Molecular Metabolism: From Cell Biology to Systems Physiology - Project Summary/Abstract Jeffrey Elmendorf, David Guertin and Kathryn Wellen are pleased to co-chair the next Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) conference on “Molecular Metabolism: From Cell Biology to Systems Physiology.” The event will be held at Southbridge Hotel & Conference Center Southbridge, MA, during the week of July 14-18, 2024. This marks a new venue and an expanded theme for one of the longest- running and best-regarded meetings in the FASEB SRC series, historically focused on glucose transporters, insulin signaling and glucose homeostasis. The conference was originally launched in 1993 in recognition of the cloning and characterization of a subset of the major glucose transporter isoforms. Over the ensuing years, the meeting has continued to feature important advances in glucose regulation, evolving in recent meetings to embrace new topics in glucose homeostasis, metabolite signaling, and systems physiology as they relate to chronic diseases and conditions including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Our 2024 conference will highlight newly discovered mechanisms of metabolic regulation and dysregulation at both the cell and organ level. The themes of the meeting were also chosen to align with challenges faced by the pharmaceutical and biotech industries in identifying new therapeutic targets that combat tractable disease mechanisms. For example, the conference will shine a spotlight on basic, clinical, and pharmaceutical science behind bench-to-beside aspects of drug development, as well as on breakthrough advances in the metabolic relationships between various diseases. A particular example will be a session centered around GLP1-based therapies to inspire both young and established, investigators to forge ahead with studies aimed at disease prevention and treatment avenues. Importantly, this and other sessions have been designed with the goals of attracting young investigators and in maintaining an inclusive conference environment by which trainees and established investigators of all cultural backgrounds and personal characteristics can benefit. We have invited 32 scientists from institutions and companies worldwide to speak at the meeting, as well as an additional dozen prominent scientists to serve as session chairs and discussion leaders. In addition to these speakers we will be selecting approximately 16 short talks from abstracts to be presented by junior investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and students. We will also run several poster sessions, and continue two very well- received events launched at previous meetings; a speed-dating session to facilitate networking and encourage student participation from the very beginning of the meeting; and an “open mike” session of approximately 2 hours to allow volunteers to present particularly exciting data for discussion, with about 10 minutes per speaker. We will also hold a career development workshop focusing on the use of social media platforms in science.
