Agenda 


Important notes about the general framework of the meeting:
  • The program is designed to fit in time zones friendly across one or more major geographical areas of North America, Asia and Europe.  Our suggestion is that delegates can pick sessions that suit their schedule for live streaming.  For unfriendly times, some talks will be available on demand ahead of the live streaming for questions to be provided in advance for the live Q&A sessions. Otherwise most talks will be also available post-conference. 
  • The most interactive sessions (posters, workshops and the business meeting) will be scheduled at times with best overlap across the three major time zones.
  • The sessions will be more loosely themed than usual because we want to allow the speakers to speak in slots most friendly to their time zones which means that topics cannot always be aligned with that. 
  • Excluding questions, invited speaker talks will be 20 min, abstract talks 10 min and plenary talks 30 min.
  • Talks will be pre-recorded where possible but streamed live.  We will ask presenters to upload their talks the week before the meeting starts to allow people outside friendly time zones to watch them ahead of time and post questions for the live Q&A sessions.
  • Q&A sessions will be live streamed. 

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

EDT Time UTC Time Event
10:00 am – 10:10 am 2:00 pm – 2:10 pm Conference Welcome Address
CHAIR: Jean Baum (Rutgers University)
10:10 am – 12:30 pm 2:10 pm – 4:30 pm Session #1: Amyloid Structure and Assembly
CHAIRS: Louise Serpell, (University of Sussex), Tuomas Knowles (University of Cambridge), Roland Riek (ETH Zurich), Rob Tycko (NIDDK)
  • Ruben Fernandez Busnadiego (Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry) - Unravelling the structure of toxic protein aggregates in situ
  • Marcus Fandrich (Ulm University) - CRYO-EM STRUCTURES OF EX VIVO AND IN VITRO AMYLOID FIBRILS 
  • Gunilla Westermark (Uppsala University) - The search for an endogenous inhibitor of IAPP amyloid formation
  • Hao Wu (Harvard University) - Aggregation in innate immunity
  • David Eisenberg (UCLA) - TBA
  • (Abstract Talk) Yong Xu (University of Leeds) - Discovery of novel small-molecular modulators towards hIAPP aggregation
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm Break
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION (to take place on the virtual platform): FASEB’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion – a strong diversity and inclusion strategy can help an organization drive innovative results. Learn how FASEB is working internally and with its member societies to launch a diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion initiative. Host: Debra Bouyer, FASEB Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative Coordinator
 
1:00 pm – 2:05 pm 5:00 pm – 6:05 pm Session #2: Functional Aggregates
CHAIRS: Allan Drummond (University of Chicago), Joanna Long (University of Florida)
  • Daniel Otzen (Aarhus University) - Molecular mechanisms of functional amyloid formation
  • Kausik Si (Stowers Institute for Medical Research) - Storing information in amyloids
  • (Abstract Talk) Dylan Murray (University of California, Davis) - β-strand mediated biological condensation mechanisms
2:05 pm – 3:00 pm 6:05 pm – 7:00 pm Session #3: Systemic Amyloids and Prions #1
CHAIRS: Matthew Chapman (University of Michigan), Amanda Woerman (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
  • Angela Dispenzieri (Mayo Clinic) - Perspective of the treatment and the challenges for light chain amyloidosis
  • (Abstract Talk) Guillaume Lamour (University of Evry Paris-Saclay) - Interplay between structure and nanomechanics in functional vs. pathological amyloids
  • (Abstract Talk) Julia Callender (University of California San Diego) - Manipulating PrP glycans to understand toxic signaling pathways driving prion-induced neurodegeneration 
3:00 pm – 3:15 pm 7:00 pm – 7:15 pm Break
3:15 pm – 4:00 pm 7:15 pm – 8:00 pm Meet-the-Experts: Meet the above speakers in the virtual platform roundtables for Q&A on science and careers
4:00 pm – 4:15 pm 8:00 pm – 8:15 pm Break
4:15 pm – 4:50 pm 8:15 pm – 8:50 pm Session #4: Plenary 1
CHAIR: Danny Hatters (University of Melbourne)
  • Don Cleveland (UCSD)
4:50 pm – 5:35 pm 8:50 pm – 9:35 pm Diversity and Inclusion Workshop
CHAIR: Lorena Saelices (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas)
  • Kara Robinson (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
  • Kim Kwan (Journal of Neurochemistry/International Society for Neurochemistry)
  • Pernilla Wittung Stafshede (Chalmers University of Technology)
  • Tommaso Giacco (FisioPro Correggio)
5:35 pm – 7:05 pm 9:35 pm – 11:05 pm Session #5: New Technologies
CHAIRS: Luke Wiseman (Scripps Research Institute), Kendra Frederick (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center)
  • (Abstract Talk) Paolo Arosio (ETH Zurich) - Dynamic arrest and aging of biomolecular condensates are regulated by low-complexity domains, RNA and biochemical activity
  • Michael Fitzgerald (Duke University) - Proteomic Methods and Applications for Protein Folding Stability Measurements
  • Lisa Jones (University of Maryland School of Pharmacy) - An In-Cell Mass Spectrometry-Based Protein Footprinting Method for Structural Biology Across the Proteome
  • Jason Gestwicki (University of California San Francisco) - TBA
7:05 pm – 7:20 pm 11:05 pm – 11:20 pm Break
7:20 pm – 8:55 pm 11:20 pm – 12:55 am (+1) Session #6: Open topic session
CHAIRS: Nadinath Nillegoda (Monash University), Archa Fox (University of Western Australia)
  • Kenjiro Ono (Showa University School of Medicine) - HMW Aβ oligomers are important targets for disease modifying approach of Alzheimer's disease
  • Gene Yeo (UCSD) - Persistent mRNA localization defects and cell death in ALS neurons by transient cellular stress
  • (Abstract Talk) Motomasa Tanaka (RIKEN Center for Brain Science) - GABARAPs dysfunction by co-aggregation with p62 in adolescent brain impairs GABAA receptor trafficking and social behavior
  • (Abstract Talk) Lukasz Joachimiak (UT Southwestern Medical Center) - DnaJC7 binds natively folded structural elements in tau to inhibit amyloid formation
  • (Abstract Talk) Maria Janowska (University of Washington) - Activation of human small heat shock protein HSPB5 by zinc: Taking advantage of a multitude of possibilities
 

