In pictures: celebrating chemical biology at Yale

  • Keynote speaker Samie Jaffrey MD, PhD, professor of Pharmacology at Cornell University.
    Keynote speaker Samie Jaffrey MD, PhD, professor of Pharmacology at Cornell University.
  • Program for the 2019 Chemical Biology Fall Retreat
    Program for the 2019 Chemical Biology Fall Retreat
  • A large crowd gathers for the fall retreat
    A large crowd gathers for the fall retreat
  • Scholars present posters
    Scholars present posters
  • Scholars present posters
    Scholars present posters
  • Scott Strobel welcomes participants
    Scott Strobel welcomes participants
  • Matthew Simon introduces the keynote speaker
    Matthew Simon introduces the keynote speaker
  • Samie Jaffrey MD, PhD, professor of Pharmacology at Cornell University.
    Samie Jaffrey MD, PhD, professor of Pharmacology at Cornell University.
  • Full house at the Yale West Campus Auditorium

Welcoming colleagues to Yale’s West Campus October 11 for the 2019 Chemical Biology Fall Retreat, Vice President Scott Strobel paid tribute to the growing number of participants at the annual event – which this year amassed close to 200 scholars spanning the schools of Medicine, Engineering, Yale’s West Campus, and beyond.

“We come together to share what is happening across our scientific community, to get a sense of how our work is evolving, and to celebrate chemical biology at Yale,” he said.  

Speakers from across Yale presented on a wide range of discoveries - from the gut microbiome to glucose and oxygen metabolism - and their application to problems in biology and medicine.

The keynote address was given by Samie Jaffrey MD, PhD, professor of Pharmacology at Cornell University. His work has helped shape and define the field of chemical biology by seeking to understand what happens to RNA - the messenger that carries instructions from DNA to control the synthesis of proteins – when it is chemically modified. Through the lens of synthetic chemistry, Jaffrey creates imaginative tools to design and build new biological systems that switch on or control the existence or function of a protein in a cell.

Speakers from Yale included Jason Crawford, associate professor of Chemistry and of Microbial Pathogenesis, Wendy Gilbert, associate professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Seth Herzon, professor of Chemistry, Douglas Rothman, professor of Biomedical Engineering & Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Benjamin Turk, associate professor of Pharmacology, and Josien van Wolfswinkel, assistant professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology.

By Jon Atherton