
Dancing with metals: Iron copper and reactive sparks
"Sola dosis facit venenum" or "the dose makes the poison." This timeless adage holds particularly true in the realm of metals and oxidants, where the delicate balance between sufficiency and excess is paramount. Inadequate levels render an organism incapable of proper functioning, while excessive quantities can inflict irreversible harm. However, at the precise dosage, a harmonious symphony resonates within cellular systems.
While iron and copper play crucial roles in the functioning of numerous cellular proteins, excessive amounts can trigger the cell death mechanisms of ferroptosis and cuproptosis, respectively. Although oxidation is essential for vital cellular processes such as protein folding and signal transduction, excessive oxidation can harm cellular components, leading to cell death. How does a cell effectively regulate the availability of these factors and mitigate their toxic effects?
Submit an abstract
Abstract submission begins Sept. 14. If you submit by Oct. 12, you'll get a decision by Nov. 1. The regular submission deadline is Nov. 30.
This compelling question will be addressed at our symposium. Esteemed investigators in the fields of iron, copper and redox biology will cover topics that include organellar redox metabolism and vulnerabilities, mechanisms of metal-induced cell death and metal stress, as well as metal acquisition and dependencies.
Keywords: Copper, iron, redox, metals, reactive oxygen species.
Who should attend: Metalheads and redox biologists, along with individuals keen on delving into the realms of iron, copper and selenium and the intricacies of oxidative stress.
Theme song: by Black Sabbath. No explanation necessary.
This session is powered by .
Redox and metals in biology
Advances in redox homeostasis in biology and disease
°ľ±±ą˛ą˛Ôç Birsoy, Rockefeller University
Jessica Spinelli, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

Urbain Weyemi (chair), National Cancer Institute
Elena Piskounova, Weill Cornell Medicine
Iron in redox biology: mechanisms and regulation
Adam Hughes, University of Utah
James Wohlschlegel, UCLA
Sarah-Maria Fendt, VIB–KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology
Gina DeNicola (chair), Moffitt Cancer Center
Copper in redox biology: From fundamental chemistry to cellular function
Katherine Franz, Duke University
Peter Tsvetkov, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Deborah Fass, Weizmann Institute of Science
Siavash Kurdistani (chair), UCLA
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Science
Science highlights or most popular articles

How scientists identified a new neuromuscular disease
NIH researchers discover Morimoto–Ryu–Malicdan syndrome, after finding shared symptoms and RFC4 gene variants in nine patients, offering hope for faster diagnosis and future treatments.

Unraveling cancer’s spaghetti proteins
MOSAIC scholar Katie Dunleavy investigates how Aurora kinase A shields oncogene c-MYC from degradation, using cutting-edge techniques to uncover new strategies targeting “undruggable” molecules.

How HCMV hijacks host cells — and beyond
Ileana Cristea, an ASBMB Breakthroughs webinar speaker, presented her research on how viruses reprogram cell structure and metabolism to enhance infection and how these mechanisms might link viral infections to cancer and other diseases.

Understanding the lipid link to gene expression in the nucleus
Ray Blind, an ASBMB Breakthroughs speaker, presented his research on how lipids and sugars in the cell nucleus are involved in signaling and gene expression and how these pathways could be targeted to identify therapeutics for diseases like cancer.

Receptor antagonist reduces age-related bone loss in mice
Receptor antagonist reduces bone loss and promotes osteoblast activity in aging mice, highlighting its potential to treat osteoporosis. Read more about this recent JBC paper.

Engineered fusion protein targets kiwifruit pathogen
Synthetic protein selectively kills kiwifruit pathogen, offering a promising biocontrol strategy for agriculture. Read more about this recent JBC paper.