 

Thursday, June 24, 2021

10:00 am – 12:45 pm 2:00 pm – 4:45 pm Session #7: Molecular Condensates
CHAIRS: Cliff Brangwynne (Princeton University), Celeste Sagui (NC State University), Simon Alberti (TU Dresden), Shana Elbaum-Garfinkle (CUNY, Advanced Science Research Center)
  • Ludo Van Den Bosch (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research) - Functional consequences of aberrant phase separation and aggregation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
  • (Abstract Talk) Alejandro Rodriguez Gama (Stowers Institute for Medical Research) - Signalosome nucleation enables binary innate immune proinflammatory responses
  • Rohit Pappu (Washington University in St. Louis) - Sequence grammar for phase separation and regulation of unfolded states of globular proteins
  • Jeanne Stachowiak (University of Texas at Austin) - Intrinsically disordered proteins as physical drivers of membrane traffic
  • Tanja Mittag (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) - Deciphering how naturally occurring sequence features impact the phase behaviors of disordered prion-like domains
  • Jay Groves (UC Berkeley) - TBA
12:45 pm – 1:00 pm 4:45 pm – 5:00 pm Break
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm 5:00 pm – 5:45 pm Career development workshop
CHAIR: Chloe Gerak (University of Melbourne)
  • Tricia Serio (University of Massachusetts Amherst) 
  • Lila Gierasch (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
  • Rajaraman Krishnan (Immuneering)
  • Roland Riek (ETH Zurich)
1:45 pm – 2:40 pm 5:45 pm – 6:40 pm Session #8: Neurodegeneration and Fibrils #1
CHAIRS: Meytal Landau (Technion - Israel Institute of Technology), Lorena Saelices (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas)
  • Wei Qiang (Binghamton University) - Membrane Interactions of 40-Residue β-Amyloid (Aβ??) Peptides
  • (Abstract Talk) Wolfgang Hoyer (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) - Modification of α-synuclein for inhibition of fibril elongation or secondary nucleation
  • (Abstract Talk) Joost Schymkowitz (Switch Laboratory) - Heterotypic interactions facilitate amyloid assembly and modify amyloid structure
2:40 pm – 3:15 pm 6:40 pm – 7:15 pm Break
3:15 pm – 4:00 pm 7:15 pm – 8:00 pm Meet-the-Experts: Meet the above speakers in the virtual platform roundtables for Q&A on science and careers
4:00 pm – 4:15 pm 8:00 pm – 8:15 pm Break
4:15 pm – 5:30 pm 8:15 pm – 9:30 pm Poster session
5:30 pm – 6:35 pm 9:30 pm – 10:35 pm Session #9: Systemic Amyloids and Prions #2
CHAIRS: Tricia Serio (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Joerg Gsponer (University of British Columbia)
  • Marc Diamond (UT Southwestern) - Functional Genetic Analysis of Tau Strains
  • Christina Sigurdson (UCSD) - Targeting protein aggregate clearance pathways to slow neurodegeneration in prion disease
  • (Abstract Talk) Allison Kraus (Case Western Reserve University) - High resolution structure and strain comparison of infectious mammalian prions
6:35 pm – 6:50 pm 10:35 pm – 10:50 pm Break
6:50 pm – 7:55 pm 10:50 pm – 11:55 pm Session #10: Neurodegeneration and Fibrils #2
CHAIRS: Motomasa Tanaka (RIKEN Center for Brain Science), Lisa Lapidus (Michigan State University)
  • Elizabeth Meiering (University of Waterloo) - Native and aberrant self-association of wild-type and ALS mutant SOD1s
  • (Abstract Talk) Amy Zwierzchowski-Zarate (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas) - RNA induces and stabilizes unique conformations of tau
  • Gustavo Silva (Duke University) - Ubiquitin as a redox regulator of proteostasis
7:55 pm – 8:10 pm 11:55 pm – 12:10 am (+1) Break
8:10 pm – 8:55 pm 12:10 am (+1) – 12:55 am (+1) Session #11: Neurodegeneration and Fibrils #3
CHAIRS: Lezanne Ooi (University of Wollongong), Samrat Mukhopadhyay (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali)
  • (Abstract Talk) Myungwoon Lee (National Institues of Health) - Molecular Structure and Interactions Within Fibrils Formed by a FUS Low Complexity Domain
  • (Abstract Talk) Cody Hoop (Rutgers University) - Identifying a dynamic N-terminal interaction interface on acetylated α-synuclein monomers for fibril recruitment
  • (Abstract Talk) Si Wu (Chinese Academy of Sciences) - Conformational expansion of Tau during liquid phase separation facilitates intermolecular interactions and self-aggregation
 

