OHSU Chemical Biology and Physiology 21| 22 conference is post-pandemic triumph

Ever since Bob Ignacio became a graduate student in chemical biology at Radboud University in The Netherlands, he’s wanted to attend a conference in a place far away. He said he’d imagined some tropical location with a poster session beneath the palm trees, but when he came across the April 28 – May 1 Chemical Biology and Physiology Conference at OHSU, he knew this would do.

“Even though OHSU was unlikely to have any palm trees, the conference did have a great line-up of speakers and it came highly recommended by my doctoral advisor,” Ignacio said. “What was especially appealing was that the conference gave ample opportunity to graduate students and post-docs to present their research. The platform for junior scientists really sealed the deal for me.”

Carsten Schultz, Ph.D., professor and chair of chemical physiology and biochemistry, OHSU School of Medicine, together with his colleagues from University of Oregon, Oregon State University and OHSU, conceived of the conference – the third in a series - to further catalyze the growing synergy between the fields of chemical biology and physiology. Multiple sponsors stepped forward, including Poster Sponsor ThermoFisher Scientific, and Gold level sponsors Advion, Royal Chemical Society, and Cascade Chemistry.

An exciting research nexus

The interaction of chemical biology and physiology is based on the need for new tools that are applicable in complex systems and provides innovative opportunities for drug target discovery and novel therapeutic concepts and to infuse new chemical technology into biomedical research.  This conference brings together leading scientists from around the world to promote inspiration and collaboration to stimulate cutting edge research in this exciting research nexus.

Indeed, the conference was a post-pandemic triumph - with 170 people attending at the Knight Cancer Research Building and another 170 online.  This year's topics included bioinorganic chemistry, chemical physiology, imaging and biosensors, immune responses, molecular switches, and protein chemistry with a range of presentation options from flash talks, to 12 min ‘short talk’ presentations selected from submitted abstracts.

The first presenter, Hosea M. Nelson, Ph.D., Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Caltech, set an energetic tone with a spirited talk called “Twists and Turns along the Path of Reactivity-Driven Discovery.”

Bounding back and forth across the stage, he had the audience chuckling with stories about his doctoral students who made what turned out to be dead-on observations that Dr. Nelson originally discounted or papers that didn’t get published only to lead to even greater discoveries. Woven in were multiple examples of his work solving structures of drugs using microcrystal electron diffraction, a novel technology that used cryo-electron microscopes like those at OHSU in the Multi-Scale Microscopy Core. 

“The process is all about failing and turning failures into successes,” Dr. Nelson said.

Fueled by youth

The average age of attendees appeared to be around 35 with dozens of graduate students, postdocs and junior faculty members. Scanning the attendees during a break between sessions from his vantage point as a 6-foot, 8-inch-tall person, Dr. Schultz observed, “It’s only me and a few others who have gray hair. Chem bio is a young field and their energy and ideas will shape science for generations.”

Brittany White, Ph.D., who studies lipid biology at Cornell University, said she felt that the caliber of speakers was worth traveling across the country to see in person and wanted to meet Dr. Schultz who does some work in her field. “It’s great to reconnect with people in person and the talks have been spectacular,” she said.

Gretchen Fujimura came up from her bachelor’s program at Oregon State University. “I’m excited to be here and see everyone’s work,” she said, “but I’m also excited to trade ideas.”

Tilo Chatterjee, a Ph.D. student in biochemistry and biophysics at OSU, said they use a lot of chemical biology in the lab she’s in that focuses on genetic code expansion. “I wanted to come and share my research and the tools we use.”

Popular poster sessions

At the Friday poster session, Ignacio was in his element, sharing his work with a steady stream of conference goers.

He is studying THRONCAT, a new method to study newly synthesized proteins through metabolic incorporation of β-ethynyl serine (βES), which is a non-canonical analog of the amino acid threonine possessing an alkyne handle for bioorthogonal ligations.

Once incorporated into newly synthesized proteins, βES can be conjugated to fluorescent dyes or affinity tags for their visualization or enrichment, respectively. The new THRONCAT method is inspired by BONCAT, which has been the gold standard for the study of newly synthesized proteins for a long time. But Ignacio’s research is showing that THRONCAT labels new proteins more efficiently than BONCAT, labeling newly synthesized proteins within minutes in a complete growth medium.

