2025 Merkin Institute Symposium
Translating basic science with platform technologies to improve human health: Current and future directions
Thursday February 6th, 2025 (Chen Neuroscience Building)
2025 Dreier Lecture by Jennifer Garrison, PhD (Buck Institute)
Afternoon keynote by Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD (Stanford)
Agenda (as of January 21st)
| TIme | Speaker | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 – 9:30am | Arrival & Registration | Chen Breezeway |
| 9:30 – 9:40am |
Viviana Gradinaru (Director, MITR): Welcome & Opening Remarks regarding Dreier Lecture Series Máté Borsos, PhD: Speaker introduction |
Chen 100 |
| 9:40 – 10:40am |
2025 Dreier Lecture by Jennifer Garrison, PhD (Buck Institute) Co-Director, Center for Healthy Aging in Women “Reframing women's health and aging through the lens of ovarian function” |
Chen 100 |
| 10:45 – 11:25am | Andrew McMahon (Merkin Research Professor) “A Program to model and restore human kidney functions” | Chen 100 |
| 11:30 – 12:15pm | Dianne Newman (Merkin Professor) "Controlling chronic infections by hijacking microbial metabolism" | Chen 100 |
| 12:15 - 2:30pm | Lunch & Posters |
Chen Lobby (Lunch) Chen Breezeway (Posters) |
| 2:30 – 2:35pm | Prof. Viviana Gradinaru: Afternoon Session Introduction & Remarks | Chen 100 |
| 2:35 – 3:35pm |
Afternoon Keynote by Dr. Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD (Stanford) “Light-gated membrane channels: discovery and creation of diversity, new principles for ion selectivity, and translational insights into human adaptive behavior” |
Chen 100 |
| 3:40 – 3:55pm | Ninadini Sharma, PhD (Zernicka-Goetz Lab) "Decoding the basic principles of embryonic development" | Chen 100 |
| 3:55 – 4:10pm | Máté Borsos, PhD (Gradinaru Lab) "AAV platform for gene discovery and advancement of women’s reproductive health" | Chen 100 |
| 4:10 – 4:55pm | Panel: “What does it take to launch a Caltech Spinout Company?” moderated by Mary Beth Campbell (EIR); Panel: Alborz Mahdavi (CEO Protomer Technologies), Mert Aktar (CEO Receptive), Jay Chiang (CEO Asymptote & former EIR), Brian Stoltz (Faculty), Andrea Choe (CEO Holoclara), Nancy Hong (HiTide VC) | Chen 100 |
| 4:55 - 5:00pm | Closing Remarks | Chen 100 |