Harnessing and Mimicking the Reactivity of Biological Metals for a Healthy and Sustainable Future

Metal centers play critical roles in a wide range of essential biological processes. To accomplish this, they nucleate and form biomolecular structures; carry molecules, ions, and electrons; serve as centers for catalysis; and participate in regulation and signaling. Metabolism links biology to the environment via the global cycles of the elements including nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon. Investigating how organisms acquire and utilize metals thus is critical to our understanding of biological mechanisms and their intersection with the global environment. Our growing understanding of the diverse reactivity of biological metals has inspired chemists to develop molecules and materials that mimic biological structures and activities. The resulting design and synthesis of bioinspired molecules, especially catalysts, has yielded detailed insights into biological function, while also moving the field of inorganic chemistry in new directions.

The Metals in Biology GRC brings together scientists from diverse backgrounds to present and discuss recent progress in this area. Experts in chemistry, physics, biology, environmental science, and biomedicine at a range of career stages will participate. The conference will schedule dedicated discussion time after each lecture. There also will be time during poster sessions and during afternoon free times for informal discussions. The Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) in Bioinorganic Chemistry is associated with this GRC. The two meetings overlap for one session, allowing interactions and discussions among participants of both meetings.