Organismal Biology of Metals and Related Metal Complexes

The Cell Biology of Metals GRC started in 2005 to bridge significant gaps in our understanding of biological metals in the cellular and organismal context. The conference provides a highly interactive forum for junior and senior investigators to learn about the latest advances in metal homeostasis. This keystone meeting has been instrumental in identifying major knowledge gaps; overcoming intractable research barriers; nucleating new technological advancements; and establishing emerging concepts. The goal of the 2019 Cell Biology of Metals meeting is to accelerate this trajectory by bringing together clinicians, chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers with expertise in solving outstanding problems at the interface of cellular and chemical biology of metals.

One of the major discoveries in the past decade has been the ability to identify how organs communicate their metal status with each other and form an inter-organ network to regulate metal homeostasis at the organismal level. This concept is highlighted by the theme for our 2019 meeting - "Organismal Biology of Metals and Related Metal Complexes". Each session will be led by leaders in their respective fields with speakers representing an international cadre of investigators. Cutting-edge talks will be presented ranging from metals at the host-pathogen interface to metallo-sensation and homeostasis to metal -omics in normal and pathological states across phyla. The meeting will provide unique opportunities for established and early-stage investigators to present their work and exchange ideas, learn where the field is heading, and establish new cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Speakers will be present throughout the week providing attendees with ample opportunities for personal interactions. Based upon submitted abstracts, short talks will be identified for each session from junior investigators, including postdocs and students. The collegial atmosphere of this conference, with robust discussions, poster sessions, and informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an excellent venue to develop multi-discipline collaborations. By engaging the research community to actively participate in discussing research at the frontiers of cell biology of metals, conclusions can be generated which can synergize and drive major breakthroughs.