US HUPO: Novel Proteomic Perspectives on Cancer, Aging and Disease

We request partial funding support for the Conference of the United States Human Proteome Organization (US HUPO) to be held at the Westin Conference Center Hotel in Seattle, Washington, on March 8–11, 2020. This meeting has established itself as a highly valued contribution to the interdisciplinary scientific field of proteomics, with a particular focus on current technologies and their application to solving biological and clinical questions relevant to human health. The topics reflect the multiple disciplines, strategies, and technologies encompassing the proteomics field, and their use to address complex biomedical problems and enable new discoveries aimed at advancing diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of human disease. The title of the conference, “Novel Proteomic Perspectives on Aging, Cancer and Disease” encapsulates this interplay between technology (e.g., mass spectrometry, bioinformatics, clinical/cellular assays) and biological discovery inherent to the proteomics field. The 2020 conference co-organizers are Birgit Schilling (Buck Institute), Karin Rodland (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), Lan Huang (University of California Irvine), and Judit Villen (University of Washington, Seattle). The topics of the oral sessions have been carefully selected to provide attendees exposure to the latest proteomic technologies and their application to biomedical research questions and, in particular, to cancer, aging, infectious disease, immunity, and clinical diagnostics and assays. Oral presentation sessions with biological and clinical focus will include Biomarkers, Cancer and Precision Medicine, Aging, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Infectious Diseases and Immunity, Protein-Protein Interactions, and Posttranslational Regulation and Signaling. In addition, sessions dedicated to technology developments will include Novel Omics and Multi-omics: Data Integration & Applications, Advances in Technology, Proteomic Analysis of Posttranslational Modifications and Proteoforms, New Developments in Structural Proteomics. Poster sessions will offer a less formal format for presentation and discussion of scientific topics. Short courses and workshops will also be offered to either train attendees in advanced proteomic technologies or provide a forum for discussing career options and other timely scientific topics. Organized social activities will provide opportunities for further discussion and collaborative networking between attendees. A Business Meeting will provide an open forum to hear about the mission of US HUPO and give feedback. Attendance is expected to be 350–400, including 100–150 students/postdocs. A special effort will be made to recruit minority and industrial participants, and also provide a venue for young investigators to present their work, through mechanisms such as “lightning” talks. Funding requested through this R13 mechanism will help support minority and young investigator participation in the conference.