Host
Organized by: Olivier Julien, Nevan Krogan, Joanne Lemieux, Melanie Ott, and Kliment Verba
Event Overview
The Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Alberta, and Gladstone Institutes will host a joint symposium, “From Infection to Neuro-Inflammation: Atomic Structure, Modeling & Clinical Impact,” on May 29, 2026 at UCSF.
We will explore the intricate connections between infectious diseases and neuro-inflammation, focusing on the role of atomic structure and computational modeling in understanding these processes.
Attendees will gain insights into cutting-edge research that bridges molecular science and clinical applications, highlighting how structural biology and advanced modeling techniques can inform the diagnosis and treatment of neuro-inflammatory conditions.
This event is designed for researchers and students interested in neuroimmunology, infectious diseases, and translational medicine. This symposium aims to build collaborative relationships between scientists with a view towards partnership.
Agenda
SESSION ONE | Chaired by Kliment Verba
9:00 AM – Opening Remarks by Organizing Committee
9:15 AM – Melanie Ott | Outpacing Viruses: Building Molecular Tools for Pandemic Preparedness
9:40 AM – Christopher Power | Disease Mechanisms at the Interface of Brain Infectious and Immune Disorders
10:05 AM – Nadia Roan | The Active HIV Reservoir As a Therapeutic Target to Achieve HIV Remission
10:30 AM – Break
SESSION TWO | Chaired by Olivier Julien
11:00 AM – Sandeep Gupta | Modeling Autism Using Human Stem Cell-Derived Neural Circuits
11:25 AM – Rasika Vartak | Psychiatric Cell mapping Initiative for Autism Spectrum Disorder
11:50 AM – Lazar Atanackovic | Learning Patient-specific Perturbational Response via Transformer Flow Matching
12:15 PM – Lunch & Poster Session
SESSION THREE | Chaired by Rasika Vartak
1:45 PM – Joanne Lemieux | Identification of a Potent Pan-coronaviral Inhibitor Targeting Zoonotic Viral Proteases
2:10 PM – Olivier Julien | Proteomic Changes in Multiple Sclerosis
2:35 PM – Kevan Shokat | Targeting K-Ras Beyond Oncology
3:00 PM – Break
SESSION FOUR | Chaired by Nevan Krogan
3:30 PM – Keynote Talk by Stephen Hauser | Multiple Sclerosis: Halfway Home
4:15 PM – Panel Discussion
4:45-5:45 PM – Reception
Poster Session
Selected attendees of the symposium will present posters during the poster session.
- Timing: The poster session will take place during the lunch break on May 29 from 12:15 to 1:45pm.
- Poster Abstracts: A numbered list of poster presentations can be viewed here.
Trainee Collaboration Prize
QBI, University of Alberta, and the Gladstone Institutes, are excited to announce the Trainee Collaboration Prize. This initiative is designed to foster new scientific bridges between Canadian and San Francisco-based researchers, encouraging bold, grassroots collaborations.
- Matchmaking: We have posted the profiles of featured UoA trainees (below). UCSF and Gladstone trainees are invited to review these profiles and reach out to the UoA leads to explore potential project fits.
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In-Person Networking: At the event on May 29, teams will have the opportunity to meet in person during the poster session, breaks, lunch, and especially at the reception to identify synergies and refine their ideas.
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The Proposal: Each collaborative team (consisting of at least one UoA trainee and at least one trainee from UCSF or Gladstone) will develop a short, one-page collaborative proposal to be submitted by June 5, 2026 to Events-QBI@ucsf.edu.
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The Prize: The winning team will be announced on June 10, 2026. Each member of the winning team will receive a prize valued at $500.
Applications are limited to one page.
- Eligibility: Any trainee (student or postdoc) currently affiliated with UoA, UCSF, or the Gladstone Institutes is eligible to apply.
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Describe the collaborative pilot project, the synergy between the trainees, and how the prize would help kickstart the research.
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Submission: Please send completed proposals to Events-QBI@ucsf.edu
Proposals will be judged on the following:
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Collaborative Synergy: Clear evidence of partnership between a UoA trainee and a UCSF/Gladstone trainee.
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Innovation: The boldness of the approach and the potential for the idea to grow into a long-term collaboration.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Events-QBI@ucsf.edu.
Trainee Profile:
Francesco Chierici
Project Summary:
My research focuses on combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through alternative therapeutic strategies beyond the traditional paradigm of discovering and developing new antibiotics. My work integrates computational drug discovery approaches alongside Machine Learning and Deep Learning techniques. I investigate therapeutic strategies centered on antibiotic combinations, antibiotic–adjuvant therapies involving silver nanoclusters (Ag nanoclusters), and drug repurposing approaches, as well as the targeting of antivirulence factors to suppress pathogenicity and biofilm formation. The overall goal of this research is to develop more effective and durable therapeutic interventions with a reduced likelihood of resistance emergence.
Collaboration Goals:
I’m aiming to collaborate with experimentalists on integrated in silico and in vitro projects, with the goal of establishing a combined computational–experimental pipeline for therapy development. In addition to my computational background, I also have hands-on experimental research experience and hold a MBA, which supports my interest in translational and commercialization-oriented research. I am particularly interested in projects with commercialization potential that can help maximize the impact of public research funding and generate meaningful societal benefits.
Interested in collaborating? Reach out to Francesco at fchieric@ualberta.ca.
Trainee Profile:
Sydney Demmon
Project summary:
My research focuses on engineering the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) nsP2 protease to improve the performance of self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) systems used in vaccines and therapeutics. Using computational mutational screening combined with biochemical and cell-based validation, I investigate how changes in protease stability and activity influence protease function and overall saRNA performance.
Collaboration Goals:
I am seeking collaborators with expertise in AI-guided protein engineering, machine learning, or advanced computational modeling to help identify and prioritize nsP2 variants with improved functional properties. The goal is to integrate predictive computational approaches with experimental validation to develop optimized saRNA backbones with enhanced stability, activity, and reduced cytotoxicity.
Interested in collaborating? Reach out to Sydney at fsdemmon@ualberta.ca.
Trainee Profile:
Zoe Turner
Project Summary:
My research focuses on proteomics-based characterization of antibody responses to viral pathogens, with an emphasis on enriching and identifying serum antibodies using advanced mass spectrometry workflows. Current projects investigate immune responses to RSV and influenza A in human serum, alongside ongoing efforts to expand these assays to mouse models to support vaccine development and preclinical studies. Through these projects, I aim to better understand host-pathogen interactions and develop adaptable proteomics strategies for translational immunology research.
Collaboration Goals:
Our lab specializes in nanoLC-MS/MS and high-sensitivity proteomics using cutting-edge instrumentation, including the Bruker timsTOF Ultra 2 soon to be the timsTOF OMNI. We are particularly interested in expanding the applications of our antibody enrichment workflows and building interdisciplinary collaborations that combine proteomics, structural biology, immunology, and computational biology. While much of my current work centers on serum proteomics, our workflows are adaptable to a wide range of biological samples, including whole cell lysates and tissue specimens. We are excited to collaborate with researchers interested in applying advanced proteomics approaches to complex biological and translational questions.
Interested in collaborating? Reach out to Zoe at zturner@ualberta.ca.