Understanding biological events at the molecular level requires visualization in a native context. Advancing the detailed imaging of these processes in situ necessitates the integration of several methodologies that are still under development, including cryoET, cryo-volume EM, high-resolution fluorescence microscopy, multi-scale omics and the interpretation of results with computational approaches. While promising to provide unprecedented insights into cellular functions, this integration is challenging.
The newly established Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is dedicated to advanced structural cell biology investigations, and this symposium is focused on facilitating conversations in this space.
Speakers represent multiple viewpoints and areas of expertise from institutions around the world.
Please join us in person in Memphis or virtually on April 7-8.
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Tuesday, April 7
Time Event/Session 9:00 - 9:10 am
Welcome
J. Paul Taylor, Executive Vice President and Scientific Director; Chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, St. Jude9:10 - 9:20 am
Introduction to the Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology
Georgios Skiniotis, Director, Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology9:20 - 10:15 am Keynote: Watching a virus enter a cell
Stephen Harrison10:15 - 10:35 am Coffee break Session 1 - Multimodal, Multiscale Imaging: From Tissue to Atoms 10:35 - 11:00 am In-cell structural systems modeling
Jan Kosinski11:00 - 11:25 am In situ chromatin dynamics and HIV-I nuclear transport
Peijun Zhang11:25 - 11:50 am SOLIST- A biopsy at the nanoscale
Philipp S. Erdmann11:50 am - 12:15 pm Strategies for cryo and ambient whole-cell volume electron microscopy in plants
Kirk Czymmek12:15-12:40 pm In-vivo, high-speed 3D imaging of cellular function
Elizabeth Hillman12:40 - 1:25 pm Lunch Session 2 - Biological Discoveries through In Situ Structural Cell Biology 1:25 - 1:50 pm Unlocking the secrets of the cytoskeleton and heart muscle
Stefan Raunser1:50 - 2:15 pm Applying correlative cryo-EM technologies to in situ structural biology
Elizabeth Wright2:15 - 2:40 pm Exploring the microbial dark matter using electron cryotomography
Debnath Ghosal (virtual)2:40 - 3:05 pm In-situ structure of apoferritin for benchmarking cryo-FlB milling, cryo-ET and high-resolution STA
Robert Nwokonko3:05 - 3:30 pm Messages across membranes: connecting mitochondrial structure, function, and communication
Danielle Grotjahn3:30 - 4:00 pm Coffee break Session 3 - Emerging Imaging Modalities 4:00 - 4:25 pm 3D correlative live and cryogenic imaging of biological tissues
Anat Akiva4:25 - 4:50 pm Cryogenic volume imaging with pFlB-SEM
Sanja Sviben4:50 - 5:15 pm Cryo-volume electron microscopy: unlocking Its full potential
Roland Fleck5:15 - 5:40 pm Chemical maturation controls bioavailability of Fetuin-A mineral complexes in biomineralization - Visualizing biology WHEN it happens
Nico Sommerdijk, Radboud University Medical Center5:40-5:50 pm Closing remarks
Madan Babu, Chief Data Scientist and Senior Vice President for Data Science and Director, Center of Excellence for Data Driven Discovery6:00 - 8:00 Evening Reception
(by invitation only)Wednesday, April 8
Time Event/Session 9:00 - 9:10 am Structural Biology at St. Jude
Babis Kalodimos, Chair, Structural Biology Department9:10 - 9:50 am Keynote Lecture: Applying correlative cryo-EM technologies to in situ structural biology
Harald Hess9:50 - 10:25 am Coffee break and tours Session 4 - Methods and Tools 10:25-10:45 Large volume cryo-ET: from tissues to small organisms
Oda Helene Schiøtz10:45 – 11:10 am Registration-free approach for the guidance of cryogenic focused ion-beam milling beyond the axial diffraction limit
Peter Dahlberg11:10 - 11:35 am Visualizing the mobile genome by in situ cryo-electron tomography.
Sven Klumpe11:35 am - 12:00 pm Stretching the boundaries of cryo-tomography with 4D-STEM
Michael Elbaum12:00 – 12:25 pm Development of correlative in situ cryo-electron tomography to probe native structures
Jae Yang12:25 - 1:30 pm Lunch Session 5 - Industry Developments 1:30 - 1:45 pm Sample preparation for molecular imaging of tissue and cellular samples
Ron Kelley1:45 - 2:00 pm Delmic cryo-electron tomography and high-throughput volume EM innovations
Katherine LauSession 6 - Computational Innovations 2:00 - 2:25 pm Pineapples for everyone
Dimitry Tegunov2:25 - 2:50 pm Molecular sociology of an archaeal cell
Hong Zhou2:50 - 3:15 pm Signal decomposition for high resolution in situ cryo-EM
Kai Zhang3:15 - 3:40 pm V-Shaped protein tag for molecular identification in cryo-ET
Qiangjun Zhou3:40 - 4:00 pm Coffee break Session 7 - Blueprints for Structural Cell Biology 4:00 - 4:25 pm Unveiling molecular crowding in situ with cryo-ET
Qiang Guo4:25 - 4:50 pm Fluorescent-guided cryo-ET: a tale of two foci
Grant Jensen4:50 - 5:15 pm Advances in in situ structure biology at the Biohub
David Agard5:15 - 5:30 pm Closing remarks
Georgios Skiniotis5:45 - 8:00 pm Evening Reception
Beale Street Landing
All symposium participants invited -
Register to Attend
Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with speakers, network with colleagues, present their research, and experience the one-of-a-kind creative atmosphere on the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital campus in Memphis, TN.
Registration is free and required for all participants.
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Hotel and Travel Accommodations
Hotel
A room block is available at Central Station Hotel in downtown Memphis from April 6 - 9. These rooms are available at $159 per night. If you wish to book one of these limited rooms, please follow this link:
The deadline to book these rooms is Friday, March 13, 2026. Please let Meredith Serna (meredith.serna@stjude.org) know that you have booked a room and we will arrange transportation for you to and from campus at this hotel only.
Travel Accommodations
Airport
Memphis International Airport (MEM) is the closest airport, located about 15 minutes from downtown.
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Airport Transportation
- Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) readily available
- Traditional taxis and shuttles also available at the airport