Lipid Droplets - Project Summary The 9th FASEB Summer Research Conference on Lipid Droplets will delve into the rapidly evolving field of lipid droplet biology. As the primary cellular lipid storage organelles, lipid droplets serve as vital hubs of lipid metabolism, influencing energy metabolism, lipid signaling, membrane biogenesis, and lipotoxicity. The accumulation of lipid droplets is a pathological hallmark of metabolic diseases, including obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, lipodystrophy, and cardiovascular disease. New roles for lipid droplets have emerged in the etiology of neurodegeneration, cancer, and the host response to pathogens. The escalating global prevalence of lipid disorders underscores the urgency to understand the molecular underpinnings of lipid droplet biology as well as their profound impact on disease pathogenesis. A comprehensive understanding of lipid droplets is essential for therapeutic development and is of high interest to scientists in academic and biotechnology sectors. This conference will take place from July 21-25 2024, in Saint Paul, MN and will include two keynote addresses from leaders in the fields of lipid metabolism and organelle biology: Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz (HHMI Janelia Farm) and Gökhan Hotamışlıgil (Harvard). As one of the lipid metabolism community’s premiere scientific conferences, and the longest-running meeting solely focused on lipid droplet biology, it will feature a multi-disciplinary speaker line-up focused on leading- edge research. The conference format comprises 8 sessions with talks by 24 invited speakers, 14 short talks selected from submitted abstracts, two poster sessions, a Career-Oriented Workshop, and several Meet the Experts sessions. This highly inclusive environment is crafted to foster interactions between trainees, early career investigators, and established researchers. During the scientific sessions, distinguished researchers will deliver talks spanning the entire spectrum of lipid droplet biology from basic to clinical research, presenting diverse approaches (biophysics, genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, physiology) and cutting-edge technologies (chemical biology, lipidomics, imaging) in a range of model systems (cultured cells, flies, yeast, C. elegans, mice, humans). A primary aim of this conference is to empower the next generation of scientists. To that end, we seek funding to support the participation of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career investigators, with a special emphasis on inclusivity, including women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities. The conference's setting will provide numerous opportunities for both planned and spontaneous informal interactions, affording young investigators the chance to present their work, obtain valuable feedback from leaders in the field, and receive career guidance. This conference stands as the pioneering international gathering dedicated exclusively to lipid droplet biology and its relevance to human disease. It continues to serve as a unique platform for researchers to exchange ideas and share groundbreaking results in this dynamic and timely field.
