Targeted protein degradation in hematologic malignancies: latest updates from the 2023 ASH annual meeting.

Protein degraders, emerging as a novel class of therapeutic agents, have gained widespread attention due to their advantages. They have several advantages over traditional small molecule inhibitors, including high target selectivity and ability to target "undruggable" targets and overcome inhibitor drug resistance. Tremendous research and development efforts and massive investment have resulted in rapid advancement of protein degrader drug discovery in recent years. Here, we overview the latest clinical and preclinical updates on protein degraders presented at the 2023 ASH Annual Meeting.

Creativity, Connection, and Community: Reimagining the Radiology Society Meeting.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: With the shifting needs of radiologists due to escalating healthcare demands, the impetus for an increased focus on wellness and the benefits of the humanities in medicine inspired a novel approach to curricular planning of the 2023 Association of University Radiologists (AUR) annual meeting. In this manuscript, we describe the creative process behind planning and executing this innovative meeting format. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Reimagining the annual meeting was a collaborative effort centered around the development of an innovative Arts and Wellness Program, with the goal of integrating opportunities for artistic expression and experiential wellness throughout the meeting. RESULTS: Of the 1313 meeting attendees, 423 (32.2%) completed the annual meeting evaluation, of which 244 were in-person and 61 attended virtually. 178 of 423 respondents (42.1%) participated in the arts and wellness programming. 160 of 203 respondents (78.9%) reported that the arts and wellness programming enhanced the overall meeting experience. 164 of 197 respondents (83.2%) gained greater appreciation for the talents of radiology colleagues. 97 of 195 respondents (49.7%) stated that the programming gave them ideas as to how to cope effectively with stress. CONCLUSION: The incorporation of art, music, and other wellness activities into a national radiology meeting was well-received by meeting attendees. For many radiologists who participated in the various musical and artistic offerings at the AUR 2023 meeting, sharing artistic talents with the radiology community and colleagues represented the most fundamental way to be fully seen, express authenticity, and connect with others.

Beyond barriers, towards diversity: how hybrid student conferences can drive accessibility.

The third International Student Symposium on Animal Behaviour and Cognition (ISSABC) aimed to address barriers for early career researchers, hosting a conference both in-person and online at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). The conference, attended by 101 in-person and 79 virtual participants from 24 countries, featured 81 presentations, 29 posters, five plenary talks, three workshops, and a career development round-table discussion. A user-friendly website and digital platforms facilitated communication and real-time discussions between in-person and online participants. Transparent fund management, support from sponsors and societies, and sustainable practices ensured financial accountability and minimised environmental impact. The conference emphasised sustainability measures, including eco-friendly catering and local reusable mugs. Future organisers of similar events are encouraged to prioritise local representation, plan contingencies, select plenary speakers rigorously, and employ effective marketing. With this meeting review, we highlight how hybrid conferences like the third ISSABC, through innovative approaches and sustainable practices, enhance accessibility, inclusivity, and empower the next generation of scientists.

Report of the European Medicines Agency Conference on RNA-Based Medicines.

RNA-based medicines have potential to treat a large variety of diseases, and research in the field is very dynamic. Proactively, The European Medicines Agency (EMA) organized a virtual conference on February 2, 2023 to promote the development of RNA-based medicines. The initiative addresses the goal of the EMA Regulatory Science Strategy to 2025 to "catalyse the integration of science and technology in medicines development." The conference focused on RNA technologies (excluding RNA vaccines) and involved different stakeholders, including representatives from academia, industry, regulatory authorities, and patient organizations. The conference comprised presentations and discussion sessions conducted by panels of subject matter experts. In this meeting report, we summarize the presentations and recap the main themes of the panel discussions.

Twenty Years of SPARTAN: From Inception to Impact (SPARTAN 2023 Annual Meeting Proceedings).

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review takes a look at the past, present, and future of SPARTAN, the Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network, an organization of North American healthcare professionals dedicated to advancing research, education, and patient care in spondyloarthritis. RECENT FINDINGS: In 2022, SPARTAN completed the Classification of Axial SpondyloarthritiS Inception Cohort (CLASSIC) study, a collaboration with the Assessment in SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS). CLASSIC aimed to validate the 2009 ASAS classification criteria for axial spondyloarthritis. Other ongoing SPARTAN endeavors include the development of US referral recommendations for axial spondyloarthritis, an update of the 2019 ACR/SAA/SPARTAN treatment recommendations for axial spondyloarthritis and multiple educational initiatives. Twenty years after its inception, SPARTAN continues to grow and broaden its impact, guided by the SPARTAN vision of "a world free of spondyloarthritis through leadership in research and education."

