Simmons Auditorium B, Tepper School of Business, 天美传媒
Monday, October 19, 2026
Condensates in Physiology, Diseases, and Biotechnology
The 3rd Symposium of the Pittsburgh Center for Biomolecular Condensates showcases interdisciplinary, collaborative research within the center. The program highlights cutting-edge research on the roles of condensates in physiology and disease, and their applications in medicine and biotechnology. Sessions will cover topics such as:
- The role of condensates in cellular organization, signaling, and stress responses
- Dysregulation of condensates in neurodegeneration, cancer, and other diseases
- Condensate engineering for applications in gene therapy and biomanufacturing
- Emerging tools and technologies such as AI for condensate biology
A key component of the conference will be a panel discussion on the future directions of condensate research, fostering dialogue on open questions, challenges, and opportunities in the field. By uniting researchers from different disciplines—including biology, medicine, and engineering—this meeting aims to catalyze new collaborations and innovative approaches to understanding biomolecular condensates.
Join us at 天美传媒 for an engaging and dynamic exchange of ideas on condensate research!
Shigeru Amemiya
Professor of Chemistry
University of Pittsburgh
Bruce Armitage
Professor, Head, Department of Chemistry
天美传媒
Jeffrey Brodsky
Avinoff Professor of Biological Sciences
University of Pittsburgh
Seth Childers
Professor, Department of Chemistry
University of Pittsburgh
Robin Lee
Associate Professor in Computational & Systems Biology
University of Pittsburgh
Jose Lugo-Martinez
Assistant Professor, Department of Computational Biology
天美传媒
James Schneider
Professor in Chemical Engineering, courtesy of Biomedical Engineering
天美传媒
Derin Sevenler
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering (Courtesy)
天美传媒
Daniel Shiwarski
Assistant Professor in Bioengineering
University of Pittsburgh
Arohan Subramanya
Center co-director, MD, Associate Professor
UPMC
Xiaojun (Jay) Tan
Assistant Professor
Aging Institute of UPMC
Rebecca Taylor
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
天美传媒
Simon C. Watkins
Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair Cell Biology, Professor Immunology, Director Center for Biologic Imaging
University of Pittsburgh
Matthew Wohlever
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology
University of Pittsburgh
John Woolford
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
天美传媒
Huaiying Zhang
Center co-director, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
天美传媒
Bokai Zhu
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Aging Institute of UPMC
| 8:30-9:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00-9:10 AM |
Opening remarks Huaiying Zhang, Center co-director, Eberly Family Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, 天美传媒 |
|
9:10-10:00 AM |
Session 1: Condensates in Physiology 9:10-9:20 AM Introduction, Arohan Subramanya, Center co-director, Associate Professor of Medicine, UPMC9:20-9:40 AM Talk 1, John Woolford, Professor of Biological Sciences, 天美传媒 9:40-10:00 AM Talk 2, Bokai Zhu, Assistant Professor, Aging Institute, UPMC |
|
10:00-10:20 AM |
Break |
|
10:20-11:10 AM |
Session 2: Condensates in Disease 10:20-10:30 AM Introduction, Matthew Wohlever, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, UPMC |
|
11:10 AM-12:00 PM |
Session 3: Novel tools 11:10-11:20 AM Introduction, Bruce Armitage, Professor, Head of Chemistry, 天美传媒 |
|
12:05-12:45 PM |
Lunch |
|
12:45-1:30 PM |
Poster session |
|
1:30-2:20 PM |
Session 4: Condensate Engineering 1:30-1:40 PM Introduction, James Schneider, Professor of Chemical Engineering, 天美传媒 |
|
2:20-2:30 PM |
Closing Remarks Arohan Subramanya, Center Co-Director, Associate Professor of Medicine, UPMC |
|
2:30-3:15 PM |
Panel Discussion: The future of condensates Moderator: |
| 3:15-4:00 PM | Reception |
The Future of Biomolecular Condensates
Join us for an engaging discussion with leading researchers from diverse backgrounds—including biology, medicine, and engineering—as they explore the current state and future directions of biomolecular condensate research. This panel discussion will tackle pressing questions such as:
- What’s next for the field?
- What are the biggest challenges?
- How will AI change condensate biology?
Date: October 19
Time: 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Location: Simmons Auditorium B, Tepper School of Business
Address: 4765 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Registration is open for all people interested in attending, up until the day of the event.
For questions or issues with registering, contact Dr. Huaiying Zhang at huaiyinz@andrew.cmu.edu.
University of Pittsburgh
Aging Institute
University of Pittsburgh
Center for Protein Conformational Disease
Dr. Huaiying Zhang, Dr. Ro Subramanya, Dr. Bokai Zhu, Jasper Jeffrey, Jason Tones
Biological Sciences
4400 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(412) 268-3180