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Chemistry and Biology of Tetrapyrroles

Gordon Research Conference

The Pigments of Life : Tetrapyrroles in Metabolism, Regulation, Catalysis, and Medicine

July 12 - 17, 2026

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GRC Education Requirements: Undergraduates or those who have not obtained a bachelor's degree in science/engineering (or acceptable equivalent) are not eligible to apply to attend Gordon Research Conferences or Seminars.

Chairs

and

Vice Chairs

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Salve Regina University

36 Ochre Point Avenue

Newport, Rhode Island, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Application Information

Applications for this meeting must be submitted by June 14, 2026. Please apply early, as some meetings become oversubscribed (full) before this deadline. If the meeting is oversubscribed, it will be stated here. Note: Applications for oversubscribed meetings will only be considered by the conference chair if more seats become available due to cancellations.

Conference Description

The Chemistry and Biology of Tetrapyrroles 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scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages.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 an array 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.

The 2026 GRC will focus on areas of tetrapyrrole research including synthesis, chemistry, structural studies, medicine, disease and industrial applications. Invited speakers will present new and unpublished research on topics related to hemes, porphyrins, B₁₂/corrins, bilins, and chlorophyll biology from multiple organisms. Additional speakers, including junior researchers and those new to the field, will be selected for short talks from submitted abstracts. In addition, there will be a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) consisting of a keynote presentation and selected graduate student and postdoc speakers. In both the GRS and GRC, there will be panel discussions from leaders in academia, government, and industry, together with opportunities for established and emerging scientists to interact and exchange ideas to build new and unique collaborations. We anticipate that the 2026 meeting will highlight new and emerging research on tetrapyrrole biology and provide a venue to establish new collaborations and partnerships.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Chemistry and Biology of Tetrapyrroles" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Tetrapyrroles in Drug Discovery Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:45 pm - 8:10 pm	"Nitric Oxide Regulates Hemeprotein Activities via Modulation of Cell Heme Allocation: Cytochrome P450's and Beyond"
8:10 pm - 8:20 pm	Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:45 pm	"Bacterioferritin Iron Mobilization as a Novel Antimicrobial Strategy."
8:45 pm - 8:55 pm	Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:20 pm	"Reinventing Texaphyrins: The Evolution of Tumor-Selective Macrocycle Drug Conjugates"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Tetrapyrroles in Health and Disease Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:25 am	"Heme as a Regulator of Therapeutic Resistance in Hematological Malignancies"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 10:00 am	"Vitamin B12 Influences Gut Dysbiosis, Inflammation, and Immune Cell Homeostasis"
10:00 am - 10:10 am	Discussion
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:20 am - 10:25 am	Discussion
10:25 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:15 am	"The Mitochondrial Heme Metabolon: Bridging Heme Synthesis to Function"
11:15 am - 11:25 am	Discussion
11:25 am - 11:50 am	"Regulation of Erythroid Heme Synthesis by Mitochondrial Proteins"
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:15 pm	"The Role of Dietary Heme Derivatives in the Development of Colorectal Cancer"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Tetrapyrrole Signaling & Trafficking Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:55 pm	"Inter-organ Heme Signaling: Lessons from Bloodless Worms"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:30 pm	"Heme and Nitric Oxide Regulation of Bacterial Biofilm Formation"
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm	Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:05 pm	"Structure/Function Insights into an Unusual Co–S Interprotein Bond that Links B₁₂ Chaperones"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Structure and Function of Tetrapyrrole-Binding Proteins Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:25 am	"Snapshots of a Cobalamin-Dependent Methyltransferase in Action"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 10:00 am	"Ubiquitous GI Tract Bacteria Remove Iron from Heme by Dechelation"
10:00 am - 10:10 am	Discussion
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:20 am - 10:25 am	Discussion
10:25 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:15 am	"Structural Control of Chlorophyll Binding Affinity and Far-red Spectral Tuning in Photosynthetic Proteins"
11:15 am - 11:25 am	Discussion
11:25 am - 11:50 am	"Building and Binding Cobalamin: Structural Mechanisms of B₁₂ Biosynthesis and Capture"
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:15 pm	"Using X-Rays to Illuminate Coordinated Motions in Heme Proteins"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Tetrapyrroles in Infectious Diseases Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:55 pm	"Malaria Parasite Adaptations to Human Hemoglobin: Twirling Crystals and Defeating Sickle Protection"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:30 pm	"Mechanisms of Heme Acquisition from Hemoglobin by Gram-Positive Pathogens"
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm	Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:05 pm	"A Novel Class of Channel Forming Membrane Proteins Mediate Heme Iron Acquisition in Mycobacterium tuberculosis"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Tetrapyrroles and Light Harvesting Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:25 am	"A Photosystem with a Unique Pigment Composition."
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 10:00 am	"Life After Chlorophyll: Phyllobilins and Their Biological Targets"
10:00 am - 10:10 am	Discussion
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:20 am - 10:25 am	Discussion
10:25 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:15 am	"Structural Insights into Cyanobacterial Chlorophyll Biosynthesis Machinery"
11:15 am - 11:25 am	Discussion
11:25 am - 11:50 am	"Building a Phycobilisome: Assembling a Parts List for Bilin-Based Cyanobacterial Light Harvesting"
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Tetrapyrroles in Chemistry and Catalysis Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:55 pm	"Selective Carbon Dioxide Reduction by Biomolecular Catalysts"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:30 pm	"Small Molecule-Based Fluorescent Probes for Labile Heme in Cells and Tissues."
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm	Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:05 pm	"Coordinated Electron Flow in Bacterial Redox Chains"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Biology of Tetrapyrrole Synthesis and Degradation Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:25 am	"Parsimony in Cofactor Biosynthesis: Lessons from Vitamin B₁₂"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 10:00 am	"Protein-Protein Interactions in the Coproporphyrin-dependent Pathway Enzymes"
10:00 am - 10:10 am	Discussion
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:20 am - 10:25 am	Discussion
10:25 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:15 am	"Natural Analogs of Vitamin B₁₂ Shape Microbial Community Structure"
11:15 am - 11:25 am	Discussion
11:25 am - 11:50 am	"Understanding PebS–Ferredoxin Recognition: A Structural Perspective on Viral and Host Redox Partners"
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Tetrapyrroles: The Pigments of Life Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:20 pm	"Metals, Gases, and Biology: Lessons from Heme-Based Signaling Proteins"
8:20 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 9:15 pm	"How Chlorophylls are Made, and What They Do For a Living"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Conference Links

Conference History Chemistry and Biology of Tetrapyrroles (GRS) Contribute Financially to This Conference

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Poster Information

Poster sessions are an integral part of the our conferences, and offer all conferees an opportunity to discuss their research.

Preparing your GRC poster

Funding Opportunities

Financial assistance is available beginning in 2026 for qualified applicants through the Carl Storm Opportunity Fellowships program. Learn more.

Registration Fees

Conferee Single Room:

$1,120.00

Conferee Shared Room:

$1,040.00

Conferee Off-Site:

$825.00

Guest Single Room:

$900.00

Guest Shared Room:

$820.00

Guest Off-Site:

$605.00

Child 4-12 yrs Shared Room:

$410.00

Child 4-12 yrs Off-Site:

$303.00

Child Under 4 yrs Shared Room:

Free

Child Under 4 yrs Off-Site:

Free

Bus Arriving:

$65.00

Bus Departing:

$65.00

Additional Fee Info

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