[ADJUSTING THE DAYS OF BLEEDING AND PURITY FOR A BRIDE BEFORE THE WEDDING. THE RELIGIOUS FEMALE GYNECOLOGISTS CONFERENCE WAS HELD ON THE 15TH OF JULY 2021 IN JERUSALEM, AND AN ONLINE UPDATE CONFERENCE WAS HELD ON NOVEMBER 5TH 2022].

INTRODUCTION: ADJUSTING THE DAYS OF BLEEDING AND PURITY FOR A BRIDE BEFORE THE WEDDING. THE RELIGIOUS FEMALE GYNECOLOGISTS CONFERENCE WAS HELD ON THE 15TH OF JULY 2021 IN JERUSALEM, AND AN ONLINE UPDATE CONFERENCE WAS HELD ON NOVEMBER 5TH 2022.

Editor's Introduction: Best Papers from the 20th International Conference on Cognitive Modeling.

The International Conference on Cognitive Modelling is dedicated to understanding how the complex processes of the mind can be explained in terms of detailed inner processing. In this issue, we present four representative papers of this field of research from our 20th meeting, ICCM 2022. This meeting was our first hybrid meeting, with a virtual version happening July 11-15, 2022, and an in-person event from July 23-27, 2022, held in Toronto, Canada. The four papers presented here were the top-ranked papers across both the virtual and in-person events. Three of the papers develop novel computational theories about low-level components within the mind and how those components result in high-level phenomena such as motivation, anhedonia, and attention. The final paper demonstrates the use of cognitive modeling to develop novel explanations of a paired associate learning task, and uses those insights to develop and explain human performance in a more complex version of that task.

If you can make it, you can share it - Perspectives on the first DIY-fair at the European congress of medical physics (ECMP, DUBLIN 2022).

The medical physics and engineering community is known for being active in conjuring do-it-yourself (DIY) -solutions to support their clinical and research work. To facilitate the exchange of solutions and ideas, a DIY-fair was held for the first time at the European Congress of Medical Physics (ECMP) in August 2022 in Dublin, Ireland. Altogether 32 contributions were presented, consisting of software, scripts, 3D-printed customized solutions, devices, gadgets and phantoms. All contributions were published in video format on a dedicated YouTube channel, and most were also presented in person at the conference. The fair demonstrated that there is an unmet need for sharing and distributing information on self-created solutions in the medical physics community. The authors propose the creation of a dedicated platform for sharing such content within our community, as well as a continuity of DIY-fairs at future ECMP meetings.

The beauty and challenges of studying cell biology in diverse organisms.

Cell Reports Editor Shawnna Buttery interviewed Holly Goodson, Wallace Marshall, and Thibaut Brunet at the annual ASCB/EMBO Cell Bio conference. Shawnna asked how non-traditional organisms help us better understand the fundamentals of cell biology. A transcript of the conversation appears below, and the full conversation is available with the article online.

Meeting Report on the 3rd Chinese American Society for Mass Spectrometry Conference-Advancing Biological and Pharmaceutical Mass Spectrometry.

Following the highly successful Chinese American Society for Mass Spectrometry (CASMS) conferences in the previous 2 years, the 3rd CASMS Conference was held virtually on August 28-31, 2023, using the Gather.Town platform to bring together scientists in the MS field. The conference offered a 4-day agenda with a scientific program consisting of two plenary lectures, and 14 parallel symposia in which a total of 70 speakers presented technological innovations and their applications in proteomics and biological MS and metabo-lipidomics and pharmaceutical MS. In addition, 16 invited speakers/panelists presented at two research-focused and three career development workshops. Moreover, 86 posters, 12 lightning talks, 3 sponsored workshops, and 11 exhibitions were presented, from which 9 poster awards and 2 lightning talk awards were selected. Furthermore, the conference featured four young investigator awardees to highlight early-career achievements in MS from our society. The conference provided a unique scientific platform for young scientists (i.e. graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty/investigators) to present their research, meet with prominent scientists, learn about career development, and job opportunities (http://casms.org).

Connections, Renewal, and Inspiration.

In her Presidential Address at the AOTA INSPIRE 2023 Annual Conference & Expo in Kansas City, Missouri, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) President Alyson Stover shared her experiences traveling in 2022 to different state conferences and occupational therapy events. She described how the incredible people she met on her cross-country journey helped her to find "connections, renewal, and inspiration" and reinspired her passion for expanding her understanding of occupational therapy. During her address, Alyson Stover invited people who are a part of her cross-country occupational therapy community to share their own experiences with the conference audience.