NOW Registering: 17th annual SC INBRE Science Symposium – Sat, Feb 21, USC Columbia (registration closes THIS FRIDAY, Feb 6)

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2026 Agenda – Sat, Feb 21

Page updated Feb 4, 2026

For more info, contact:

Cyndy Buckhaults, SC INBRE Communications Manager

8:30 am

Symposium Check-In
Poster Sessions set up
Check-in is located outside of the Theater. See Abstracts page for poster locations.

Limited take and go breakfast items available. Beverage Service (coffee, tea, cocoa, water) available all day in Lounge area (204).

9 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks, Theater
Dr. Edie Goldsmith, SC INBRE PI/Program Director

SC INBRE State of the Program and Program Information, Theater
You will not want to miss the important information and introductions in this session

Session Includes:
A word from our Program Evaluation Team, Pam Gillam, University of South Carolina Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE) Director

Meet our NEW Data Science Core personnel – Drs. Banky Olatosi and Jiajia Zhang, USC Arnold School of Public Health

Updates on SC INBRE Funding (LOIs/Funding Mechanisms)

9:20 am

3-Minute Madness Student Flash Talks, Theater

Introduced by Dr. Holly LaVoie, SC INBRE Program Coordinator

Talks are a strict 3 minutes. The extra two minutes of each slot is to allow for transitioning between presenters.

9:25 am – Talk 1 Presenter, Institution
Title

9:30 am – Talk 2 Presenter, Institution
Title

9:35 am – Talk 3 Presenter, Institution
Title

9:40 am – Talk 4 Presenter, Institution
Title

9:45 am – Talk 5 Presenter, Institution
Title

9:50 am – Talk 6 Presenter, Institution
Title

9:55 am – Talk 7 Presenter, Institution
Title

10 am – Talk 8 Presenter, Institution
Title

10:05 am – Talk 9 Presenter, Institution
Title

10:10 am – Talk 10 Presenter, Institution
Title

10:15 am

Exhibit Hall Open, Second Floor Lobby

Poster Session 1, Ballroom (overflow to Rooms 203 and 205)
ODD numbered posters will present in this session (and removed immediately after the session is over)

Beverage Service (coffee, tea, water) available in Lounge 204.

11:45 am

Lunch, Ballroom

Pick up boxed lunches from Lounge 202. Check your name tag for table number assignment.

EVEN numbered posters to be hung during the lunch break.

12:45 pm

Exhibit Hall Open, Second Floor Lobby

Poster Session 2, Ballroom (over flow to Rooms 203 and 205)
EVEN numbered posters will present in this session

Beverage Service (coffee, tea, water) available in Lounge 204.

NEW! Concurrent 30-minute Research Talk Sessions

2:15 pm, Theatre

Brain Health/Neuroscience

2:15 pm – Dr. Vinayak Bhat, BIPP, Columbia College
Investigating the potential of Cannabinoids in Alzheimer’s treatment with Molecular dynamics simulations
Keywords: Cannabinoids, Alzheimer’s disease, Protein aggregation

2:26 pm – Dr. Reed Gurchiek, DRP, Clemson University
Digital biomarkers of cognitive impairment based on the influence of cognition on gait control
Keywords: Gait, Cognitive impairment, Digital health

2:37 pm – Anna C. Tsyrulnikov, SITA, Medical University of South Carolina
Ensembling networks for whole-brain image analysis
Keywords: Image classification, Whole-brain imaging

2:15 pm, Ballroom

Proteins and Novel Technologies

Three talks – either a combination of long and short or three of the same length depending on speakers

2:15 pm – Dr. C. Nathan Hancock, DRP, University of South Carolina Aiken
Development of Harbinger3N_DR-based genome editing tools
Keywords: Genome Engineering, Transposable Elements

2:26 pm – Chloé Forenzo, SIRP, Clemson University
Stabilizer-Dependent Redox Responsivity of RNA Coacervates for Microfluidic Polymersome Encapsulation
Keywords: RNA Delivery, Redox-Responsivity, Coacervation

2:33 pm – Ryan Hawkins, SIRP, University of South Carolina Upstate
The Effect of SARS-CoV-1 Nonstructural Protein 1 on Stress Granule Assembly in A549 Cells
Keywords: RNA, Stress granule, Host shut-off

2:45 pm, Theatre

Inflammation and Disease

2:45 pm – Dr. Colin E. Evans, DRP, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia
Promoting Endothelial Survival in Inflammatory Lung Injury
Keywords: Vascular, Cardiovascular

2:56 pm – Dr. Casey G. Langdon, DRP, Medical University of South Carolina
Targeted Combination Therapy to Thwart Fusion Oncoprotein-Driven Pediatric Sarcomas
Keywords: Sarcoma, Chimeric Transcription Factor, Targeted Combination Therapy

3:07 pm – Michael Madden, SITA, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia
Multi-omic correlation of skin sulfonolipid-producing bacteria and sphingosine content in atopic dermatitis
Keywords: Multi-omics, Atopic Dermatitis, Skin Microbiome

2:45 pm, Ballroom

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Part I

2:45 pm – Dr. Callie H. Crawford, BIPP, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia
Movement Tracking in Drosophila Disease Models
Keywords: Kinematics, Machine learning, Drosophila

2:56 pm – Dr. Lalima K. Madan, DRP, Medical University of South Carolina
Machine Learning Identification of Subfamily-Specific Allosteric Mechanisms in Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases
Keywords: Allosteric Regulation, Machine Learning, Protein Phosphatases

3:07 pm – Elizaveta Korunova, SITA, University of South Carolina
Artificial Intelligence–Based Single-Particle Tracking: Detecting Diffusion Heterogeneity During Stress Granule Assembly in Cytoplasm
Keywords: Deep learning, Single particle tracking, Cellular condensates

3:15 pm, Theatre

Metabolism

3:15 pm – Dr. Reilly T. Enos, BIPP, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia
Harnessing Skeletal Muscle Estrogen to Preserve Lean Mass and Improve Metabolic Health in Type 2 Diabetes
Keywords: Estrogen, Diabetes, Obesity

3:26 pm – Dr. Scott Tanner, DRP, University of South Carolina Upstate
Intestinal function is disrupted in p-glycoprotein deficient C. elegans
Keywords: Intestine, C. elegans, Microscopy

3:37 pm – FLASH TALK Benjamin Arthur, Clemson University
Cas9 Immunogenicity and Its Impact on Therapeutic Efficacy of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated AAV gene therapy for treating Hereditary Tyrosinemia
Keywords: CRISPR, Cas9, Immunogenicity

3:15 pm, Ballroom

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Part II

3:15 pm – Dr. Megan Cevasco, BIPP, Coastal Carolina University
Using metabarcoding and culture-based approaches to train undergraduates in the bioinformatic exploration of factors influencing the relative abundance of Vibrio in SC coastal waters
Keywords: Metabarcoding

3:26 pm – Megan J. Francis, SITA, Medical University of South Carolina
Deep learning approaches to predicting drug-seeking behaviors in mice
Keywords: Deep learning, Addiction neuroscience, Behavioral neuroscience

3:33 pm – Bethany Newton, SITA, Coastal Carolina University
Overcoming Video Analysis Constraints: A Pivot from Grunt Sculpin to Shark Kinematics Using Deep Learning
Keywords: Locomotion, Kinematics, Pose Estimation