Membrane Protein Conference on January 20, 2026

Our next Membrane Protein Conference will be held on Tuesday January 20, 2026 from 2-5pm CET (i.e. 8-11 am ET) and will feature a series of 20 minute talks covering the latest findings about membrane structure and function, lipid-protein interactions as well as nanodisc system advances for purification and resolution of native membrane assemblies.

We are seeking to explore and disseminate new concepts and tools in the field of membrane protein biology. Free student tickets are available, and registration is 20 or 30 euros for academics or industry to help cover our costs. Dip in and out of this zoom meeting as needed. You will be given access to all the videos of the talks after the event.

Speakers include:

Dawid Zyla, Postdoctoral Researcher with Erica Saphire, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, who recently published Stabilized Full-Length Measles Fusion Protein Elicits Potent Immunity and Protection In Vivo on bioRxiv.

Sara García-­Linares, Professor, Complutense, University of Madrid, on elucidating the structure and assembly mechanism of actinoporin pores in complex membrane environments as published in Sci Adv.

Radu Aricescu, Professor, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, who recently published GABAA receptor gating imaged on the millisecond timescale on bioRxiv.

Antreas Kalli, Associate Professor, Discovery and Translational Science Department, University of Leeds, who recently published on regulation of PIEZO1 channel force sensitivity by interblade handshaking in Sci Adv.

Ana Fernandez-Marino, Assistant Professor, UCD Anschutz Medical Campus and Xiaolong Liu, Postdoctoral Researcher with Ben Berks, U Oxford, on a new paradigm for outer membrane protein biogenesis in the Bacteroidota as published recently in Nature.

Sept 17 2025 MPC Program, Attendees and Videos

13:50 CEST: Tips and Tricks: ask questions and share practical advice

Session 1 chaired by Gestél Kuyler, Nanosene Co-Founder and CEO

14:00 Philipp Hanisch, Head of Laboratory - Protein Service, Cube Biotech GmbH on Membrane Proteins at Scale: Automated Copolymer Nanodisc Purification for Structure and Function

14:20 Jasmin Baron, PhD Student in Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Graz, on utilizing native nanodiscs to isolate active TRPC3 channels and expand structural analysis capabilities.

14:40 Anastasiia Sukalskaia, Postdoctoral Researcher with Raimund Dutzler, U Zurich, on the interactions between TTYH2 and APOE facilitate endosomal lipid transfer.

Session 2 chaired by Barry Bruce, Professor, U Tennessee Knoxville

15:05 Lucie Bergdoll, Researcher, LISM, CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université on membrane lipid composition modulates the organization of VDAC1, a mitochondrial gatekeeper

15:25 Francesca Marassi, Professor Dept Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin on in situ NMR reveals a pH sensor motif in an outer membrane protein that drives bacterial vesicle production.

15:45 Joseph Iovine, PhD student with Nathan Alder, Dept of Molecular and Cell Biology, U Connecticut, on lateral lipid packing governs bilayer solubilization by styrene-maleic acid copolymers: a case study with cardiolipin-containing membranes.

Session 3 chaired by Tomisin Omotoso, BSc Student, University of Alberta

16:10 Richard K. Hite, PI, Sloan Kettering Institute, on the structural basis of ClC-3 transporter inhibition by TMEM9 and PtdIns(3,5)P2.

16:30 Alyssa Ward, PhD Student with F. Barrera, Dept of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, U Tennessee Knoxville on how cholesterol promotes the formation of dimers and oligomers of the receptor tyrosine kinase ROR1.

16:50 Beining Jin, PhD Student with Matthew Eddy, University of Florida, on the Conformational Equilibria of a Human GPCR Compared between Lipid Vesicles and Aqueous Solutions by Integrative 19F-NMR in JACS.

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Speaker Awards

Sponsored by Nanosene. Our previous winners:

• Kirill Nadezhdin, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
• Rhythm Shukla, University of Utrecht
• David Glück, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
• Johanna Syrjanen, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
• Gestél Kuyler, Stellenbosch & Coventry Universities
• Elaine Bernard, graduate student, Stellenbosch U for Novel a amphiphilic terpolymers for the detergent-free isolation of molecular drug targets
• Evelyn Okorafor, graduate student, Miami U for The effect of lipid saturation on the structure of styrene maleic acid lipid nanoparticles (SMALP)
• Ruby Huynh, undergraduate student, Arizona State U for Purification of ATP Synthase from Heliobacterium modesticaldum using Diisobutylene/Maleic Acid (DIBMA)
• Arba Zhao, high school student at Webb High School for Unlocking secrets of the heart with surface-active polymers
• Elissa Moller, PhD student, NICHD on resolving mechanosensitive channels.
• Claire Coupland, Postdoc, UToronto on cryo-EM of V-ATPase in native synaptic vesicles.
• Frank Tucci, PhD student at Northwestern University, on the structures of methane and ammonia monooxygenases in native membranes.
• Surabhi Kokane, PhD student, Stockholm U, on PIP2-mediated oligomerization of the endosomal sodium/proton exchanger NHE9

Background on SMALP

The SMALP network is an open forum initiated by the international research community. We are developing and using amphipathic copolymers as alternatives to conventional detergents, which tend to dissociate, destabilize and deactivate native membrane proteins.

A variety of amphipathic polymers such as styrene maleic acid have been found to directly and spontaneously solubilize proteins and bound lipids from membranes when activated. This provides opportunities for understanding and exploiting the structure and function of native membrane protein complexes.

As SMALP technology is relatively new, the participation of the wider community and sharing of new ideas and practices amongst researchers is the best way to ensure continued rapid development of the field.

The SMALP network offers polymers, methods and meetings to support the growing community of scientists and companies interested in the preparation of membrane nanodiscs formed by polymers including styrene maleic acid for biological research and drug discovery applications.

Register for a day of insightful talks from experts in the structural biology and functions of membrane proteins and nanodisc development, discussions with academic and industry leaders, and enjoy breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks on us.

These events are offered to bring together academic and industry experts, postdocs and students who are interested in membrane protein structural biology, lipidomics, proteomics, target discovery and biophysical analysis of bilayers and amphipathic polymers.

We welcome researchers from across academia and industry to join us in lively discussions and debate about the latest advances in native nanodiscs, membrane proteins, polymer chemistry, lipid biophysics, structural biology, and applications including drug discovery and delivery.