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Dr. Marc van Oostrum is one of the three finalists selected to present their manuscripts during the manuscript competition in a dedicated plenary session at HUPO2024. Their talks will be evaluated by a panel of experts to select the “Proteomics Highlight of the Year”. Dr. Marc van Oostrum will be presenting his work: The proteomic landscape of synaptic diversity across brain regions and cell types. 

Dr. Marc van Oostrum is currently an SNSF Ambizione Junior Group Leader in Prof. Peter Scheiffele’s laboratory at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel. His research focuses on employing spatial proteomics to unravel the molecular organization and diversity of neuronal synapses. Marc completed his Master’s in Biochemistry at ETH Zürich, where he conducted his thesis research in Prof. Paola Picotti’s lab. He pursued his PhD at the Institute for Molecular Systems Biology at ETH Zürich under Prof. Bernd Wollscheid, specializing in cell surface and spatial proteomics. His postdoctoral work, carried out in Prof. Erin Schuman’s lab at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt am Main, explored the molecular diversity of synapses.

The 33^rd HBPP Workshop took place from May 22^nd to 24^th 2024, in Naas, just outside Dublin, in Ireland. It was a very successful, small but intense meeting with participants from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the USA.

The meeting addressed clinical, animal, and cellular findings for neurodegeneration (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis) and neuropsychiatric conditions such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder and Autism. Whilst most of the work presented employed mass spectrometry-based proteomics, there was a trend of employing large-scale protein arrays of different kinds as well as combination of proteomics with other –omics platforms. Advanced statistical analyses including multivariate machine learning as well as Mendelian randomization of GWAS findings were elegantly combined with proteomics findings. Pathway analyses and investigations of posttranslational modifications were also presented.

Christopher Whelan from Johnson and Johnson presented an update from the findings of the open-access proteomics resource profiling on blood plasma samples collected from over 50,000 UK Biobank participants to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying proteo-genomic discoveries (Nature. 2023 Oct;622(7982):329-338. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06592-6. Epub 2023 Oct 4.PMID: 37794186.).

In addition, we welcomed PreOmics at the meeting to display their latest products. We also discussed lab sustainability actions and accreditation (My Green Lab).

There was ample time for networking at the meeting, and it was exciting to hear about related lab exchanges that are ongoing and planned.

The discussions and continuing work done by HBPP is significant and helps to advance the development and roll out of neuroproteomic methods to acquire holistic insights of the brain proteome in health and disease.

The 34th HUPO HBPP workshop will take place in Toledo, USA, in 2025. Further details will be announced on the HBPP website https://hupo.org/Brain and https://x.com/BrainProteomics in due course.

For more information regarding this workshop or the Human Brain Proteome Project, please visit the HUPO website here and/or contact: Melanie Föcking (mfocking@rcsi.ie, current chair of HBPP) or Darragh O’Brien (darragh.obrien@ndm.ox.ac.uk, HBPP communications officer).

Stacy Malaker is one of the three finalists selected to present their manuscripts during the manuscript competition in a dedicated plenary session at HUPO2024. A panel of experts will evaluate their talks to select the “Proteomics Highlight of the Year”. Stacy Malaker will be presenting her work: Glycoproteomic landscape and structural dynamics of TIM family immune checkpoints enabled by mucinase SmE. 

Dr. Malaker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Yale University. Her laboratory is focused on establishing methods and technology to study mucins, a class of densely O-glycosylated extracellular proteins, by mass spectrometry. Additionally, the laboratory studies mucins in a biological context, since these proteins play integral, yet poorly understood, roles in numerous diseases. Prior to her appointment at Yale, she received her B.S. from the University of Michigan in Biochemistry and Anthropology-Zoology. Dr. Malaker then went on to receive her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Virginia in the laboratory of Professor Donald Hunt. She continued to investigate the role of aberrant glycosylation in cancer as an NIH postdoctoral fellow in Professor Carolyn Bertozzi’s laboratory at Stanford University before starting at Yale in 2021.

Chromosome Team Leadership
Good news: Drs. Allan Stensballe and Louise Bundgaard, both excellent scientists, will lead the Chromosome 2 team representing Denmark. Now all our chromosomes have a team!!!

C-HPP Workshops
Upcoming workshops for 2024 and 2025:

• 26^th C-HPP Workshop: (0.5 day), Dresden, Sunday 20^th October 2024, 9:00 AM – 14:00 PM (before HUPO Congress).
• 27^th C-HPP Workshop on the new Human Proteome Project Portal, Guangzhou LEDY Life and Health City, China, November 28 & 29th 2024.
• 28^th C-HPP Workshop: The HPP Grand Challenge, Saint-Malo, France, June 13-15, 2025 (before EUPA).

Elections in Dresden for C-HPP EC Members
Please send nominations for the following positions to the C-HPP Secretary General, Dr Peter Horvatovich (p.l.horvatovich@rug.nl).

1. Chris Overall will be stepping down as Chair of the C-HPP at the end of 2024, and we invite nominations for the new Chair.
2. Gilberto Domont is a current member, and we invite nominations to fill this position for three years starting in January 2025.
3. C-HPP Secretary General Dr Peter Horvatovich will be stepping down at the end of 2024, and we invite nominations to fill this position for three years starting in January 2025.
4. We are creating a new ECR position for the C-HPP EC, and we will elect in Dresden a new ECR to sit on the EC from January 2025 for 3 years. Please self nominate.
5. Election for a member-at-large of the C-HPP EC for three years starting in January 2025.

