Conference Program

Daily Schedules

Monday, November 15
  Pre-Conference Workshop
Tuesday, November 16
Wednesday, November 17
Thursday, November 18

*All sessions below listed in US Eastern Time

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2021

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP*
Critical Advances in Electrophilic Drug Development
Chairs: Carola Neumann, MD, University of Pittsburgh, USA and Francisco Schopfer, PhD, MBA, University of Pittsburgh, USA
*Included with registration

Redox signaling affects the activity of specific enzyme isoforms. This property can be harnessed for rational drug design. Covalent drugs have resurged in recent years and several reports have demonstrated the general virtue of developing irreversible or reversible inhibitors. In fact, many modern pharmaceuticals contain electrophilic appendages with several employing a warhead that hijacks active side nucleophiles while others take advantage of nucleophilic sidechains that do not participate in enzymatic chemistry, but readily react with electrophiles. Thus, targeted covalent inhibitors and chemical probes have successfully become integral parts of drug discovery approaches for several diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. However, some critical challenges and questions remain regarding translational aspects. Those include target specificity and the advantages of reversible vs irreversible nature of the covalent interaction. This session will inform the audience about the latest developments in electrophilic drug development, emphasize possible ways to address these challenges and an update of covalent inhibitors in the clinic.

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP PART I: EMERGING TECHNIQUES IN DEVELOPING CYSTEINE TARGETING DRUGS

11:00 am - 11:05 am
Welcome / Part I Overview
Francisco Schopfer, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, USA

11:05 am - 11:35 am
Unmasking Chemically-Actionable Targets that Evade Conventional Target ID
Yimon Aye, PhD, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

11:35 am - 12:05 pm 
Nitroalkenes: A Promising New Drug Class
Francisco Schopfer, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, US

12:05 pm - 12:35 pm
Site Directed Ligand Discovery for Protein-Protein Interactions
Michelle Arkin, PhD, University of California San Francisco, USA

12:35 pm - 1:05 pm
Targeting Proteins with Photoswitchable Affinity Labels (PALs)
Dirk Trauner, PhD, New York University, USA

1:05 pm - 1:35 pm
Functionalizing Targeted Covalent Inhibitors
Nir London, PhD, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

1:35 pm - 2:30 pm
Break


SfRBM DISCOVERY AWARD LECTURE
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Mn Porphyrins - From SOD Mimicking to Thiol Signaling
Ines Batinic-Haberle, Duke University, USA


PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP PART II: EXAMPLES OF CYSTEINE TARGETING DRUGS

3:00 pm - 3:05 pm
Welcome / Part II Overview
Carola Neumann, MD, University of Pittsburgh, USA

3:05 pm - 3:35 pm
Electrophilic Inhibitors in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Stuart A. Lipton, MD, PhD, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; University of California, San Diego; Yale School of Medicine, USA

3:35 pm - 4:05 pm    
The Discovery of Sotorasib (AMG 510): First-in-Class Investigational Covalent Inhibitor of KRAS G12C
Ryan Wurz, PhD, Amgen, USA

4:05 pm - 4:35 pm
Development of a Novel Cysteine Targeting RAD51 Inhibitor
Carola Neumann, MD, University of Pittsburgh, USA

4:35 pm - 5:05 pm
Roundtable DIscussion with the Experts and Closing Remarks
Carola Neumann, MD, University of Pittsburgh, USA and Francisco Schopfer, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, USA


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS

11:00 am - 11:45 am
Professional Development Session 1: Managing Your Research Enterprise: From Starting Up to Maintaining a Post-Tenure Research Program
Organizers/Speakers: Kimberly Dunham-Snary, PhD, Queen’s University, Canada, and Rajasekaran Namakkal Soorappan, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA

Just like the Starship Enterprise, your research program is a complicated machine with many moving parts, and as Principal Investigator, it isn’t as simple as sitting in a big chair in the middle of the bridge barking orders at the crew. Being Captain of a research enterprise often also involves taking on the role of engineer, navigation, and communications. This PD session will feature three university faculty at different stages of their careers, who will lead a discussion on i) initial launch (starting up your research program), ii) the midway point of the first mission (pre-tenure, post-renewal), and iii) how the voyage evolves post-tenure/post-promotion. The goal of this session is to provide information through discussion and Q&A that is often not shared with scientists when they are still in training.

