of research with paramount human health relevance. The unique content will include molecular mechanistic studies using transformative and innovative approaches that have readily applicable disease relevance, thus spanning both basic and translational science. We anticipate the speakers presenting everything from next-generation sequencing approaches to optical trapping of biochemical reconstitution studies.

Organizers

Matthew Bochman, Indiana University
Michael Trakselis, Baylor University

Drug discovery and pharmacology

Protein design, expression and production for drug discovery: industry perspectives

An objective of this session is to illuminate the importance of protein reagent design, expression and purification in the modern biopharmaceutical industry, with the goal of furthering exposure to interested undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students. Moreover, the session aims to compare and contrast how different protein groups within pharma approach their missions and provide a view for academic researchers who may have an interest in learning about the skill sets used in industrial research. We have identified speakers from different companies with different approaches and organization to highlight diverse workflows in driving drug discovery.

Organizers

Sandra Gabelli, Merck and Co. Inc.
Mark Witmer, Bristol Myers Squibb

Enzyme chemistry and catalysis

New approaches to enzyme mechanism

New and improved analytical modeling technologies provide the means to describe enzyme chemistry more explicitly. While steady state methodologies are readily approachable in all biochemistry labs, real time observations allow for the observation of distinct binding and catalytic events. Moreover, the use of mining methods have identified unique and curious enzymes that have the potential to expand previous conventional models of catalysis. The correct use of transient kinetic methods is the most direct path to defining and harnessing the instrinsic catalytic power of the enzyme active sites for the evolution of new chemistry and specifities.

Organizers

Audrey Lamb, University of Texas at San Antonio
Graham Moran, Loyola University Chicago

Epigenetics and gene regulation

Recent advances in chromatin biology and transcription

Speakers will present cutting-edge into:

• The role of phase separation in regulation of chromatin and transcription as well as epigenetics and gene regulation.
• The role of noncoding RNAs in controlling enhancer function, chromatin regulation and transcription. And the crucial roles enhancers play in gene expression.
• The application of precision genome editing in chromatin regulation and genetic variation.
• The role of the ubiquitin–proteasome system in chromatin regulation and transcription.

Organizers

Sukesh Bhaumik, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Subhrangsu Mandal, University of Texas at Arlington

Glycobiology and Extracellular Matrices

Glycobiology for women's health

This session will cover:

• Glycome profiling: Utilizing a glycomic approach to identify variations in carbohydrate structure and glycol conjugate levels and their impact on diseases. This opens new avenues to personalized treatment plans based on individual glycomic profiles.
• Functional Spatial Glycomics: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is routinely used to analyze the spatial distribution of a variety of molecules, including N- and O-glycans as well as proteoglycans directly from tissue surfaces.

Organizers

Stephanie Olivier–Van Stichelen, Medical College of Wisconsin
Philip Gordts, University of California, San Diego

Immunology

Immune therapeutics for health and disease

Cutting-edge research will be presented with regard to the emerging and unique concept of innate immune memory dynamics, engineering immune-modulating leukocytes for precision targeting and treatment of cancer, atherosclerosis and aging-related diseases.

Organizers

Liwu Li, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Xiaoqi Liu, University of Kentucky

Lipids and membranes

Biochemistry and biology of lipid droplets

This session will bridge the molecular and biological roles of lipid droplets in fat storage and energy production. Several cutting edge techniques will be presented including visualization of lipid droplet biogenesis at the molecular level, new mass spectrometry techniques to quantitate triglycerides and acyl-ceramides, and content that relates these molecular processes to obesity and adipose tissue-related diseases.

Organizer

Michael Airola, Stony Brook University

Membrane proteins

The study of membrane proteins is living a golden era as strides are being made towards understanding how these key proteins function. This session will highlight recent advances in a broad range of membrane proteins that are central players in key cellular processes.

Organizers

Francisco Barrera, University of Tennessee
Matthias Buck, Case Western Reserve University

Metabolism

Biochemistry and climate change: Molecular responses and innovations

This session will delve into pioneering research on how molecular engineering is transforming plant biotechnology to combat food insecurity. By advancing genetic tools and editing techniques, scientists are creating crops better suited to withstand the pressures of a changing climate, thus safeguarding global food supplies. In the area of environmental medicine and sustainability, the focus shifts to the profound effects of climate change on human health. Researchers will explore how exposure to climate-related stressors alters disease patterns and how biotechnological innovations can be harnessed to develop sustainable health solutions, addressing both environmental and human well-being in a warming world.

The session will explore biomolecular adaptation to environmental change, revealing how organisms at the molecular level, from microbes to multicellular life, respond to climate-induced stress. Presentations will highlight the discovery of novel biochemical pathways, the critical role of heat shock proteins, and the metabolic shifts that allow organisms to thrive in extreme conditions. These findings offer not only a deeper understanding of life’s resilience but also potential applications in biotechnology to bolster ecosystem sustainability and resilience against climate impacts.

Lastly, this session will emphasize the need for climate change to become a foundational part of biochemistry, molecular biology, and medical education. This will ensure that scientists and healthcare professionals are equipped to deal with emerging climate-related issues.

Organizers

Liza Roger, Arizona State University Tempe
Alberto Rascón, Arizona State University Tempe

Cell–environment interactions in health and disease

This session will focus on unique research on deciphering cell-environment interactions and will feature several cutting-edge technologies. For example:

• A novel bioreactor platform (chemostat) that enables the continuous-flow culture of blood cells under tightly controlled and fixed (steady state) conditions set to simulate metabolic conditions in blood circulation.
• Innovative technologies such as organelle immunopurification, spatial metabolomics and stable isotope tracing.
• Emerging approaches for modeling and considering extrinsic contributions to cell behavior that collectively cut across various aspects of the cellular microenvironment, including intercellular interactions (e.g., the influence of stroma), pericellular oxygen tension, nutrient availability, and mechanical forces.

Organizers

Jason Cantor, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Kevin Tharp, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

Metabolism in cell fate decisions and physiology

Along with state-of-the-art techniques and assays to study metabolism in vitro and in vivo (metabolomics, lipidomics, flux analysis), the presenters will showcase data using innovative mouse models that target specific metabolic pathways, particularly those involved in lipid and nucleotide metabolism. These models provide a unique opportunity to dissect the role of metabolic regulation in both normal physiological processes and disease states.

Organizers

Jihan Osborne, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Elma Zaganjor, Vanderbilt University

Protein structure, function and engineering

Impact of organelle-localized post-translational modifications (PTMs)

The role of localized post-translational modifications and the enyzmes that regulate them. Emerging techniques for the detection of post-translational modifications that may be generalized for multiple modifications.

Organizers

Lauren Ball, Medical University of South Carolina
Fangliang Zhang, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Molecular engineering

The research to be presented will be focused on the structure–function of enzymes essential to cellular function, cellular regulation and relevant to human health and disease. Techniques and cutting-edge research include X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, NMR, antibody, screening, computation and protein engineering.

Organizers

Juan Mendoza, University of Chicago
Vincent Luca, Moffitt Cancer Center