5-CBB Exchange Group

Charlotte Biology and Biotechnology (CBB) Exchange Group is sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center that bring faculty, graduate and undergraduate students as well as technicians and scholars in biology and biotechnology together in the greater Charlotte region for information exchange, and to foster industry and academic partnership, economic development, and professional networking opportunities.

We will have a series of lectures by Distinguished Speakers. Please stay tuned for announcements. If you want to join the CBB EG and receive updates/announcements from us, please contact Dr. Shan Yan (shan.yan@uncc.edu).

CBB Distinguished Speaker Series:

AY2017-2018: Genome Integrity and Cancer Etiology

(1) Sep 22, 2017 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Junjie Chen, Professor and Chair in Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Seminar title: Proteomics analysis of DNA damage response and tumorigenesis. Location: CHHS RM281.

(2) Nov 3, 2017 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Matthew Michael, Professor in Department of Biological Sciences at University of Southern California. Seminar title: DNA break-induced activation of the germline genome in C. elegans. Location: CHHS RM281.

(3)  March 2, 2018 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Anindya Dutta , Harry F. Byrd Professor and Chair in Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at University of Virginia. Seminar title: MicroDNAs, MCMs and ORCs: tales of genome stability. Location: CHHS 380.

(4) May 11, 2018 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Lee Zou, Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School,  Associate Scientific Director at MGH Cancer Center, James & Patricia Poitras Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, Jim & Ann Orr MGH Research Scholar, Associate Member at the Broad Institute. Seminar title: The ATR signaling circuitry: from basic biology to cancer therapy. Location: CHHS 380.

AY2018-2019: Genome Integrity and Cancer Etiology

(1) Oct 19, 2018 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Kyle Miller, Associate Professor, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin. Seminar title: The DNA damage response: chromatin and cancer. Location: CHHS RM380.

(2) Nov 9, 2018 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Mark Kelley, Betty and Earl Herr Professor in Pediatric Oncology Research, Professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pharmacology &Toxicology, Associate Director for Basic Research, Indiana University Simon Cancer Center . Seminar title: Exploiting basic science discoveries for targeted disease therapy: The roller coaster ride of drug development. Location: CHHS RM380.

(3) May 3, 2019 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Johannes Walter, Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, American Cancer Society Research Professor, Investigator of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Harvard Medical School. Seminar title: At the intersection of vertebrate DNA replication and repair. Location: CHHS 380.

(4)  May 10, 2019 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Zhongsheng You, Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Physiology, Co-Director, Molecular Cell Biology Graduate Program, Washington University in St. Louis. Seminar title: DNA and RNA surveillance: A Role of Intracellular Calcium. Location: CHHS 380.

AY2019-2020: Genome Integrity and Cancer Etiology

(1) Oct 18, 2019 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Peter McKinnon, Member of Department of Genetics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Seminar title: Dealing with damage: Genome integrity and neurologic disease. Location: CHHS RM161.

(2) Nov 22, 2019 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Robert W. Sobol, Point Clear Charities Professor, Chief of Molecular & Metabolic Oncology Program, Abraham A. Mitchell Distinguished Investigator, Mitchell Cancer Institute (MCI), Professor of Department of Pharmacology, University of South Alabama. Seminar title: Temporal regulation of base excision repair protein complex assembly in cancer cells. Location: CHHS RM161.

AY2020-2021: Genome Integrity and Cancer Etiology

(1) Nov 13, 2020 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Patrick Sung, Associate Dean for Research LSOM, Professor and Interim Chair in Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology , Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair in Chemistry, UT Health San Antonio. Seminar title: Chromosome damage repair and tumor suppression via the BRCA Axi. Location: virtual meeting on Zoom. – Sign up here to receive the zoom meeting information.

(2) Dec 4, 2020 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Folami Ideraabdullah, Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Seminar title: Interactive effects of genotype & environment in developmental epigenetic programming. Location: virtual meeting on Zoom. – Sign up here to receive the zoom meeting information.

(3) March 12, 2021 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Grzegorz Ira, Professor, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Member of Dan Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine. Seminar title: New mechanism of genomic instability: large insertions at DNA breaks. Location: TBD. Host: Shan Yan

(4) April 9, 2021 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Stephen Kron, PhD, MD, Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology, Division of the Biological Sciences, University of Chicago. Seminar title: TBA. Location: TBD. Host: Andrew Truman

(5) April 16, 2021 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Neal Lue, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine. Seminar title: Telomere DNA synthesis: triumph of the OB fold. Location: TBD. Host: Kausik Chakrabarti

(6) April 23, 2021 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Weihang (Valerie) Chai, Professor, Department of Cancer Biology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago. Seminar title: Replication-associated genome Instabilities in carcinogenesis. Location: TBD. Host: Shan Yan

AY2021-2022: Genome Integrity and Cancer Etiology

(1) Oct 8, 2021 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Jianjun Zhao, Assistant Staff, Department of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, and Member of Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Seminar title: Cisplatin Upregulates Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease 2 (APE2) Binding to Myosin Heavy-Chain 9 (MYH9), Provoking Mitochondrial Fragmentation and Acute Kidney Injury. Location: CHHS 159. Host: Shan Yan

