91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½

Annual Meeting

Dancing with metals: Iron copper and reactive sparks

Read about the Discover BMB 2024 symposium on redox and metals in biology
Gina DeNicola Siavash Kurdistani
By Gina DeNicola and Siavash Kurdistani
Sept. 20, 2023

"Sola dosis facit venenum" or "the dose makes the poison." This timeless adage holds particularly true in the realm of metals and oxidants, where the delicate balance between sufficiency and excess is paramount. Inadequate levels render an organism incapable of proper functioning, while excessive quantities can inflict irreversible harm. However, at the precise dosage, a harmonious symphony resonates within cellular systems.

While iron and copper play crucial roles in the functioning of numerous cellular proteins, excessive amounts can trigger the cell death mechanisms of ferroptosis and cuproptosis, respectively. Although oxidation is essential for vital cellular processes such as protein folding and signal transduction, excessive oxidation can harm cellular components, leading to cell death. How does a cell effectively regulate the availability of these factors and mitigate their toxic effects?

Submit an abstract

Abstract submission begins Sept. 14. If you submit by Oct. 12, you'll get a decision by Nov. 1. The regular submission deadline is Nov. 30.

This compelling question will be addressed at our symposium. Esteemed investigators in the fields of iron, copper and redox biology will cover topics that include organellar redox metabolism and vulnerabilities, mechanisms of metal-induced cell death and metal stress, as well as metal acquisition and dependencies.

Keywords: Copper, iron, redox, metals, reactive oxygen species.

Who should attend: Metalheads and redox biologists, along with individuals keen on delving into the realms of iron, copper and selenium and the intricacies of oxidative stress.

Theme song: by Black Sabbath. No explanation necessary.

This session is powered by

Redox and metals in biology

Advances in redox homeostasis in biology and disease

°­¾±±¹²¹²Ôç  BirsoyRockefeller University

Jessica SpinelliUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

Urbain Weyemi (chair)National Cancer Institute

Elena PiskounovaWeill Cornell Medicine

Iron in redox biology: mechanisms and regulation

Adam HughesUniversity of Utah

James Wohlschlegel, UCLA

Sarah-Maria FendtVIB–KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology

Gina DeNicola (chair)Moffitt Cancer Center

Copper in redox biology: From fundamental chemistry to cellular function

Katherine FranzDuke University

Peter TsvetkovBroad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Deborah FassWeizmann Institute of Science

Siavash Kurdistani (chair), UCLA

Enjoy reading 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
Gina DeNicola
Gina DeNicola

Gina DeNicola is the interim chair of the metabolism and physiology department and leader of the metabolism program at Moffitt Cancer Center.

Siavash Kurdistani
Siavash Kurdistani

Siavash Kurdistani is the chair of the biological chemistry department at UCLA.

Get the latest from 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in Science

Science highlights or most popular articles

Targeting toxins to treat whooping cough
Journal News

Targeting toxins to treat whooping cough

May 1, 2025

Scientists find that liver protein inhibits of pertussis toxin, offering a potential new treatment for bacterial respiratory disease. Read more about this recent study from the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Elusive zebrafish enzyme in lipid secretion
Journal News

Elusive zebrafish enzyme in lipid secretion

May 1, 2025

Scientists discover that triacylglycerol synthesis enzyme drives lipoproteins secretion rather than lipid droplet storage. Read more about this recent study from the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Scientists identify pan-cancer biomarkers
Journal News

Scientists identify pan-cancer biomarkers

April 30, 2025

Researchers analyze protein and RNA data across 13 cancer types to find similarities that could improve cancer staging, prognosis and treatment strategies. Read about this recent article published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

New mass spectrometry tool accurately identifies bacteria
Journal News

New mass spectrometry tool accurately identifies bacteria

April 30, 2025

Scientists develop a software tool to categorize microbe species and antibiotic resistance markers to aid clinical and environmental research. Read about this recent article published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

New tool matches microbial and metabolic metaproteomic data
Journal News

New tool matches microbial and metabolic metaproteomic data

April 30, 2025

Scientists develop a bioinformatics program that maps omics data to metabolic pathways. Read about this recent article published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics

Meet Paul Shapiro
Interview

Meet Paul Shapiro

April 29, 2025

Learn how the JBC associate editor went from milking cows on a dairy farm to analyzing kinases in the lab.