11:00 am - 11:45 am
Professional Development Session 2: Job Hunting as a Scientist: From Preparing an Application Package to Interviewing
Organizers/Speakers: Peter Vitiello, PhD, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, USA and Mahdi Garelnabi, PhD, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA

This session is directed towards graduate students and postdoctoral fellows looking to move to the next level in their career. We will discuss setting career goals and planning, crafting your resume/CV and cover letter, searching for relevant positions, and preparing for the interview.

12:30 pm - 1:15 pm
Professional Development Session 3: Clear, Concise and Cool - Tips for Effectively Communicating Science
Organizers/Speakers: Samantha Giordano-Mooga, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA and Aimee Eggler, PhD, Villanova University, USA

It is essential to share your science with whomever will listen… but how do you get them to listen?  This workshop will include tips for all styles of communication, including the exciting but nerve wracking 15 min talk, social media, and the dreaded elevator pitch.  Walk away with some tangible ways to share your science—at SfRBM and beyond!

12:30 pm - 1:15 pm
Professional Development Session 4: Overcoming Challenges in Graduate School
Organizers/Speakers: Jeffrey Stolwijk, University of Iowa, USA and  Morgan Foret, McGill University, Canada

The past year has been difficult for many of us. As trainees, we need all the help we can get to become successful and reach our goals, especially throughout a global pandemic. To overcome some of these obstacles and create a clearer picture of how to manage them, the SfRBM Trainee Council is hosting an event targeted at trainees.

The members of the SfRBM Trainee Council will discuss some of their own challenges and how these were overcome. This will hopefully provide valuable insights to enhance your graduate or post-graduate experience. If we spend less time reinventing solutions for existing problems, we will have more time and energy for innovative science and research. We hope you'll join us for this educational event.

The SfRBM Trainee Council will present a panel session about some of their own struggles during graduate school. This will include the following:

  • Trainee health, well-being, and time management
  • Dealing with negative results
  • Career Paths
  • Working with LinkedIn and job applications

OPENING DOORS EVENT
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Mentoring Matters: Building Mentoring Relationships with a Focus on Inclusion and Diversity


TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021

ANNUAL CONFERENCE BEGINS

10:00 am - 10:30 am
Chat Room 1: Redox Approaches to Drug Design
Carola Neumann, MD, University of Pittsburgh, USA and Eva Nozik, MD, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, USA

Chat Room 2: Redox Regulation in Cardiovascular
Francisco Laurindo, MD, F-SFRBM, University of São Paulo, BR and Ryan Smith, PhD, Emory University, USA

10:55 am - 11:00 am
SfRBM President's Welcome
Holly Van Remmen, PhD, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, USA - SfRBM President 

SUNRISE FREE RADICAL SCHOOL
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Back to the Basics
Chairs: Kimberly Dunham-Snary, Ph.D., Queen's University, Canada and Adam Case, PhD, Texas A&M University, USA
*Included with registration

11:00 am - 11:30 am
What are Free Radicals and Reactive Oxygen Species
Maria Clara Franco, PhD, Oregon State University, USA

11:00 am - 11:30 pm
Redox Signaling 101
Aimee L. Eggler, PhD, Villanova University, USA

PLENARY SESSION 1

11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) as mediators of Neuromuscular Interactions Underlying Age-Related Atrophy
Chairs: Malcolm J Jackson PhD DSc FRCPath FTPS, University of Liverpool, UK and Holly Van Remmen PhD, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, USA

This proposed session encompasses the conceptually novel “two-hit” hypothesis for sarcopenia wherein defects in neuronal function arising from altered redox homeostasis initiate disruption of neuromuscular Junctions (NMJs), but a second failure in ROS-mediated post-synaptic muscle processes is required to generate the full phenotype. The session leads through the basic mechanisms involved through to the proposals of novel ROS-targeted interventions aimed at restoring neuromuscular function in old age.

This session brings together experts in the fields of redox biochemistry, muscle physiology, mitochondrial function, neuromuscular synapse function and neurobiology using technical innovations including neuromuscular tissue engineering, redox proteomics, single cell transcriptomics and mass spectrometry to address the hypothesis of the potential for a major role of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in mediating both pre- and post-synaptic disruption in old age.

