2024-2026 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Conference - The goal of this application is to support travel awards for students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-stage investigators (ESI) to attend the 2024-26 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Conferences. Broadly the goal of CMBE Conference is to catalyze 1) the development of new molecular, cellular, bioimaging, synthetic biology, bioprinting, and single-cell technologies for probing and manipulating cellular dynamics and function, 2) the application and transition of these cutting edge approaches for understanding the organizing principles of complex cellular and tissue systems across scales, and 3) the translation of these advancements in ways that ultimately benefit humanity, such as actionable models of biological processes, drug screening systems, and cellular biosensors to sense and respond to environment cues. The theme of the 2026 BMES CMBE Conference “Renew, Recharge, Reimagine: Transforming Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Together,” reflects our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and the future of the field. We aim to focus on an integrated viewpoint of applying new frameworks and non-traditional approaches to solve complex biological problems using “Renew, Recharge, Reimagining to Transform Research”. Speakers will describe their engineering approaches to deconvolve the complex molecular, cellular, and tissue systems within the human body through their in situ, in vitro modeling approaches. We have recruited several established and emerging research leaders in key defining research areas with strong focus on understanding cell states in development and diseases, with particular focus on reimagining their expertise to tackle problems with a new lens, and their applications in cellular and molecular bioengineering. The outcome of the conference will be increased technology sharing amongst researchers, as well as a new vision and strategic plan for engineering biological systems for basic science and clinical translation. The specific objectives of this R13 application are two-fold. The first is to provide support to eight ESI junior investigators and twelve postdoctoral fellows or graduate students, whose submitted abstracts will be selected for podium presentation based on scientific and innovative merits. The meeting will provide these investigators with essential exposure and mentoring to launch or expand their academic research careers. The second objective is to foster adoption of new technologies to the CMBE research community and promote interdisciplinary collaboration. The meeting will provide a platform to expose researchers in engineering, chemistry, biology, and data science to the latest techniques and develop a pathway to increase the impact of CMBE research in human disease. Outcomes will be described in a white paper summary in the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Journal.
