91Ó°¿â

Nucleophilic proteases: structure, function, regulation and disease

June 20–21, 2025
Virtual

There are more than 600 proteases in the human genome making it the second largest family of proteins in humans. These proteolytic enzymes are tightly regulated and function by performing post-translational protein modifications through hydrolysis of peptide bonds which results in activation or deactivation of biological pathways in an enormous array of physiological processes. Dysregulated proteolysis is also implicated in a large, diverse set of diseases including those relating to cardiovascular, immunological and cancer. Furthermore, the pathogenesis of many infectious diseases is mediated by proteases, either from the microbe, the host or both.

These enzymes are classified by their catalytic mechanism into five types: serine, threonine, cysteine, aspartic and metalloproteases. This year we expand upon past meetings by highlighting the most significant recent studies not only on serine, but also on the other classes of nucleophilic threonine and cysteine proteases. The talks organized present aspects of protease biochemistry and biophysics such as structural biology, as well as drug discovery and inhibitor development. Cross-disciplinary topics include cancer, infectious disease (viruses, bacteria, other pathogens), inflammation and immunology, cardiovascular system, and others.

Important dates

May 31 Abstract submission deadline
May 31 Early registration deadline
June 18 Regular registration deadline

Organizers

Philipps University of Marburg
Washington University in St. Louis
Torsten Steinmetzer Philipps University of Marburg

Registration

91Ó°¿âmembers will receive a $50 discount on their registration fee which will be applied during checkout. Not a member? Join ASBMB and save!

 
  Early registration
(by May 31)
Regular registration
(by June 18)
Regular, industry $300 $350
Early-career $200 $250
Graduate, undergraduate, affiliate $75 $125

NOTE: Registration is on a first come, first served basis and will remain open until capacity is reached. This may mean that the conference registration closes before the officially posted registration deadline. To secure your spot at the conference, we encourage you to register early.

Preliminary schedule

All times are U.S. Eastern.

Friday June 20
Saturday June 21

Friday agenda

9:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Session 1

Membrane anchored serine proteases in ovarian cancer metastasis
Toni Antalis, University of Maryland
Discovering novel SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors targeting the main protease Mpro: from virtual screening to hit optimization
Laura Goracci, University of Perugia
Identification of a potent pan-coronaviral inhibitor
Joanne Lemieux, University of Alberta
Tuning selectivity of activity-based probes for cysteine proteases
Steven Verhelst, KU Leuven
Role of preeclampsia-associated serine protease prostasin in embryonic hematopoiesis and vessel remodeling
Sara Di Carlo, University of Lausanne
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Break

12:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Session 2

Will include flash talks from submitted abstracts

New tools to facilitate drug discovery for pathogen proteasomes
Anthony O’Donoghue, University of California, San Diego
From peptidic to new non-peptidic inhibitors of the proprotein convertase furin as potential broad-spectrum antiviral agents
Torsten Steinmetzer, Philipps University Marburg
Mechanistic understanding of proprotein convertase activation guides the development of highly specific furin inhibitors
Sven Dahms, University of Salzburg
Allosteric inhibition mechanisms of β-tryptase tetramers and monomers by antibodies: implications for mast cell diseases
Bob Lazarus, Genentech
Crystallographic investigations into the acyl-enzyme step of serine and cysteine proteases
Mark Paetzel, Simon Fraser University
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Break

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Poster session

Saturday agenda

9:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Session 1

Quest for inhibition of cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses — All roads lead to cathepsins
Dusan Turk, Jožef Stefan Institute
Harnessing protease activity of the tumor microenvironment with RIPs as a novel modality to deliver targeted radiotherapeutics
Grant Blouse, TheraPaint Inc.
Targeting coronavirus major protease with broad spectrum activity and favorable bioavailability
Charles Craik, University of California, San Francisco
Druglike, radiotheranostic ligands of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) with optimized residence times: from design to preclinical evaluation in oncology models
Pieter Van der Veken, University of Antwerp
The canonical and noncanonical roles of the proprotein convertases in health and disease: emphasis on cardiovascular diseases and cancer/metastasis
Nabil Seidah, IRCM, University of Montreal
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Break

12:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Session 2

Will include flash talks from submitted abstracts

Role of proteases in protein quality control and aging
Fabio Demontis, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Dual functional role of a kallikrein 3 genetic variant: implications for prostate cancer progression and biomarker interpretation
Jyotsna Batra, Queensland University of Technology
Biochemical and structural tools to interrogate trypsin-like serine protease zymogen activation
Bryan Fraser, University of Toronto
Selective inhibitors for studying the enigmatic neutrophil serine protease 4
Daniel Kirchhofer, Genentech
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Break

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Poster session