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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
14
AUGUST
2016
Subgroups
Intrinsically Disordered
Proteins
The intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs)
community was treated to two spectacular meet-
ings at the end of June in beautiful Les Diablerets,
Switzerland. First was the Gordon Research Sym-
posium organized by
Rebecca Berlow
and
Ofrah
Faust
entitled
Function Through Disorder: Intrinsi-
cally Disordered Proteins in Biology and Medicine
.
The symposium brought together 65 students and
postdocs from 14 countries and 44 academic and
industrial institutions. The meeting featured short
talks by 10 outstanding junior researchers and two
lively poster sessions, as well as a career panel cov-
ering topics ranging from job applications to future
perspectives on the field.
The symposium was followed by the fourth In-
trinsically Disordered Proteins Gordon Research
Conference organized by
Monika Fuxreiter
and
Richard Kriwacki
. Like the one before it, this meet-
ing was fully subscribed. The theme of the confer-
ence was
Disordered Proteins: From Mechanisms to
Therapeutic Opportunities
. The broad importance
of IDPs in biological systems and their interesting
biophysical properties brought together both aca-
demic and industry researchers from diverse fields
and included biologists, biophysicists, chemists,
neuroscientists, engineers, and oncologists. Many
at the conference were first-time participants, high-
lighting the evolving and increasingly diverse
interest in IDPs. Among the rapidly advancing
areas of IDP research highlighted at the confer-
ence were the importance of IDPs in membrane-
less organelle organization and function, IDPs in
cellular signaling and homeostasis, and progress
on the therapeutic targeting of IDPs. Look for the
next Gordon Research Symposium and Gordon
Research Conference in the summer of 2018!
—
Steven Metallo
, IDP Subgroup
Secretary-Treasurer
Student Center
Michiel Niesen
Department of Chemistry and
Chemical Engineering
California Institute of
Technology
Q:
What made you decide to study
biophysics?
As an undergraduate, I was mainly interested in
studying the natural sciences, but I had not yet
decided what direction in particular to pursue.
The favorite part of my study was collabora-
tive group projects, especially biophysics-related
projects, because they represented a perfect blend
of the fields I wanted to study. The connection
between biology and fundamental science seemed
very powerful to me, and a great way of truly
understanding how living organisms function
with such sophisticated properties. Based on this I
decided to pursue graduate research in biophysics.
Michiel Niesen
Members in the News
Eve Marder
, Brandeis Uni-
versity and Society member
since 1995, was awarded
the Kavli Price for Neuro-
science.
Bozhi Tian
, University of
Chicago and Society mem-
ber since 2015, was award-
ed the Presidential Early
Career Award for Scientists
and Engineers.
Rakesh Jain
, (not pictured) Harvard Medi-
cal School and Society member since 1999,
was awarded the National Medal of
Science.