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Bringing Chemistry
to Medicine Symposium

 
Thursday, October 2 – Friday, October 3, 2025
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital     |     Memphis, TN
In-person and virtual attendance available

In collaboration with Cell Press

Register for the Symposium

 
 
Bringing Chemistry to Medicine header image

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.

 
  1. Day 1 - Thursday October 2, 2025

    Time Event
    8:00-9:00 am Breakfast
    9:00 - 9:10 am Introduction
    Charles W.M. Roberts, MD, PhD
    Epigenetic Landscapes and Chromatin Dynamics
    9:10 - 9:40 am Chromatin regulation and cancer 
    Yang Shi, PhD
    9:40 - 10:10 am Network-level epigenetic alterations in cancer evolution
    Paola Scaffidi, PhD
    10:10 - 10:40 am Chromatin-encoded cellular transcriptional memory in cancer
    Vadim Backman, PhD
    10:40 - 11:00 am Break
    11:00 - 11:30 am Harnessing cancer and immune cell communication to identify new therapeutic targets 
    Elisa Oricchio, PhD 
    11:30 - 11:45 am Destabilization of noncanonical PRC1 complexes via USP7 inhibition induces neuronal differentiation in neuroblastoma
    Nathaniel Mabe, PharmD, PhD
    11:45 am  - 1:15 pm Lunch
    Visualizing Gene Expression 
    1:15 - 1:45 pm Designing, synthesizing, and sharing next-generation fluorophores
    Luke Lavis, PhD
    1:45 - 2:15 pm Structural insights into calcium sensing receptor signaling; from mechanism to therapeutics
    Georgios Skiniotis, PhD
    2:15 - 2:45 pm Super-resolution imaging of transcription in living cells
    Ibrahim Cisse, PhD
    2:45- 3:15 pm Photocatalytic µMap poximity labeling of HER2 identifies functional interactors and trastuzmab resistance mechanisms
    Steven Knutson, PhD
    3:15 - 3:30 pm Break
    Post-Transcriptional Control
    3:30 - 3:45 pm Targeting DEAD-box ATPases by trapping inactive conformational states with small molecule inhibitors
    Tommaso Cupido, PhD
    3:45 - 4:00 pm Unraveling the effects of eIF4E cap analogue inhibitors on cap-dependent translation to assess their therapeutic potential in cancer
    Rachel O'Rourke
    4:00 - 4:30 pm Breaking perceived drug discovery limits: PROTAC innovation advancements and future horizons in cancer and neuroscience
    Angela Cacace, PhD
    4:30 - 4:35 pm Closing remarks
    Lara Szewczak, PhD
    Poster Session & Reception
    4:45 - 6:30 pm Poster session
    I4-ARC Lobby

    Day 2 - Friday October 3, 2025

    Time Title/Speaker
    8:00 - 8:30 am Breakfast
    8:30 - 8:40 am Introduction 
    Aseem Z. Ansari, PhD
    AI-Driven Discovery
    8:40 - 9:10 am Deep learning for antibiotic discovery 
    James J. Collins, PhD
    9:10 - 9:25 am Prediction of elicitor-regulator pairs to enable secondary metabolite discovery
    Emilee Patterson
    9:25 - 9:55 am Deciphering regulatory syntax and genetic variation with deep learning models
    Anshul Kundaje, PhD
    9:55 - 10:25 am Transfer learning to enable predictions for network biology
    Christina Theodoris, MD, PhD
    10:25 - 10:35 am Break
    Decoding Tissue Complexity
    10:35 - 11:05 am Building a virtual embryo, one cell at a time
    Loic Royer, Dr. Rer. Nat
    11:05 - 11:35 am Ushering in a new era of human biology driven by novel spatial multi-omics
    Rong Fan, PhD
    11:35 am - 12:00 pm Lunch
    Danny Thomas Lecture Series
    12:00 - 1:00 pm 3D genome and the control of gene expression in development
    Michael Levine, PhD
    Harnessing Chemical Induced Proximity
    1:00 -1:15 pm Break
    1:15 -1:45 pm Rewiring the mammalian interactome
    Steven Banik, PhD
    2:15 -2:30 pm Proteomic insights into mechanisms of transcriptional reprogramming molecular glues
    Brendan Dwyer, PhD
    2:30 -3:00 pm Regulation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system 
    Brenda Schulman, PhD
    3:00 -3:15 pm Break
    3:15 -3:45 pm Advances in the systematic discovery of molecular glue degraders
    Eric Fischer, PhD
    3:45 -4:00  pm Structural and functional basis of PU.1-BAF interaction enables targeting of lineage-specific transcription
    Asad Taherbhoy, PhD
    4:00 -4:05 pm Closing remarks
    Mishtu Dey, PhD 
  2. Speakers for the 2025 symposium include:

    • Vadim Backman, PhD Northwestern University
    • Steve Banik, PhD, Stanford University
    • Angela Cacace, PhD, Arvinas
    • Ibrahim Cissé, PhD, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics
    • Jim Collins, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Tomasso Cupido, PhD, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
    • Brendan Dwyer, PhD, Stanford University
    • Rong Fan, PhD, Yale School of Medicine
    • Eric Fischer, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
    • Steven Knutson, PhD, Princeton University
    • Anshul Kundaje, PhD, Stanford University
    • Luke Lavis, PhD, Janelia Research Campus
    • Mike Levine, PhD, Princeton University
    • Nathaniel Mabe, PharmD, PhD, Purdue University
    • Elisa Oricchio, PhD, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
    • Rachel O'Rourke, University of Michigan
    • Emilee Patterson, Vanderbilt University
    • 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
    • Georgios Skiniotis, PhD, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
    • Yang Shi, PhD, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford
    • Asad Taherbhoy, Foghorn Therapeutics, Inc
    • Christina Theodoris, MD, PhD, Gladstone Institutes
  3. 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.

    Register

  4. Submit an Abstract

    Abstract submissions have closed

    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 15, 2025

  5. Hotel Accommodations

    We've partnered with Hotel Napoleon, a stylish and historic boutique hotel located in downtown Memphis, just minutes from the symposium venue.

    Hotel Napoleon – Book Now

    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.

Visit our Video Archive View the 2023 Program

 
 

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

 
 

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