“I think it’s just really neat that this cellular system, which has evolved over billions of years to be specific for only the canonical amino acids, can be used for something it was never ‘intended’ to do,” Ignacio said. “I like chemical biology because I admire how nature works, but also like to play around with it to see what else it can do.”

His passion earned him a first place in the poster session. (View all poster session winners)

And the novel work that others presented added to the excitement. Takanari Inoue, Ph.D., from Johns Hopkins outlined how an artificial membrane can be equipped with components that make cells move. This form of synthetic biology will help to design purely synthetic and moving cells in the future.

The cross-over of chemical biology and physiology was excellently showcased by Vanessa Franke-Ruta, Ph.D., from Stanford who works on odor detection and Scott Sternson, Ph.D., a Howard-Hughes investigator from San Diego, who expressed receptor chimeras in model animals.

After this large, post-pandemic success, the organizers are already putting their heads together for the next edition of the conference in December 2023.   

Speakers

Dan Bachovchin, Ph.D., Sloan Kettering Institute, USA
"Selective Activators of the CARD8 Inflammasome"

Keriann Backus, Ph.D., University of California - Los Angeles, USA
"Expanding the activity-based chemoproteomic toolbox"

Kim Bonger, Ph.D., Radboud University, The Netherlands
"Chemoenzymatic tools for targeted drug delivery"

Arvin Dar, Ph.D., Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
"Targeting RAS-Dependent Cancers with Chemical Switches and Molecular Glues"

Alexander Deiters, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, USA
"Molecular Switches for Protein and Nucleic Acid Function"

Ratmir Derda, Ph.D., University of Alberta, Canada
"Genetically-Encoded Chemistry in Chemical Biology"

Bryan Dickinson, Ph.D., University of Chicago, USA
"Continuous directed evolution of molecular interactions: fundamental studies and applications"

Katherine J. Franz, Ph.D., Duke University, USA
"Infectiously Inorganic: A Metallocentric View of Antimicrobial Activity"

Ming Chen Hammond, Ph.D., University of Utah, USA
"Riboswitching on the light: fluorescent biosensors for molecular imaging and discovery"

Takanari Inoue, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, USA
“Total synthesis of innate immune functions in inert and artificial cells”

Aaron Esser-Kahn, Ph.D., University of Chicago, USA
"The Challenge of Making Every Vaccine Safer and More Effective: Modulating Innate Immunity Via Signal Processing"

Lingyin Li, Ph.D., Stanford University, USA
"Chemical biology of the innate immune STING pathway”

Loren Looger, Ph.D., HHMI, University of California - San Diego, USA
"New Tools for Monitoring & Manipulating Cellular Activity"

Hosea Nelson, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology - Pasadena, USA
"Building molecular complexity through the reactions of vinyl carbocations and the applications of electron diffraction in the characterization of complex molecules"

Vanessa Ruta, Ph.D., HHMI/The Rockefeller University
"Making sense of scents: structural insights into odor detection"

Scott Sternson, Ph.D., Janelia, HHMI, University of California - San Diego, USA
"Chemogenetics for research and potential translational applications"

Elisa Tomat, Ph.D., University of Arizona, USA
"Bioconjugate Strategies to Target the Iron Core of Cancer"

Eranthie Weerapana, Ph.D., Boston College, USA
“Chemical-proteomic strategies to investigate reactive cysteines”

Christina Woo, Ph.D., Harvard University, USA
"Discovery of a degron for the thalidomide binding domain of cereblon"

Science Steering Committee

Kimberly Beatty, Ph.D., Oregon Health & Science University
Mike Cohen, Ph.D., Oregon Health & Science University
Victoria DeRose, Ph.D., University of Oregon
Ryan Mehl, Ph.D., Oregon State University
Mike Pluth, Ph.D., University of Oregon
Carsten Schultz, Ph.D., Oregon Health & Science University

Conference Organizers

Amy Johnson
Lisa Gurung
Alanna Hower
Elie Inns

Contact the organizers: chembiophysinquiries@ohsu.edu

** Lab Group registrations are available for 2+ virtual participants from the same lab for a flat rate. Each participating lab group member will be considered registered for the purposes of poster presentations and receiving conference communications.

