ASMB 2026 e-Symposia - Join Us On-line!

2026

September 10, 1:00 pm US eastern

ECM Dynamics in the Brain: Emerging Tools and Approaches

Organized by William Aisenberg, University of Pennsylvania

The brain is a soft tissue with spatially heterogeneous extracellular matrix that is dynamically remodeled in development and disease. This spatial and temporal complexity offer opportunities to understand how ECM dynamics shape brain physiology and pathology, but are met with significant technical challenges. High levels of glycosylation complicate traditional in situ staining and proteomic analyses, while decellularization approaches can result in the loss of more soluble ECM components and spatial information. This symposium will highlight emerging and adapted approaches for studying ECM remodeling in the brain, including techniques developed specifically for neural tissue and those successfully adapted from other systems. By showcasing how matrix biology tools can be applied to the unique brain environment, this session will be of broad interest to the matrix community and underscore the versatility of these methods across biological contexts.

Invited Speakers

Daniel Gray PhD, UCLA. Postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Lindsay De Biase
Dongkyu Kim PhD, UCSF, Postdoctoral Scholar in the lab of Anna Molofsky
Yao Yao PhD, USF, Professor of Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology

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Future e-Symposia

Organize an e-Symposium! ASMB is now accepting proposals for 2026. Members of ASMB and ISMB are invited to submit a proposal to organize an e-Symposia.

E-symposium chair proposals should include the proposed topic title, a brief explanation of why your proposal would be of interest to members of the matrix biology field, the format for the event, and the names and affiliations of the discussion leaders and speakers. Further, please indicate what steps you will take to try and make your session as inclusive and diverse as possible. We will be happy to discuss your proposals with you. Potential chairs must be members of the ASMB or ISMB. We encourage submissions from ASMB or ISMB members at any career stage (including graduate students and post-docs) and welcome proposals from individuals or teams of two.

More information can be found in the Call for e-Symposia proposals below.