11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Contribution of Both Pre- and Post-Synaptic Changes in the Initiation and Progression of Sarcopenia: Role of Altered ROS
Susan V Brooks, PhD, University of Michigan, USA

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Targeting Mitochondrial Hydrogen Peroxide to Mitigate Sarcopenia
Bumsoo Ahn, PhD, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, USA

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
The Role of Altered Skeletal Muscle – Neuronal Cross-Talk in Sarcopenia
Anne McArdle PhD, University of Liverpool, UK

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Oxidation of Cysteine Thiols As Mediators of Skeletal Muscle Responses to Exercise
Malcolm J Jackson PhD DSc FRCPath FTPS, University of Liverpool, UK

PLENARY SESSION 2
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Redox Signaling in the Nervous System
Chairs: Andrés Trostchansky, PhD, Universidad de la República, Uruguay and Eugenio Barone, PhD, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Oxidative stress and inflammatory processes greatly contribute to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders. Cellular redox signaling and energy metabolism are impaired in neurons, astrocytes, or glial cells prompting a rise in free radical species and oxidatively damaged molecules, which accumulate and lead to cell dysfunction and death. The symposium will cover emerging evidence highlighting the impact of metabolism and redox signaling on genetic and epigenetic regulation of gene transcription as well as protein expression and activity, indicating the complexity of the molecular mechanisms deployed by brain cells to cope with oxidative stress and inflammatory processes.

11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Can Oxylipins and SPM be Markers of ALS? Lipidomic Analysis in Human Patients
Andrés Trostchansky, PhD, Universidad de la República, Uruguay

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Role of Sulfhydration in Age-related Neurodegenerative Diseases
Bindu D. Paul, MSc, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Inhibition of Tetrahydrobiopterin Production Induces Analgesia by Compromising T Cell Mitochondrial Bioenergetics
Alexandra Latini, PhD, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm           
Insulin Signaling Regulates Mitochondrial Bioenergetics in the Brain: Insight for the Development of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Eugenio Barone, PhD, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

ORAL PRESENTATIONS FROM SUBMITTED ABSTRACTS
2:00 pm - 3:45 pm

  • Aging and Neurodegeneration
  • Redox Chemistry and Toxicology

2 concurrent sessions

POSTER PRESENTATIONS
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Aging, Chemical Biology, Neurodegenerative Disease, Environmental Toxicology/Pharmacology​​

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

10:00 am - 10:45 am
Education Session sponsored by Baker Ruskinn
How Controlling Your Culture Environment Affects Cell Response and Productivity

Kara Held, PhD, Science Director, The Baker Company, Walker Inman, PhD, Founder & CEO, Lucid Scientific, Samir Patel, Global Sales Director, Baker Ruskinn

The Baker Company has been a world leader in environmental control since 1949. Through our design of Baker and Clean Air by Baker biological safety cabinets (BSCs) for contamination control and Baker Ruskinn “Physoxic” cell culture chambers to mimic in vivo cell culture conditions using Continuous Physiological Oxygen. Here we discuss how the regulation of the culture environments affect cellular responses. Lucid Scientific will join Baker to demonstrate the Resipher, a monitor of direct cellular oxygen consumption rates relaying cellular health, an ideal tool to integrate with Baker products.  Together these instruments can help ensure ideal culturing conditions leading to the most accurate biological results.

SUNRISE FREE RADICAL SCHOOL
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Back to the Basics
Chairs: Kimberly Dunham-Snary, Ph.D., Queen's University, Canada and Adam Case, PhD, Texas A&M University, USA
*Included with registration

11:00 am - 11:30 am
Mitochondrial ROS Generation - a Complex Matter
Paul S. Brookes, PhD, University of Rochester, USA

11:00 am - 11:30 am
Chemical and Cellular Aspects of Disulfide Redox Signaling
Edward Moreira Bahnson, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

PLENARY SESSION 3
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Building, Upkeeping and Recycling Mitochondria
Chairs: Alicia Kowaltowski, MD, PhD, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil and Andrew Wojtovich, PhD, University of Rochester Medical Center, USA

Mitochondria are metabolic hubs that control redox signaling events. Mitochondrial redox changes can lead to diverse physiologic outputs depending on context, despite originating from the same organelle. This session will focus on how different mitochondrial redox signals lead to distinct changes in mitochondrial oxidant production, the regulation of their release from mitochondria, and the turnover and maintenance of mitochondrial membranes and DNA.

