Metabolism is referred to as the “chemistry of life” and any dysfunction in its various pathways can greatly affect human health. A new scientific meeting hosted by the Morgridge Institute for Research will focus on the underlying mechanisms of metabolic diseases and innovations in the tools used to study them.
The Frontiers in Metabolism – Mechanisms of Metabolic Diseases meeting will take place Sept. 17-19, 2018, at the Discovery Building in Madison, Wis. Biochemistry professor Dave Pagliarini, who is the director of the Metabolism Theme at the Morgridge Institute, is the meeting organizer.
Pagliarini says the meeting will bring together a diverse group of leaders who investigate the basic mechanistic underpinnings of metabolic disorders and pioneer new approaches for probing and quantifying metabolic processes. The broad swath of topics will span cancer metabolism to lipid dysregulation to mitochondrial signaling.
“We have a vibrant, growing metabolism community in Madison, and the Morgridge Institute and UW–Madison are emerging leaders in this field,” Pagliarini says. “It’s a place that greatly values this area of research and is heavily investing in its future.”
Researchers from around the world — 25 international leaders in total — will be presenting in sessions regarding:
- Genetics and metabolism
- Dysregulated metabolism in cancer
- Lipids in metabolism
- Chemical, computational and analytical approaches
- Signaling and regulation
- Mitochondria in metabolism
UW–Madison biochemistry professor Alan Attie, an expert on the genetics of metabolic diseases like diabetes, will be presenting his work in a talk titled “Genetics and Genomics of Type 2 Diabetes.” Biochemistry Emeritus Professor Dave Nelson will be presenting a special session on the university’s history of studying metabolism.
Advances in technology are bringing new insights into metabolic processes and revealing that there are more gaps in knowledge than previously thought, Pagliarini says.
“There’s also been an important realization that metabolism isn’t merely a readout of what’s otherwise happening in the body, but instead is a fundamental driver of diverse biological processes,” Pagliarini says. “Metabolites are increasingly appreciated as robust signaling molecules, demanding that we arrive at a deeper appreciation of how and when they are produced, and where the go.”
To register and learn more: https://morgridge.org/research/metabolism/frontiers-in-metabolism/
This meeting is conducted by the Morgridge Institute for Research in partnership with UW–Madison and the Lausanne Integrative Metabolism and Nutrition Alliance (LIMNA).