DRC Retreat

2024 Retreat

Wednesday, March 6th, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Luskin Center at UCLA

Developmental & Molecular Biology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Professor of Medicine

"Selective autophagy: regulating metabolism one protein at a time"

9:00 a.m. — Welcome & Introduction
- Dr. Alan Saltiel
  DRC Director
9:10 a.m. — Opening Address
- Christian Metallo, PhD
  Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, Daniel and Martina
  Lewis Chair – Salk Institute
  “Amino acid and sphingolipid metabolism in co-morbidities of diabetes”

10:10 a.m. — Session
- Vira Kravets, PhD
  Assistant Professor, Dept of Bioengineering and Pediatrics – UCSD
  “Electrical and paracrine interactions in beta cell networks”
10:30 a.m. — Session
- Debora Sobreira, PhD
  Assistant Professor, Dept of Biological Chemistry and Human Genetics - UCLA
  “Linking variants to function: understanding the genetics of Type 2 Diabetes through multi-omic data”
10:50 a.m. — Coffee Break
11:00 a.m. — Panel Discussion
- "Navigating academic collaborations in the era of systems biology and team science"
  Moderator: Alan Saltiel
  Panelists: Christian Metallo, Peter Tontonoz, Andrea Hevener, Jerome Rotter, Jake Lusis
12:00 p.m. — Lunch
1:30 p.m. — Session
- Ambre Bertholet PhD
  Assistant Project Scientist, Dept of Medicine – UCLA
  “A thermogenic alternative to UCP1-dependent H+ current in brown adipose tissue”
1:50 p.m. — Session
- Robert L. Thomas, MD, PhD
  Clinical Endocrinologist – UCSD
  “Serum cell-free mitochondrial DNA level correlates with insulin resistance in early Type 2 Diabetes”
2:30 p.m. — Session
- Tara Teslaa, PhD
  Assistant Professor, Dept of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology – UCLA

3:00 p.m. — Introduction & Keynote
- Introduction: Peter Tontonoz, MD, PhD
- Keynote: Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D, PhD
  The Robert and Renee Belfer Chair for the Study of
  Neurodegenerative Diseases
  Professor, Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology
  Co-director Institute for Aging Research
  Albert Einstein College of Medicine
  “Selective autophagy: regulating metabolism one protein at a time”
4:00 p.m. — Poster session and Reception