11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Protein Translocation into Mitochondria
Carla Koehler, M.S.,PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Mitochondrial Redox Signaling in Acute Hypoxia
Antonio Martínez-Ruiz, PhD, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Spain

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Rescuing Mitochondrial Intermembrane Space Protein Biogenesis Under Oxidative Stress
Kostas Tokatlidis, PhD, University of Glasgow, Scotland

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Using Chemoptogenetic Approaches to Interrogate Mitochondrial Function
Ben Van Houten, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, USA

PLENARY SESSION 4 
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Disulfide Chemistry and Function in Cardiovascular Disease
Chairs: Philip Hogg, University of Sydney, Australia and Francisco Laurindo, MD, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, Brazil

Since the discovery of protein disulfide bonds more than 50 years ago they have been assumed to be fully formed and inert in the mature protein. Recent findings have upended these fundamental assumptions about protein structure and function. Numerous disulfides exist in unbound form in mature proteins and a subset of the bonds, the allosteric disulfides, control the function of the protein when reduced or oxidised by vascular thiol isomerases.

11:30 am - 12:00 pm
PDI as a Biomarker And Therapeutic Target In Thrombosis
Robert Flaumenhaft, MD, PhD, BIDMC/Harvard Medical School, USA

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
How Functional Disulfides Regulate Proteins In Blood Flow
Frauke Graeter, PhD, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Germany

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Blood And Guts: Intestinal Mucins Shed Light On The Disulfide-Mediated Assembly Of Von Willebrand Factor
Deborah Fass, PhD, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Multiple Disulfide‐Bonded forms of Blood Proteins
Philip Hogg, PhD, University of Sydney, Australia

ORAL PRESENTATIONS FROM SUBMITTED ABSTRACTS
2:00 pm - 3:45 pm

  • Redox Biology of Vasculature and Lung
  • Bioenergetics, Mitochondria and Metabolism

2 concurrent sessions

POSTER PRESENTATIONS
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Cardiovascular and Pulmonary, Metabolism/Bioenergetics

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

10:00 am - 10:30 am
Chat Room 3: Redox Mediators in Mechanisms of Aging and Disease
Lin Mantell, MD, PhD, St. John's University College of Pharmacy, USA and Andres Trostchansky, PhD, Universidad de la Republica, UY

Chat Room 4: Mitochondria and ROS Generation
Adam Case, PhD, Texas A&M University, USA and Marcie Cole, PhD, University of Louisville, USA

SUNRISE FREE RADICAL SCHOOL 
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Back to the Basics
Chairs: Kimberly Dunham-Snary, Ph.D., Queen's University, Canada and Adam Case, PhD, Texas A&M University, USA
*Included with registration

11:00 am - 11:30 am
A Historical Overview of the Successes and Failures of Antioxidant Therapies
Chris Kevil, PhD, LSU Health Shreveport, USA

11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Translating Your Science to a Clinical Trial
Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA

PLENARY SESSION 5
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
New Advances in Targeting the Cellular Redox Environment as a Therapeutic Strategy
Chairs: Ines Batinic-Haberle, PhD, Duke University Medical Center, USA and Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA

Over the last decade the clinical development of drugs that target cellular redox environment has intensified. Two members of different classes of such compounds, a Mn porphyrin, BMX-001, and a Mn cyclic polyamine, GC4419, have progressed into Phase II/III clinical trials on cancer patients as protectors of normal tissues and anticancer agents.

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Metalloporphyrins: An Opportunity to Transform Radiation Therapy for High Grade Glioma Patients
Katherine B. Peters, PhD, MD, Duke University Cancer, USA

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Utilizing SOD Mimics to Protect Normal Tissues While Enhancing Tumor Responses to Cancer Therapy
Douglas R. Spitz, PhD, University of Iowa, USA

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Antioxidant and Pro-Oxidant Actions of Mn Porphyrin-Based Therapeutics
Ines Batinic-Haberle, PhD, University Medical Center Durham, USA

1:30 pm - 2:00 pm  
Understanding the Mechanisms by Which Manganese Porphyrins Protect from Radiation-Induced Toxicities
Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA

ORAL PRESENTATIONS FROM SUBMITTED ABSTRACTS
2:30 pm - 4:15 pm

  • Redox Biology in Cancer
  • Interactions Between Redox and Inflammation

2 concurrent sessions

POSTER PRESENTATIONS
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Cancer, Inflammation and Immunity