Conference Description
The Signal Transduction by Engineered Extracellular Matrices 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scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages.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 Signal Transduction by Engineered Extracellular Matrices (STEEM) GRC is a leading forum for sharing cutting-edge research on the biology and engineering of cell-ECM crosstalk. The 2024 meeting will host a diverse range of speakers, discussion leaders, and junior investigators who span the biological sciences, physical sciences, and engineering, and who share a common goal of studying and modulating the cellular microenvironment to investigate tissue function and improve human health. Featured themes for this year include: ECM regulation of cell death mechanisms; co-evolution with cancer and neurodegeneration; the synthesis of living material environments and microphysiological systems; effects of sex and ancestry on cell-ECM signaling; and integration of systems biology, screening, and multi-scale modeling tools with engineered environments.
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 March 23, 2024. Please check back for updates.
Cell Death Mechanisms
Discussion Leaders
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Shannon Hughes (NIH/NCI, United States)
Speakers
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Justin Pritchard (The Pennsylvania State University, United States)
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Cornelius Taabazuing (University of Pennsylvania, United States)
Metabolism in Engineered Microenvironments
Discussion Leaders
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Claudia Fischbach (Cornell University, United States)
Speakers
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Gaudenz Danuser (UT Southwestern Medical Center, United States)
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Catherine K. Kuo (University of Maryland, United States)
ECM Drivers of Cellular Quiescence, Senescence, and Stress
Discussion Leaders
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Stelios Andreadis (University at Buffalo, United States)
Speakers
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Janine Erler (BRIC, University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
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Kandice Tanner (NIH, United States)
Reporters of Cell-ECM Signaling
Discussion Leaders
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Brenton Hoffman (Duke University, United States)
Speakers
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Wendy Gordon (University of Minnesota, United States)
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Peter Yingxiao Wang (University of Southern California, United States)
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David Schaffer (University of California, Berkeley, United States)
Sex and Ancestry in Cell-ECM Signaling
Discussion Leaders
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Brendan Harley (University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, United States)
Speakers
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Justin Lathia (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, United States)
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Erika Moore (University of Maryland, College Park, United States)
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Brian Aguado (University of California San Diego, United States)
Dynamic, Responsive, and Living Materials
Discussion Leaders
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Sarah Heilshorn (Stanford University, United States)
Speakers
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Molly Shoichet (University of Toronto, Canada)
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Aaron Esser-Kahn (University of Chicago, United States)
Dynamics and Turnover of Engineered ECMs
Discussion Leaders
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Andres Garcia (Georgia Institute of Technology, United States)
Speakers
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Manu Platt (National Institutes of Health, United States)
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Edna Cukierman (Fox Chase Cancer Center, United States)
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Claudia Loebel (University of Michigan, United States)
Multiscale Modeling in Cell-Matrix Mechanobiology
Discussion Leaders
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Vivek Shenoy (University of Pennsylvania, United States)
Speakers
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Amit Pathak (Washington University in St Louis, United States)
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David Odde (University of Minnesota, United States)
Microphysiological Systems
Discussion Leaders
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Steven George (UC Davis, United States)
Speakers
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Wilbur Lam (Emory University/Georgia Tech, United States)
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Shyni Varghese (Duke University, United States)
The GRC Power Hour™
Organizers
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Beth Pruitt (University of California, Santa Barbara, United States)
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Kelly Stevens (University of Washington, United States)