 

Friday, June 25, 2021

EDT Time UTC Time Event
10:00 am – 12:25 pm 2:00 pm – 4:25 pm Session #12: Proteostasis
CHAIRS: Rick Morimoto (Northwestern University), Viviana Perez (National Institute on Aging)
  • Serena Carra (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) - Condensate targeting as a strategy to prevent irreversible protein aggregation: implications for ALS and FTD
  • Della David (University of Tübingen) - Towards healthy aging: Investigating the regulation of protein aggregation
  • (Abstract Talk) Patrick van der Wel (University of Groningen) - Origins and implications of supramolecular polymorphism in disease-associated protein aggregates
  • Harm Kampinga (University of Groningen) - TBA
  • James Shorter (University of Pennsylvania) - Countering deleterious phase transitions in ALS/FTD
  • (Abstract Talk) Christian Schlieker (Yale University) - Pathogenic Torsin mutations provoke FG-rich condensates that form at the nuclear envelope of neurons and sequester abundant molecular chaperones
12:25 pm – 12:40 pm 4:25 pm – 4:40 pm Break
12:40 pm – 2:00 pm 4:40 pm – 6:00 pm Session #13: Therapeutic strategies #1
CHAIRS: Joel Buxbaum (Scripps Research Institute), Jessica Fortin (Michigan State University)
  • Per Westermark (Uppsala University) - The mystery of transthyretin amyloidosis: Where does it start and how does it spread?
  • (Abstract Talk) Holger Wille (University of Alberta) - A structure-based prion vaccine protects a transgenic mouse model of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease from neurodegeneration
  • Jillian Madine (University of Liverpool) - Aortic medial amyloid: the mystery amyloid
  • (Abstract Talk) Francisca Pinheiro (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) - Towards the development of second-generation kinetic stabilizers to treat transthyretin amyloidosis
2:00 pm – 2:15 pm 6:00 pm – 6:15 pm Break
2:15 pm – 2:50 pm 6:15 pm – 6:50 pm Session #14: Plenary 2.  *The EMBO Keynote Lecture
CHAIR: Randal Halfmann (Stowers Institute for Medical Research)
  • Anne Bertolotti (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology)
2:50 pm – 3:00 pm 6:50 pm – 7:00 pm Break
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm 7:00 pm – 7:45 pm Meet-the-Experts: Meet the above speakers in the virtual platform roundtables for Q&A on science and careers
3:45 pm – 4:45 pm 7:45 pm – 8:45 pm Awards & Business Meeting
4:45 pm – 6:45 pm 8:45 pm – 10:45 pm Session #15: Therapeutic Strategies #2 & Proteotoxicity
CHAIRS: Jeff Kelly (Scripps Research Institute), Margie Sunde (University of Sydney)
  • Anna Greka (Harvard Medical School / Bridgham and Women’s Hospital / Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard)
  • Tej Kandola (Stowers Institute for Medical Research) - Structure of the polyglutamine amyloid nucleus
  • Nicolas Fawzi (Brown University) - Seeing the molecular details linking aggregation and phase separation of RNA-binding proteins FUS and TDP-43
  • (Abstract Talk) Lorena Saelices (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas) - Could amyloid seeding represent a therapeutic approach for late-stage transthyretin amyloidosis?
6:45 pm – 7:00 pm 10:45 pm – 11:00 pm Meet-the-Experts: Meet the above speakers in the virtual platform roundtables for Q&A on science and careers