2025 Statewide Biomedical Science and Engineering Research Symposium

Save the Date!

The annual symposium will be held Wednesday & Thursday, September 24 & 25 on the University of Southern Maine campus in Hannaford Hall. This year’s symposium will kick off Wednesday with keynote and student speakers, poster sessions judging, and receptions. This will be followed by a full day Thursday with the theme on Aging, focusing on neurodegeneration, metabolism (i.e., metabolic syndrome, diabetes, bone, etc.), cardiovascular physiology, and AI. Integrated into these themes will be presentations on stem cells and tissue regeneration.

We would like to remind everyone the public and social health portion of the symposium will be a part of the Maine Public Health Association’s annual event which will be held at the Augusta Civic Center on Monday, October 27.

Registration
More details by June 2

Call for Poster Abstracts
More Details by July 15

USM Campus Map

vENUE

University of Southern Maine – Hannaford Hall

A warm and welcoming performance space located at 88 Bedford Street on the USM Portland campus, Hannaford Hall is an intimate 520-seat venue with 130-seat mezzanine.

DirectionS

Parking

Schedule

9:30 – 9:50 Giovanna Guidoboni, UMaine
Mechanisms of Aging Related Macular Degeneration
9:50 – 10:05 Mathew Havdra, UNE
Neuroinflammation in Aging and Disease
10:05 – 10:20 Suzanne Angeli, UMaine
C. elegans as a Model for Neuronal Aging
10:20 – 10:35 Romain Madelaine, MDIBL
Mechanism of Retinal Regeneration

10:35 – 10:45 Break

10:45 – 11:00 Teena Joy, JAX
Circuit and Molecular Mechanisms of Brain Repair Post-stoke
11:00 – 11:15 Patsy Nishiana, JAX
Genetic Models of Aging Related Macular Degeneration

Cross Institutional Research

11:15 – 11:35 Rai Winslow, Roux
Healthcare Enabled by AI in Real-Time
11:35 – 11:55 Christine Lary, Roux
Maine Aging Research Network (MARiNer)

2:30 – 2:45 Karen Houseknecht, UNE
Factors Leading to Metabolic Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in Aging
2:45 – 3:00 Aaron Brown, MH
Role of Brown & Beige Adipocytes in Metabolic Dysfunction (tentative)
3:00 – 3:15 Briana Taylor, Roux
Changing Sleep Patterns and Metabolic Health in Midlife Women

3:15 – 3:30 Break

3:30 – 3:45 Matt Lynes, MH
Obesity Induced Risk Factors in Aging & Disease (tentative)
3:45 – 4:00 Michaela Reagan, MH
Role of Adipocytes and Osteoblasts in Mediating Progression of Multiple Myeloma
4:00 – 4:15 Phillip West, JAX
Mitochondrial Control of Immunity in Disease and Aging
4:15 – 4:30 Scott Wood, UNE
Stiffness-Mediated in-vitro Model of aging Cartilage

State of Biomedical Science & Healthcare in Maine

Cliff Singer, Acadia Hospital
Doug Sawyer, MH
Jim Jarvis, NLH

9:30 – 9:45 Gary Churchill, JAX
Dietary Restriction Extends Lifespan in Genetically Diverse Mice
9:45 – 10:00 Joe Nadeau, MH
Epigenetic Inheritance Modifier Genes and Phenotypic Noise in Testicular Cancer and Metabolic Disease Dietary
10:00 – 10:15 Benjamin Harrison, UNE
The Alzheimer Susceptibility CD2AP in Aging and Alzheimer’s
10:15 – 10:30 Greg Carter, JAX
Genetics of Plasma Markers in Aging Marmosets
10:30 – 10:45 Kirsten O’Connell, JAX
Beyond the Transcriptome Charting the Brain Lipodome in Aging & Alzheimer’s

10:45 – 11:00 Break

11:00 – 11:15 Clarissa Henry, UMaine
Mechanisms of Neuromuscular Development/Degeneration in Congenital Muscular Atrophies
11:15 – 11:30 Anyonya Gunter, MH
Bioenergetics & Mitochondria Regulating Skeletal Muscle Activity
11:30 – 11:45 Jarod Talbot, UMaine
Mechanisms of Muscle Development and Disruption
11:45 – 12:00 Ilka Pinz, MH
Membrane Lipid Composition Affects Caveolin Expression & Cardiac Performance

2:00 – 2:15 Lucy Liaw, MH
Perivascular Adipose & Modulation of Vascular Tone
2:15 – 2:30 Hermann Haller, MDIBL
Vascular Aging in a New Animal Nodel African Turquoise Killifish
2:30 – 2:45 Josh Kelley, UMaine
Yeast as a Model for Cell Polarity & G Protein Signaling
2:45 – 3:00 Emily L. Spaulding, MDIBL
RNP Granules in Neurobiology

3:00 – 3:15 Break

3:15 – 3:30 Jennifer Garcia, UNE
RNA Turnover, Phosphate Recycling & Replicative Lifespan: A New Role for RNAase T2 Enzymes in Yeast
3:30 – 3:45 Halyna Shcerbata, MDIBL
Neuropathy Target Esterase NET and Progressive Neuronal Degeneration
3:45 – 4:00 Derek Molliver, UNE
Human Sensory Nerve Model for Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Chronic Pain
4:00 – 4:15 Kwaku Agyekum, UMaine
Unraveling the Delivery and Localization of Endocytic Factors as Synapses in C. elegans

Hotel Information

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel

363 Maine Mall Road, Portland, ME

(207) 775-6161

Reservation link

Tru by Hilton

369 Maine Mall Road, South Portland, ME

(207) 221-3131

Reservation link

Organizing Committee

David Harder, PH. D

University Research Professor of Medicine; Director UMaine Institute of Medicine

Hermann Haller, MD

President, Professor, MDI Biological Laboratory
Professor, Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School

Karen L. Houseknecht, PH. D

Professor of Pharmacology, Senior Associate Provost, Vice President for Research

James W. Jarvis, MD, FAAFP

Director of Clinical Education, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Senior Physician Executive, System Incident Command, Northern Light Health

Gareth Howell, PH. D

Professor, Diana Davis Spencer Foundation Chair for Glaucoma Research

Kevin Stein, PH. D

Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Population & Health Research (CIPHR); Faculty Scientist III, MaineHealth Institute for Research (MHIR); Associate Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine; Full Member, University of Vermont Cancer Center, Cancer Population Sciences Program

Douglas Sawyer, MD

Chief Academic Officer, Maine Medical Center and Maine Health, Co-Director, Myocardial Biology and Heart Failure Laboratory, Maine Medical Center Research Institute