Conference Description
The Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes for Glycan Conversions GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.
Carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) are key players in the biosphere to facilitate utilization and synthesis of diverse polysaccharides. Compositional and structural complexities of polysaccharides in nature have evolved myriads of highly specialized CAZyme activities that classify into over 350 families. In recent years the 'omics revolution has dramatically expanded the number of new CAZyme families and revealed new activities. Moreover, advances in enzyme engineering motivated by in vitro or in silico techniques has further expanded our basic understanding of CAZyme activity and revealed the potential for further innovation. The 2023 Gordon Research Conference “Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes for Glycan Conversions”, originally entitled "Cellulosomes, cellulases and other carbohydrate modifying enzymes", will showcase leading-edge research on CAZymes, their partnering CBMs and auxillary activity (AA) enzymes, that have industrial, nutritional, health or environmental impact. This conference welcomes returning and new members of the growing community of biochemists, molecular biologists, structural biologists, ecologists, computational biologists, microbiologists and engineers that study aspects of CAZyme biology and applications impacting environmental sustainability and human health. The interplay between fundamental research and its industrial exploitation is a particularly important aspect of the meeting. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference provides an excellent environment for scientists from different disciplines to interact, thereby promoting cross-disciplinary collaborations. Moreover, the meeting and the associated GRS will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work and exchange ideas in a relaxed setting. To incorporate the most recent advances and to provide speaking opportunities to young researchers, a number of oral presentations at this GRC will be selected from the submitted abstracts. This conference strives to maintain an atmosphere where diversity is highly valued in both scientific thought and the composition of its membership. The Power Hour, introduced during the 2019 meeting, will continue in 2023 as a forum to discuss equality and inclusivity within STEM fields.
The topics, speakers, and discussion leaders for the conference sessions are displayed below. The conference chair is currently developing their detailed program, which will include the complete meeting schedule, as well as the talk titles for all speakers. The detailed program will be available by March 25, 2023. Please check back for updates.
Keynote Session: CAZymes for Environmental Sustainability and Human Health
Discussion Leaders
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Emma Master (University of Toronto, Canada)
Speakers
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Breeanna Urbanowicz (University of Georgia, United States)
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Matthew Redinbo (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States)
Molecular Mechanisms of Complex Carbohydrate Degradation
Discussion Leaders
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Bernd Nidetzky (Graz University of Technology, Austria)
Speakers
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Zarah Forsberg (Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway)
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Jeremy Luterbacher (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
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Elisabeth Lowe (Newcastle University, United Kingdom)
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Roland Ludwig (BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria)
Visualizing CAZyme-Substrate Interactions
Discussion Leaders
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Steve Decker (NREL, United States)
Speakers
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Shishir Chundawat (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, United States)
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William Hancock (Pennsylvania State University, United States)
Bacterial CAZymes Targeting Human Host Glycans
Discussion Leaders
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Mario Murakami (Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory / National Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Brazil)
Speakers
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Alisdair Boraston (University of Victoria, Canada)
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Marcelo Guerin (IIS BioCruces Bizkaia, Spain)
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Tracey Gloster (University of St Andrews, United Kingdom)
CAZymes Prospecting and Discovery
Discussion Leaders
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Michelle O'Malley (University of California, Santa Barbara, United States)
Speakers
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Yanbin Yin (University of Nebraska Lincoln)
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Robert Gruninger (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Canada)
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Lauren McKee (KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)
Plant Cell Wall Construction and Deconstruction
Discussion Leaders
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Debra Mohnen (University of Georgia, United States)
Speakers
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Charles Anderson (Penn State University, United States)
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Kevin Solomon (University of Delaware, United States)
CAZymes for Novel Glycan Synthesis
Discussion Leaders
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Kiyohiko Igarashi (The University of Tokyo)
Speakers
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Sabine Flitsch (University of Manchester, United Kingdom)
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Carme Rovira (University of Barcelona, Spain)
CAZyme-Based Biotherapeutic Design
Discussion Leaders
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Romina Rodríguez Sanoja (UNAM, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Mexico)
Speakers
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Darrell Cockburn (Pennsylvania State University, United States)
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Isaac Cann (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States)
CAZyme-Assisted Biomaterial Production
Discussion Leaders
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Anne S Meyer (Technical University of Denmark, Denmark)
Speakers
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Bryan Berger (University of Virginia, United States)
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Olanrewaju Raji (University of Toronto, Canada)
The GRC Power Hour™
Organizers
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Paul Walton (University of York, United Kingdom)