Conference Description
The Metals in Medicine GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.
The 2024 Metals in Medicine GRC will explore metal chelation strategies for radiation protection and the use of metal-based therapeutics to treat infectious diseases and cancer. The latest advances in the evaluation of metal-based agents for X-ray, light, or sono-dynamic therapies, and of radiometal-labeled agents as theranostics will be presented. Metallomics research that includes the role of metals in the pathogenesis of cancer and their role in immune system evasion will be featured. To complete the cycle from discovery to clinical translation, the latest metal-based agents that are now in clinical trials for the treatment of different diseases and for imaging will be discussed. This GRC will have a strong focus on fostering diversity in our field, along with an emphasis on mentorship and career development. We will devote time for exploring diversity in biomedical research to highlight advances in the study of biological determinants in health disparities, as well as strategies to motivate students underrepresented in biomedical research to enroll in science majors and participate in research. This will include not only students from specific ethnic backgrounds and from LGBTQIA+ groups, but individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds, with disabilities, with veteran status, as well as other non-traditional students. There will be many opportunities for one-on-one conversations with leaders from academia, national laboratories, and industry. We will have a ‘Power Hour’ to address issues around career advancement for STEM women scientists and will feature emerging investigators.
The topics, speakers, and discussion leaders for the conference sessions are displayed below. The conference chair is currently developing their detailed program, which will include the complete meeting schedule, as well as the talk titles for all speakers. The detailed program will be available by February 24, 2024. Please check back for updates.
Radiation Protection
Discussion Leaders
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Rebecca Abergel (University of California, Berkeley, United States)
Speakers
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Gayle Woloschak (Northwestern University, United States)
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Sara Dumit (Los Alamos National Laboratory, United States)
Clinical Advances for Metals in Medicine
Discussion Leaders
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Linda Vahdat (Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, United States)
Speakers
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Paul Donnelly (University of Melbourne, Australia)
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Hongzhe Sun (The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China)
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Mark Bazett (Bold Therapeutics, Inc, Canada)
Stimuli-Responsive Metallodrugs as Emerging Therapeutics
Discussion Leaders
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Sherri McFarland (The University of Texas at Arlington, United States)
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Jose Ruiz (Universidad de Murcia, Spain)
Speakers
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Kenneth Kam-Wing Lo (City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China)
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Sylvestre Bonnet (Leiden University, The Netherlands)
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Pingyu Zhang (Shenzhen University, China)
Metal-Based Therapeutics for Infectious Diseases
Discussion Leaders
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Maribel Navarro (Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora/ Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil)
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Nils Metzler-Nolte (Ruhr University Bochum, Germany)
Speakers
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Angelo Frei (University of Bern, Switzerland)
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Jeannine Hess (King's College London / The Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom)
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Heveline Silva (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil)
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Hitomi Sawai (Nagasaki University (RIKEN SPring-8), Japan)
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Pijus Sasmal (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India)
Addressing Health Disparities and Increasing Diversity and Inclusion in Biomedical Research
Discussion Leaders
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Maria Contel (Brooklyn College and CUNY, United States)
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Gilles Gasser (Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, France)
Speakers
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Terri Chambers (American Chemical Society, United States)
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Melissa Davis (Morehouse School of Medicine and New York Genome Center, United States)
Drug Delivery and Targeted Therapies
Discussion Leaders
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Angela Casini (Technical University of Munich, Germany)
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Seth Cohen (UC San Diego, United States)
Speakers
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Petra Heffeter (Medical University of Vienna, Austria)
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Oluwatayo Ikotun (University of California, Los Angeles, United States)
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Guangyu Zhu (City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China)
Advances in Metallomics
Discussion Leaders
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Hugh Harris (The University of Adelaide, Australia)
Speakers
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Orazio Vittorio (University of New South Wales, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Australia)
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Samuel Meier-Menches (University of Vienna, Austria)
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Arthur Tinoco (University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, United States)
Unconventional Metal-Based Therapeutics
Discussion Leaders
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Phoebe Glazer (North Carolina State University, United States)
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M. Concepción Gimeno (CSIC, Spain)
Speakers
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Justin Wilson (Cornell University, United States)
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Kogularamanan Suntharalingam (University of Leicester, United Kingdom)
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Rianne Lord (University of East Anglia, United Kingdom)
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Johannes Karges (Ruhr University Bochum, Germany)
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Maria (Masha) Babak (City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China)
Advances in Theranostics
Discussion Leaders
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Jason Lewis (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, United States)
Speakers
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Lisa Bodei (MSKCC, United States)
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Caterina Ramogida (Simon Fraser University & TRIUMF, Canada)
The GRC Power Hour™
Organizers
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Oluwatayo Ikotun (University of California, Los Angeles, United States)
