April 22, 2020
Building 10, Clinical Center, Masur Auditorium
Rescheduled for April 28, 2021
The NIH Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series, colloquially known as WALS, is the highest-profile lecture program at the NIH. Lectures occur on most Wednesdays from September through June from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Building 10 on the NIH Bethesda campus.
Each season includes some of the biggest names in biomedical and behavioral research. The goal of the WALS is to keep NIH researchers abreast of the latest and most important research in the United States and beyond. An added treat is the annual J. Edward Rall Cultural Lecture, which features top authors and other cultural icons. All speakers are nominated by the NIH community.
Speaker: Jue Chen, Ph.D.
We study ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, a diverse group of membrane proteins integral to almost every biological process. In prokaryotes, these proteins are critical for survival. In humans, ABC transporters make up one of the largest gene families, and more than a dozen genetic diseases have been traced to ABC transporter defects. ABC transporters are also central to multidrug resistance in many pathogenic bacteria and in tumor cells. By pursuing structural and mechanistic studies of ABC transporters, we hope to understand how nature utilizes the chemical energy of ATP hydrolysis to perform work – transporting substrates against their chemical gradients. Currently, we are focusing on the following questions: 1. How anti-cancer drugs are ejected by ABC transporters? 2, How antigens are transported and loaded onto MHC-I molecules? and 3, The root cause of cystic fibrosis.
This lecture will be followed by a reception in the NIH Library. Special thanks to the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) for its support of the weekly reception. FAES is proud to co-sponsor with the NIH in hosting the Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series.
To watch the WALS lecture online, visit http://videocast.nih.gov. Registration is not required; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Fire regulations require that every person in Masur Auditorium must have a seat. Standing in the aisles or in the back of the auditorium is not permitted. Sign language interpreters can be provided. Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation to participate in this event should contact Jacqueline Roberts, Jacqueline.Roberts@nih.gov, 301-594-6747, or the Federal Relay, 800-877-8339.