Bringing Chemistry to Medicine is hosted by the St. Jude Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics and the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center, in collaboration with Cell Press, and is a component of the institution’s strategic objective to establish a global hub focused on the emerging field of transcription-targeted therapeutics.
The symposium will feature talks by leading experts from around the globe working at the interface of chemical and biomedical sciences. Speakers represent expertise across various research areas, including therapeutic regulation of transcription and chromatin, computational biology, and chemical biology.
This event will be hosted in a hybrid format, giving you the option to attend in-person and to enjoy the enhanced networking and experience the beautiful St. Jude campus in Memphis, TN. As always, we also welcome virtual attendees to join us from around the world. To encourage broad participation from researchers around the world registration is free.
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Speakers for the 2025 symposium include:
- Vadim Backman, PhD Northwestern University
- Steve Banik, PhD, Stanford University
- Ibrahim Cissé, PhD, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics
- Jim Collins, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Rong Fan, PhD, Yale School of Medicine
- Eric Fischer, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Anshul Kundaje, PhD, Stanford University
- Luke Lavis, PhD, Janelia Research Campus
- Mike Levine, PhD, Princeton University
- Elisa Oricchio, PhD, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
- Loic Royer, PhD Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco
- Paola Scaffidi, PhD, Instituto Europeo di Oncologia (European Institute of Oncology)
- Brenda Schulman, PhD, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Yang Shi, PhD, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford
- Sarah Teichmann, PhD, FMedSci, FRS, Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge
- Christina Theodoris, MD, PhD, Gladstone Institutes
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Register to Attend
Join researchers, clinicians, and industry experts from around the world at the Bringing Chemistry to Medicine (BC2M) Symposium, October 2–3, 2025. This hybrid event offers both in-person and virtual attendance options.
In-person attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with speakers, network with peers, and experience the collaborative atmosphere on the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital campus in Memphis, Tennessee.
Registration is free and required for both in-person and virtual participants.
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Submit an Abstract
We welcome abstracts for the poster session from researchers in all areas of drug discovery, chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, transcription therapy, and related fields. A select number of abstracts will be offered speaking slots.
We encourage abstract submissions from trainees, postdocs, and established investigators.
You must be registered for the symposium as an in-person attendee to submit an abstract.
A limited number of travel awards will be granted to authors of the highest-rated abstracts, based on the peer review process. Recipients will be selected following abstract evaluation and notified directly.
Updated Submission Deadline: 11:59 pm CST on August 1, 2025
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Hotel Accommodations
We've partnered with Hotel Napoleon, a stylish and historic boutique hotel located in downtown Memphis, just minutes from the symposium venue.
Enjoy a special group rate for attendees, available for stays from October 1–4, 2025.
Rooms are limited, so we recommend booking early to secure your stay.
- Centrally located near restaurants, museums, and the Mississippi River
- On-site bar and restaurant
- Complimentary Wi-Fi and fitness center
- Virtual room tours and FAQs available on the hotel website
Parking:
Offsite self-parking is conveniently available next to the hotel at the Prospero Parking Garage, located at: 193 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103.- $17/per night, plus a transaction fee
- 24 Hour access
Please note that this parking facility operates independently of the hotel.
Travel Information
Airport:
Memphis International Airport (MEM) is the closest airport, located about 15 minutes from downtown.Airport Transportation:
- Rideshare options (Uber/Lyft) are readily available.
- Taxi and shuttle services are available at the airport.
Transportation for Attendees:
Shuttle transportation will be provided from Hotel Napoleon to the St. Jude campus and back on both days of the symposium.Local attendees are welcome to drive their personal vehicle to campus. We’ll provide detailed parking and access instructions prior to the event.
Explore Memphis
Want to get to know the city beyond the venue? Our Have More in Memphis website is your guide to exploring the city’s unique neighborhoods, local culture, and must-see spots.
Watch our Archived Lectures
Each year since 2020, St. Jude has hosted exciting two-day events focused on Transcription Therapy and Chemical Biology and Therapeutics.
Transcription Therapy at St. Jude
Over decades of research, scientists in the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center and others have discovered that several pediatric cancers emerge due to disruption in chromatin and epigenetic states and dysfunctional transcriptional regulation. While gene regulation in general has long been considered “undruggable,” scientists in the St. Jude Department of Chemical Biology & Therapeutics (CBT) have created synthetic gene regulators and are devising new chemical approaches to inhibit or degrade malfunctioning components of chromatin and gene regulatory machineries. This work builds on the history of St. Jude as a pioneer in the therapeutic use of small molecules targeting gene regulation, most notably the application of glucocorticoid receptor agonists into chemotherapy regimens for pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL). The drugging of this transcription factor helped to dramatically increase overall survival rates for newly diagnosed ALL to 94% at St. Jude.
Learn more about transcription therapy at St. Jude Learn more