The Inorganic Chemistry of Life

Metal ions are essential for the function of over one third of all proteins. They are involved in a number of key biological processes including respiration, photosynthesis, nitrogen and carbon cycling, biosynthesis of antibiotics, detoxification of xenobiotics, gene regulation, replication and repair of DNA, antioxidant defense, and neurotransmission. Understanding how metal ions function in these systems requires multidisciplinary approaches that span the broad fields of inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, and physics. The Metals in Biology (MIB) GRC, one of the longest running GRCs, is an important forum for discussion of research at the forefront of this field. Fostering new collaborations among researchers from diverse backgrounds with complementary skills and goals is a hallmark of this conference. In addition to lectures covering a wide range of topics, poster sessions facilitate discussions in an open atmosphere.

The Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) in Bioinorganic Chemistry is closely associated with the MIB GRC. This meeting typically draws graduate and postdoctoral students from a variety of laboratories studying metals in biology. The GRS overlaps with the MIB GRC meeting for one evening session on Thursday, including a poster session that allows students to meet and interact with established scientists. We specifically encourage graduate students and postdocs to take advantage of these unique educational opportunities and to participate in either the MIB GRC conference or the Bioinorganic Chemistry GRS or both.

Typical topics for lectures and posters include: biochemical and biophysical characterization of new metal containing proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, and chelators from all forms of life; synthesis, detailed characterization, and reaction chemistry of biomimetic compounds; novel crystal and solution structures of biological molecules and synthetic metal complexes; discussions of the roles that metals play in medicine, the environment, and biogeochemical processes; metal homeostasis; application of theory and computations to the structure and mechanism of metal-containing biological systems; and novel applications of spectroscopy towards elucidating structural and mechanistic aspects of metals in biological systems.