Our goal is to have equal female and male representation on the C-HPP EC.

Current C-HPP EC

• Christopher M. Overall, Canada (to December 31, 2024), Chair.
• Gong Zhang, China (to December 31, 2027), Co-Chair.
• Heeyoun Hwang, Korea (to December 31, 2028), Co-Chair.
• Peter Horvatovich, The Netherlands (to December 31, 2025), Secretary General.
• Gilberto Domont, Brazil (to December 31, 2024), Member-at-Large.
• Fernando Corrales, Spain (to December 31, 2025), Member-at-Large.
• Sergio Encarnación-Guevara, Mexico (to December 31, 2027), Member-at-Large.

November 18-19, 2024
Location: Aerial UTS Function Centre, Ultimo, Sydney, Australia
Organized By: Children Medical Research Institute, ProCan

Through this two-day meeting, internationally renowned experts in proteomics, genomics, cancer management, biomarker and drug discovery will share their progress towards addressing the challenges and opportunities of multi-omic data integration in cancer management, with a special focus on the role of proteomics in advancing biomarker development and drug discovery.

More details here....

Sunday, October 20th 19:30-22:30

Early career researchers and senior scientists are all welcome to join this exciting event, which aims to bridge digital, cultural, and continental gaps. The ECR Networking Evening provides a fantastic opportunity for early-stage researchers to meet, share, and connect with colleagues and senior researchers.

This year, the evening will feature a scenic boat ride around Dresden, offering stunning views, drinks, and a chance to mingle in a relaxed atmosphere. It's the perfect setting to network with peers and mentors from around the world.

Be ready to meet new people and participate in engaging activities!

Register here for the ECR Networking Evening and reserve your ticket now, as space is limited!

The manuscript competition is a unique opportunity for early career researchers to gain visibility in the proteomics community, as it serves as a platform to highlight the important contributions that postdoctoral fellows, young clinicians and junior faculty members make to the proteomics field. Three finalists have been selected to present their publications in a dedicated plenary session at HUPO 2024, where an expert committee will evaluate the oral presentations to determine the “Proteomics Highlight of the Year” by an ECR. Congratulations to all finalists:

1. Leyuan Li (Beijing Proteome Research Center, CN)- Revealing proteome-level functional redundancy in human gut microbiome using ultra-deep metaproteomics
2. Stacy Malaker (Yale University, USA) - Glycoproteomic landscape and structural dynamics of TIM family immune checkpoints enabled by mucinase SmE
3. Marc van Oostrum (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany.) - The proteomic landscape of synaptic diversity across brain regions and cell types

The June HUPOST edition is out now! It’s packed with vital news and updates, including information on HUPO 2024 the IAB Spotlight, Council Elections, New Job Postings, ETC and ECR Activities, and more!

In this new monthly feature, we will be highlighting extraordinary HUPO volunteers who lead and support many of HUPO's various Committees, Initiatives and Working Groups. If you would like to volunteer with HUPO, please connect with the HUPO Office.

HUPO Marketing and Outreach Committee (MOC)

The MOC has been at work developing new ways to promote the HUPO mission, the visibility of proteomics within the scientific community and its popularization among the public, as well as gathering funding support. The MOC has been very successful in networking with other HUPO Committees and Initiatives and using a range of tools and activities. The MOC members are from different fields and backgrounds and at various career stages representing the diversity of HUPO.

Charlotte Hutchings is a third-year PhD student at the Cambridge Centre for Proteomics, University of Cambridge. She applies expression and subcellular spatial proteomics methods to study the effect of viral production, specifically that of adeno-associated viruses, on cells. Charlotte is also very interested in bioinformatics and big data which has led her to write and teach workflow publications and workshops. Having found a love for proteomics, Charlotte has become an active member of the community and acts as the student representative for the British Society for Proteome Research (BSPR), Vice Chair of Online Activities for the HUPO Early Career Researcher (ECR) Committee and has more recently become involved in the HUPO Marketing and Outreach (MOC) Committee.

Theodora Katsila is a Senior Researcher-Head of the Biomarker Discovery & Translational Research laboratory at the National Hellenic Research Foundation, Greece. Craving for brain teasers (and being loyal to her motto: from information to actionable insights), she is strongly interested in translational biomarkers and proteoform-based drug repurposing. Mining the chemical biology space, Theodora aims to catalyze the transition from serendipity-driven to data-driven translational precision medicine. This paradigm shift comes with a need for biomarker-guided trial design and patient-centric companion diagnostics. For this, Theodora applies mass spectrometry-based multi-omics and data science.

Conor McCafferty is a Program Manager at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, where he coordinates and oversees the body of cancer research performed at the institute and the adjoining Royal Children’s Hospital. He has worked with proteomic technologies to investigate biomarkers of disease and completed his PhD investigating the relationship between thrombosis and COVID-19 in children from the University of Melbourne in 2022, which included proteomic analysis of patients with different COVID-19 outcomes. Conor joined the HUPO Marketing and Outreach Committee in 2019 and additionally sits as a board director of the Australian Society for Medical Research. He has a passion for solving clinical challenges (particularly in pediatrics) and works to develop coordinated research and multi-omic strategies to improve clinical outcomes.