(2) Nov 5, 2021 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Marcus Smolka, Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University. Seminar title: Boosting and Braking DNA Repair in Cancer. Location: CHHS 159. Host: Shan Yan

(3) April 1, 2022 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Shan Zha, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Pathology and Cell Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University. Seminar title: Catalytically inactive PARP1 and 2 proteins block hematopoiesis. Location: TBD. Host: Shan Yan

(4) May 6, 2022 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Karlene Cimprich, Professor, Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University. Seminar title: The Causes and Consequences of Replication Stress. Location: TBD. Host: Shan Yan

AY2022-2023: Genome Integrity and Cancer Etiology

(1) Sep 9, 2022 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Patricia L. Opresko,Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Co-Leader of the Genome Stability Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Seminar title: Oxidative DNA damage and repair at telomere. Location: CHHS 281. Host: Shan Yan

(2) Dec 2, 2022 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Edwin Antony, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, St. Louis University School of Medicine . Seminar title: Re-establishing the mechanisms of RPA and Rad52 in maintaining genomic integrity. Location: CHHS 281. Host: Shan Yan

(3) April 21, 2023 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Bret D. Freudenthal, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, University of Kansas Cancer Center. Seminar title: Visualizing Base Excision Repair in Chromatin. Location: CHHS 145. Host: Shan Yan

(4) May 5, 2023 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Tanya Paull, Ph.D., Professor, Burl G. and Lorene L. Rogers Chair in Human Health Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin. Seminar title: DNA double-strand break repair: mechanism and implications for human disease. Location: CHHS 145. Host: Shan Yan

 AY2023-2024: Genome Integrity and Cancer Etiology

(1) Oct 27, 2023 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Huadong Pei, Associate Professor, Department of Oncology and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University. Seminar title: The Role of Histidine Phosphorylation in Genome Stability and Cancer. Location: CHHS 159. Host: Shan Yan

(2) April 12, 2024 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Bibo Li, Professor, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Graduate Program Director, Dept. of Biological, Geo. & Env. Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University. Seminar title: Telomere maintenance and its impact on antigenic variation in African trypanosomes. Location: CHHS 161. Host: Kausik Chakrabarti

(3) April 19, 2024(12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Anthony Leung, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University. Seminar title: Poly(ADP-ribose): a potent trigger of protein condensation. Location: CHHS 161. Host: Shan Yan

(4) May 3, 2024 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Aiming Peng, Professor, Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Seminar title: The DNA damage response and oral cancer therapy . Location: Student Union 200. Host: Shan Yan

AY2024-2025: Genome Integrity and Cancer Etiology

(1) Sep 20, 2024 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Yuan He, Professor, Department of Biophysics & Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University. Seminar title: Structure and Mechanism of DNA Double-Strand Break Repair by NHEJ. Location: CHHS 145. Host: Shan Yan

(2) Feb 28, 2025 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Steven Kridel, Associate Professor of Cancer Biology and Urology and Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Seminar title: Fatty acid synthesis is a metabolic requirement and therapeutic target for prostate cancer. Location: CHHS 147. Host: Shan Yan

(3) Mar 28, 2025 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Alberto Ciccia, Associate Professor, Department of Genetics and Development & Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University. Seminar title: Investigating The DNA Damage Response At High Resolution. Location: CHHS 147. Host: Shan Yan

(4) Apr 11, 2025 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Xin Li, Richard F. Edlich Professor of Biomedical Research, Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Plastic Surgery, Maxillofacial & Oral Health, University of Virginia School of Medicine. Seminar title: Succinate Signaling Mediated Host-microbial Interactions in Inflammatory Diseases. Location: CHHS 147. Host: Shan Yan

AY2025-2026: Genome Integrity and Cancer Etiology

(1) Nov 14, 2025 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Smita Patel, Distinguished Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Seminar title: Mechanistic studies of viral RNA sensing by RIG-I . Location: CHHS 155. Host: Shan Yan

(2) Dec 5, 2025 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Bruce Demple, Professor, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine. Seminar title: Base Excision Repair in Xenopus and Mammalian Cells: The Long and the Short of It. Location: CHHS 155. Host: Shan Yan

(3) Feb 27, 2026 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Zhenkun Lou, Swanson/Schmucker Endowed Professor of Cancer Research, Chair of the Division of Oncology Research, Co-Leader in the Experimental Therapeutics Program, Mayo Clinic. Seminar title: Exploring the DNA Repair Pathway for Cancer Therapy. Location: TBD. Host: Shan Yan

(4) Mar 27, 2026 (12:30pm-1:30pm): Dr. Robert S. Weiss, Professor of Molecular Genetics, College of Veterinary Medicine, Senior Associate Dean of Graduate School, Cornell University. Seminar title: The 9-1-1 Complex: A Molecular First Responder for Genome Stability. Location: TBD. Host: Shan Yan

CBB EG on NCBC website: 

https://www.ncbiotech.org/networking/exchange-groups/charlotte-biology-and-biotechnology