Summer of Science
ASMS, HPLC, ISPPP… the next two months see some of the biggest conferences in analytical science
Mass Excitement
What? The Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics is celebrating its 65th year. Sponsored by the American Society of Mass Spectrometry, the conference has around 6,500 attendees, and boasts almost 400 presentations and over 2,700 poster sessions.
Where and when? June 4–8, 2017, at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Why attend? From bioinformatics to biopharmaceuticals, from forensic innovation to fundamentals, from art and cultural heritage to careers – if there are mass spec applications, ASMS covers it.
Highlights? The workshops at ASMS will have a focus on careers and collaboration, new trends and innovation in technology:
- Diversity and Outreach
- Biotherapeutics: Hot Topics
- Mass Spectrometry in the Developing World
- A Career in Mass Spec: Options and Where to Start?
Final thoughts? Kristen Marhaver will be giving the closing plenary lecture on “Saving the Great Coral Reefs” at 4.45pm Thursday 8th. Then head down to the closing event at the Indiana State Museum – which includes ASMS karaoke!
Wait and HPLC
What? HPLC 2017, the 45th International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques is chaired by Michal Holčapek and František Foret. It covers fundamental and experimental approaches in liquid-phase separations, as well as column technologies, cutting-edge applications and innovative instrumentation.
Where and when? June 18–22, 2017, at the Prague Congress Center, Prague, Czech Republic.
Why attend? Speakers include some of the leading lights of liquid-phase separations and supercritical fluids. This year sees a strong focus on multi-dimensional separations and one program track devoted solely to hyphenated techniques and MS coupling.
Highlights? The scientific program includes four parallel tracks covering a vast array of topics:
- FUN (Fundamentals) – covering research from mechanisms of mass transport phenomena to data analysis, validation and chemometrics
- HYP (Hyphenations) – ranging from high resolution separations–mass spectrometry coupling to high-throughput data processing and bioinformatics
- APP (Applications and Instrumentation) – a diverse portfolio of integrated -omics approaches and systems biology, clinical and environmental analysis, food analysis and/or (bio)pharmaceuticals and drug metabolism
- YOU (Young and Tutorials) – including presentations by young scientists.
Final thoughts? In addition to the future-facing array of topics at this year’s conference, one of the main goals of the HPLC 2017 Prague symposium will be attracting the active participation of young researchers, with one of the four parallel program tracks aimed at young speakers, including tutorial lectures from top experts. Several awards will also be presented to young scientists in the field.
http://www.hplc2017-prague.org
The Philadelphia Story
What? The 2017 International Symposium on Separations of Proteins, Peptides and Polynucleotides (ISPPP) was founded in 1981 by Fred Regnier and Milton Hearn, and brings together experts in the materials and methods of biomolecule separations, including developing applications of separations for discovery, analysis and structural characterization of biomolecules. This year’s ISPPP will be co-chaired by Barry E. Boyes (Advanced Materials Technologies, Inc.) and Ron Orlando (University of Georgia).
Where and when? July 19–21, 2017, at Loews Hotel on Market Street, in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Why attend? It’s an exciting time for biochemists and process engineers using separation science. The field continues to grow and adapt, enjoying better materials, instruments and methods, and a seemingly never-ending list of interesting molecules to work on.
Highlights? High-resolution analytical applications are sure to be a hot topic, particularly LC and LC/MS methods for complex molecule analyses and applications of high-resolution methods during target discovery, validation, and product development. This is particularly relevant at a time when therapeutic and diagnostic humanized monoclonal antibodies are undergoing an explosive growth in clinical and research applications.
Themes include:
- Proteomics, glycoproteomics and phosphoproteomics
- Therapeutic biomolecules and biosimilars
- Monoclonal antibody analytics
- Novel protein structure analysis
- Novel separations materials and methods
- Metabolomics and enzyme analyses
Final thoughts? As with past ISPPPs, the meeting will encourage an atmosphere of collegial interactions and collaboration, with a variety of interactive sessions and social events. There will be ample opportunity to engage presenters and attendees. For the past four years ISPPP has been held jointly with the PREP Symposium (July 16–19), and we will continue that tradition this year.
A former library manager and storyteller, I have wanted to write for magazines since I was six years old, when I used to make my own out of foolscap paper and sellotape and distribute them to my family. Since getting my MSc in Publishing, I’ve worked as a freelance writer and content creator for both digital and print, writing on subjects such as fashion, food, tourism, photography – and the history of Roman toilets.
