President's Message

 Ambra Pozzi, ASMB President

January 2025

Dear Members and Friends of the American Society for Matrix Biology,

As ASMB President for 2024-2025, I thank you for your participation in the Society. ASMB’s main goal is to promote the field of matrix biology by advancing knowledge about the extracellular matrix (ECM) and facilitating the translation and dissemination of this knowledge to improve human health and aging and to better treat human disease. Each of you practices this goal on a daily bases, by directly working in the field, by teaching, and by treating patients affected by diseases that directly or indirectly target the ECM. In addition, ASMB strives to accomplish this goal by sponsoring the biennial meeting as well as smaller focused Workshops organized by members.

In 2023 I had the pleasure to organize the first all in person ASMB meeting that was held in conjunction with the American Society for Investigative Pathology and the Histochemical Society. The meeting took place in Salt Lake City and I am happy to report that our Society received a very enthusiastic and positive feedback for this unique and very successful combine meeting. In 2022 and 2024 we also had two excellent workshops. The ASMB Workshop on Basement Membranes, organized by Roy Zent and Rachel Lennon was held in Manchester, UK in 2024. I encourage you all to consider organizing a Workshop in 2026; expect a call for proposals later this year.

Our next biennial meeting is underway with our President-Elect Tom Barker chairing ASMB’s program. This meeting, that will take place in Baltimore in Fall 2025, marks a very important milestone: 25 years of pioneering work in the ECM field. I encourage all of you, in particular junior members, to participate in this meeting as it will provide an overview of where we were 25 years ago, where we are now, and where the field is going to be in the near and far future (to infinity and beyond!).

To further support the matrix biology community, ASMB promotes the careers of young scientists, women, and under-represented minorities. Meeting and workshop organizers prepare programs that reflect ASMB’s Diversity/Equity/Inclusion goals and raise funds to provide travel awards. The biennial meetings and workshops include mentoring breakfasts and career development, to name a few. Special Interest Sessions at biennial meetings provide opportunities for ASMB postdocs to organize and chair symposia.

Opportunities to actively participate in society operations are one important benefit of membership. Aside from service on meeting/workshop organizing committees and on Council, members are encouraged to serve on standing committees (details on asmb.net). Of note, the Communication and Outreach Committee operates the ASMB social media accounts. If you haven’t yet joined ASMB on Bluesky – you can find us there! https://bsky.app/profile/amsocmatbio.bsky.social  The committee organizes the Image Contest, promotes special recognition days (e.g., Women in Science Day, Rare Disease Day), and spearheaded this article summarizing the past ASMB meeting. Please browse the ASMB website for details about the opportunities to participate in what I hope you consider your society. You can also send me an email ([email protected]) if you have questions, suggestions, or wish to volunteer.

The society could not exist without the tremendous dedication of our outstanding Executive Director, Kendra LaDuca, and a partnership with the American Society for Investigative Pathology and the Histochemical Society that provide the administrative support and infrastructure needed to maintain a healthy organization responsive to its membership. We also have mutually beneficial relationships with Elsevier and its Matrix Biology and Matrix Biology Plus journals. The editors of these journals are senior members of our Society and they are always welcoming scientific articles and reviews focused on ECM.

Finally, I would like to thank our outgoing Past-President Lynn Sakai for her dedication to the Society and for being a strong advocate for the participation of junior investigators at our meetings/workshops and to outgoing President Jeff Miner for defeating the isolation COVID-19 forced into and organizing the 2021 hybrid ASMB meeting. I also thank our outgoing Council members Rolf Brekken, Edna Cukierman, and Doug Gould for their dedication to our Society and I welcome our new Council members Sergey Budko, Davy Vanhoutte, and Yao Yao.

I wish you a fabulous 2025.

Ambra Pozzi, PhD

Vanderbilt University Medical School