iXpressGenes, founded by UAH professor, to host structural biology conference March 10-12

iXpressGenes will host the Frontiers in Structural Biology of Membrane Protein & Pittsburgh Diffraction Conference from March 10 to 12 at the Westin Hotel.

iXpressGenes, a HudsonAlpha associate company founded by Dr. Joseph Ng, director of the Biotechnology Science & Engineering Program at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), will host the Frontiers in Structural Biology of Membrane Protein & Pittsburgh Diffraction Conference from March 10 to 12, 2016, at the Westin Hotel in Huntsville, Ala.

The meeting will bring together scientists from across the country who are leaders in the field of structural biology, a branch of molecular biology concerned with the 3-D structure of a molecule and its function.

"There are many people outside of Alabama who don't know about all of the great things that Huntsville and HudsonAlpha are doing, and we want to grab the attention of the biology science community and show them that we are doing exceptional work here," says Dr. Ng, who also serves as president of iXpressGenes. "Similarly, there are many people in our community who don't have the opportunity to meet renowned scientists in the life sciences outside of Huntsville, particularly students and young investigators. We are making great efforts to provide a friendly and intellectually stimulating venue that can be accessible and affordable for everyone."

The conference's plenary speakers will include Dr. Zhi-Jie (James) Liu, deputy director of the ​iHuman Institute at ShanghaiTech University; Dr. Bi-Cheng Wang, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Georgia; and Dr. Alexander McPherson, professor of ​molecular biology and biochemistry at the University of California, Irvine. Mr. Ralph Petroff, entrepreneur and space historian, will serve as the conference's special banquet speaker and will present "The Backstory of How America got to the Moon," based on first-hand accounts from the engineers and astronauts involved in the effort.

Among the Huntsville-based researchers presenting will be Dr. Liz Worthey and Dr. Jeremy Prokop, scientists at HudsonAlpha, and Dr. Marc Pusey, a senior scientist at iXpressGenes, who will discuss his use of advanced computing capabilities to analyze data with the goal of generating more efficient crystal screening methods.

Those interested in attending may register for the conference online. A special practical workshop on membrane protein crystallization and remote synchrotron data collection will also be held at HudsonAlpha on March 9 and is included with conference registration.