Interest groups

Chemical Biology Interest Group — Emerging chemical approaches to complex biology

Organizers: Minkui Luo, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Jianmin Gao, Boston College

Chemical biology can be broadly defined as a research field relying on chemical tools to interrogate biology for discovery and perturbation. The ASBMB has the historical mission to advance the research of biochemistry and molecular biology through diverse approaches and platforms. Such a mission establishes a key common ground between the ASBMB and the chemical biology community given complementary strength and interest. The Chemical Biology Interest Group aims to better promote crosstalk between the two fields. Importantly, we will primarily dedicate speaking opportunities to emerging young investigators as well as people from historically marginalized groups. The talks will showcase the emerging technologies that chemical biologists are developing to tackle complex biological problems. Chemical biologists will benefit from the perspectives and questions raised by experts in biology. Biologists will mutually benefit by considering broad utilities of the chemical biology tools and methods.

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Enzymology Interest Group

Organizers: Juan Mendoza, University of Chicago, and Kayunta Johnson, University of Texas at Arlington

The interest group session will be have talks by new and mid-career investigators and networking opportunities. The research to be presented will be focused on the structure–function of enzymes essential to cellular function and cellular regulation and relevant to human health and disease. Techniques and cutting-edge research include X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, NMR, enzyme kinetics, enzymology and protein engineering. Attendees will be exposed to a diverse panel of researchers performing cutting-edge science. Participants will gain insights into how some scientists use combined structure and engineering approaches to elucidate key enzymatic processes of cells. New investigators will leave with insight related to their careers and respective fields through a Q&A session related to research, diversity, inclusion and promotion.

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Glycobiology Interest Group — Glycobiology at the cutting edge

Organizers: Nadine Samara, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and Stacy Malaker, Yale University

The session will feature speakers from academia, industry, startups and funding agencies who perform high-risk/high-reward glycobiology research that will take the field forward. Attendees will learn about the future of glycobiology and appreciate its importance in biomedical research. Early-career glycoscientists will learn about the possible paths they can pursue.

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Lipids Interest Group — Novel insight into roles of lipids in signaling and human disease

Organizers: Michael Airola, Stony Brook University, and John Burke, University of Victoria

This session will inform participants about the most cutting-edge lipid research being performed. Most of the speakers will be postdocs and graduate students. The session will cover a wide range of biochemical, biophysical and cellular approaches to study lipid signaling, in line with the organizers' approach for their successful ASBMB Lipid Research Division Seminar Series. By keeping a broad range of topics, we hope to provide novel collaborative opportunities.

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Mitochondria Interest Group — Multifaceted mitochondria

Organizers: Laura Lackner, Northwestern University, and Oleh Khalimonchuk, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The session seeks to promote cross-talk across the areas of basic mitochondrial biology and molecular mechanisms of disease and aging, and provide an opportunity for biomedical researchers to explore and discover potentially unrecognized mechanisms of disease. Holding an interest group session that focuses on the diverse aspects of mitochondria and pathways that underlie the pathophysiologic mechanisms of age-associated diseases will provide a forum to uniquely gather the international community of scientists in mitochondria, cell metabolism and aging research. The overarching goal is to organize an exciting and interactive interest group session, expand the array of participants and trigger new synergy among researchers in the mitochondria and age-associated disease fields. We also aim to provide an excellent training experience for young scientists and foster professional connections between junior and more established investigators.

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Neuroscience Interest Group

Organizers: Jason Yi and Harrison Gabel, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

This session will feature recent work in the field examining pathways and molecules that cause neurological dysfunction, with a particular emphasis on genetic neurodevelopmental disorders.

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Protein Interest Group — Membrane proteins

Organizers: Matthias Buck, Case Western University, and Fran Barrera, University of Tennessee

The goal of this interest group session is to build a community of researchers in the field of membrane proteins. The study of membrane proteins is living a golden era, as strides are being made toward understanding how these key proteins function. This event will highlight recent advances in a broad range of membrane proteins that are central players in key cellular processes.

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Protein Interest Group — Post-translational modification: emerging topics and techniques

Organizers: Lauren Ball, Medical University of South Carolina, and Fangliang Zhang, University of Miami

The goal of this session is to provide a forum enabling interaction of scientists interested in the elucidating the impact of regulatory post-translational modifications on physiology, disease and drug response. Attendees will learn about discoveries relating to the role of PTMs in diseased or normal physiologies and have the opportunity to start new collaborative research.

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Research Education Interest Group — Connecting the community for the benefit of student outcomes

Organizers: Ellis Bell, University of San Diego, and Regina Stevens–Truss, Kalamazoo College

This session will present recent research on the impact of collaboration between students and institutions in course-based undergraduate research experiences. Attendees will have the opportunity to join a team of like-minded faculty to network and develop action items for future discussion and research. Attendees will be able to connect with colleagues.

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Signaling Interest Group — Emerging mechanisms of cellular communication in physiology and disease

Organizers: Michelle Mendoza, University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute, and Robert Zoncu, University of California, Berkeley

This session will cover new mechanisms in intra- and intercellular communication that have been uncovered through quantitative and structural biology. Attendees will get a broad overview of new signaling questions and approaches.

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Signaling Interest Group — New paradigms in hormonal regulation of cancer and development

Organizers: Marina Holz, New York Medical College, and Mythreye Karthikeyan, University of Alabama, Birmingham

This session will cover the role of hormones in cancer and parallel developmental programs with emphasis on new insights, paradigms and mechanisms, and future directions. Attendees will learn about new areas of investigation and consideration of emerging paradigms in hormonal signaling.

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