Chemical Biology and Physiology 21|22 is now accepting abstracts for poster presentations.  If you are presenting a poster you must also register for the conference.

Abstract submission deadline is March 15, 2022, although late submissions will be accepted up to April 14, 2022. See below for further details.

Short Talks:
Ten short talks will be selected from the in-person abstract submissions received on or before March 15, 2022. A short talk is a 12-minute presentation with slides on the poster topic given from the main stage. A short talk allows the presenter to go into details about the poster research to all attendees. Presenters will be notified after the abstract review.

Flash Talks:
From abstracts submitted on or before March 15, 2022, up to 75 poster presenters will be selected for flash talks. A flash talk is a 90-second presentation of your poster, supported by a single slide, from the main stage. Flash talks are an opportunity to promote your poster topic prior to the poster session. Presenters will be notified after the abstract review.

Late Submissions:
Late abstract submissions will be accepted up to April 14, 2022, on a space available basis. However, abstracts received after March 15, 2022 are not guaranteed be included in the program book.

General Information:

• Finished poster size should be 48" x 38" vertical.
• The character limit for abstracts is 4,000 characters (including spaces). 
• Abstracts may be edited up to the deadline of March 15, 2022.  Abstracts will be printed as entered as of this date. To change any abstract information previously submitted, please email the conference organizers at chembiophysinquiries@ohsu.edu. 
• Please proof your abstract carefully for spelling and data errors.  Pay special attention to the author order and presenting author designation. 
• Submission of an abstract conveys permission to be included in the conference book and posted online.
• All abstract submissions must be submitted electronically through this site.

Venue

Knight Cancer Research Building
Oregon Health & Science University
2720 S.W. Moody Ave.
Portland, OR 97201

Local Transportation

The conference venue is just south of downtown Portland, Oregon, and easily accessible by the Portland Streetcar and MAX light rail.  This makes most downtown Portland hotels a convenient choice for conference accommodations. 

Accommodations

Downtown Portland has many hotels and lodging options conveniently connected by light rail, Portland street car, and bus lines.

The Hyatt House Portland Downtown hotel is conveniently located .3 miles from the venue, within easy walking distance.

Hyatt House Portland Downtown
2080 SW River Drive
Portland, OR 97201
503-241-2775
Map

Additional lodging options include:

• Downtown Portland Hotels
• Bed and Breakfasts
• AirBNB

Chemical Biology and Physiology 21|22 welcomes corporate, journal and institutional sponsors. Sponsorships are essential in allowing us to bring this biennial conference to the chemical biology and physiology scientific communities. Below are our pre-defined sponsorship opportunities, or we are happy to design a package that meets your needs. To discuss interest in conference sponsorship or for questions please contact conference planners at chembiophysinquiries@ohsu.edu. 

Gold Sponsor - $1,500 ($750 may be tax deductible as a charitable contribution)

• One (1) conference registration for in-person attendance. (value $650)
• Organization logo on conference webpage, booklet and welcome slide. (value $50)
• Sponsor virtual breakout room during breaks and meal times.
• Sponsor table with tablecloth at in-person venue. (value $50)

Silver Sponsor - $1,000 ($600 may be tax deductible as a charitable contribution)

• One (1) conference registration for virtual attendance. (value $350)
• Organization logo on conference webpage, booklet and welcome slide. (value $50)
• Sponsor virtual breakout room during breaks and meal times.

Bronze Supporter - $500 ($450 may be tax deductible as a charitable contribution)

• Organization logo on conference webpage, booklet and welcome slide. (value $50)

Poster Session Sponsor - $2,000 ($300 [virtual attendance] or $0 [in-person attendance] may be tax deductible as a charitable contribution)

• One (1) conference registration for in-person or virtual attendance. (value $350 [virtual] or $650 [in-person])
• Named poster session, virtual and in-person. (value $100)
• Poster awards: $300/$200/$100 in-person session, and $300/$200/$100 virtual session. (value $1,200)
• Sponsor representative presents the awards.
• Organization logo on conference webpage, booklet and welcome slide. (value $50)

Sponsor Add-On - $500 ($400 may be tax deductible as a charitable contribution)

• An add-on sponsorship opportunity to the above options, for an additional $500 the sponsor can name a science session or keynote session. (value $100)