Abstract Presentation Topics

These topics are NEW for 2024! All abstract submitters must select a primary and secondary abstract topic. If you feel like your area of research is relevant to cell science, but your topic is not listed below, please contact abstracts@ascb.org.

Submission Deadlines:

• August 6 at 9pm ET - Microsymposium Poster Teaser and Poster Presentation
• September 4 at 9pm ET - Poster Presentation Only (fees increase after this date)
• October 15 at 9pm ET - Poster Presentation Only (final abstract deadline; higher abstract fee) 

All submitted abstracts must select a primary and secondary topic from the newly revamped abstract topics listed below:

1 Cellular Structures

• 1a. Actin cytoskeleton
• 1b. Microtubules
• 1c. Intracellular transport and molecular motors
• 1d. Cilia and flagella dynamics
• 1e. Protein folding and assembly, chaperones and quality control
• 1f. Liquid phase separation

2 Cellular Interactions and Communication

• 2a. Cell-matrix interactions and ECM signaling
• 2b. Cell-cell communication and junctional complexes
• 2c. Cell adhesion and migration
• 2d. Membrane trafficking and vesicular transport
• 2e. Exosome-mediated intercellular communication

3 Subcellular Organelles and Membranes

• 3a. Organelle dynamics and communication
• 3b. Lipid rafts and membrane microdomains
• 3c. Membrane fusion and fission
• 3d. Endosomal sorting and lysosomal function
• 3e. Endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi structure, function, and transport
• 3f. Constitutive and regulated secretion, secretory granules, and vesicles

4 Biophysics, Structural Biology, & Mechanobiology

• 4a. Mechanotransduction
• 4b. Physical & mechanical properties of cells and tissues
• 4c. Protein and RNA structures
• 4d. Mechanobiology in cell structure and function

5 Genome Organization, Regulation and Integrity

• 5a. Chromosome dynamics and organization
• 5b. Chromatin dynamics &Epigenetic modifications
• 5c. Transcription and chromatin
• 5d. DNA damage and repair
• 5e. DNA replication
• 5f. RNA biology

6 Cell Division and Cell Cycle Control

• 6a. (Mitotic) spindle
• 6b. Meiosis
• 6c. Cell cycle checkpoints
• 6d. Circadian clocks
• 6e. Cytoplasmic Division/Cytokinesis
• 6f. Chromosome segregation, kinetochores

7 Developmental Biology and Morphogenesis

• 7a. Cellular asymmetry and polarization, epithelia
• 7b. Embryogenesis and organogenesis
• 7c. Morphogen gradients and tissue patterning
• 7d. Collective cell migration and tissue organization

8 Signal Transduction

• 8a. Receptor-ligand interactions and signaling
• 8b. Post-translational modifications and signaling cascades
• 8c. Spatial organization and microdomains
• 8d. Role of noncoding RNAs in signal transduction

9 Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration

• 9a. Neuronal biomechanics and mechanotransduction
• 9b. Synaptic transmission and plasticity mechanisms
• 9c. Neural circuits and information processing
• 9d. Neuronal development and axonal guidance
• 9e. Neuronal activity and network dynamics
• 9f. Neurodegenerative disease and therapeutics

10 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

• 10a. Cell fate determination, reprogramming and lineage tracing
• 10b. Organoids and tissue engineering
• 10c. Stem cell-based therapies and clinical applications
• 10d. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
• 10e. Niche and microenvironment

11 Cancer Cell Biology and Therapeutics:

• 11a. Metastasis
• 11b. Drug resistance
• 11c. Tumor microenvironment
• 11d. Targeted cancer therapies, immunotherapy, precision medicine
• 11e. Cancer genomics

12 Tools and Technologies in Cell Biology

• 12a. Single-molecule biophysics
• 12b. super-resolution imaging
• 12c. High-throughput screening
• 12d. Optogenetics
• 12e. Genome editing
• 12f. Live-cell imaging
• 12g. Machine-learning and AI
• 12h. Emerging Model Systems
• 12i. Microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies
• 12j. Organoids and 3D culture models
• 12k. Biosensors
• 12l. Drug discovery platforms
• 12m. Imaging and image analysis methods
• 12n. Spatial omics

13 Systems and Quantitative Biology 

• 13a. Bioinformatics, data analysis, and modeling
• 13b. Computational approaches to cell biology
• 13c. Quantitative imaging and single-cell analysis
• 13d. Genome-scale and integrative analyses

14 Cell-Based Therapies (Pre-clinical; development stage)

• 14a. Drug delivery mechanisms
• 14b. Gene Therapy
• 14c. Cell therapy
• 14d. Immunotherapy
• 14e. Pre-clinical models

15 Cellular Responses to Stress and Aging

• 15a. Protein misfolding and aggregation
• 15b. Cellular and organismal aging
• 15c. Autophagy and cellular clearance mechanisms
• 15d. Senescence and age-related diseases
• 15e. Redox signaling and oxidative stress responses
• 15f. Cell death and apoptosis

16 Metabolism

• 16a. Nutrient sensing and metabolism
• 16b. Mitochondrial function and energy production
• 16c. Metabolic diseases and therapeutic interventions

17 Bioengineering and Synthetic Cell Biology:

• 17a. Synthetic circuits and cellular engineering
• 17b. Biomaterials and mechanotransduction in tissue engineering
• 17c. Organoids and 3D bioprinting in regenerative medicine
• 17d. Synthetic biology approaches for drug delivery
• 17e. Biofabrication and tissue-on-a-chip technologies
• 17f. Artificial cell design

18 Microbiology

• 18a. Bacteriology
• 18b. Biofilm formation
• 18c. Fungal biology and interactions with other organisms
• 18d. Virology
• 18e. Antibiotic resistance
• 18f. Host-pathogen interactions

19 Plant Cell Biology

• 19a. Stress responses
• 19b. Microbial interactions
• 19c. Development and morphogenesis
• 19d. Environmental sensing and responses
• 19e. Photosynthesis and metabolism
• 19f. Genomes, genomics and gene regulation

20 Ecology & Evolution

• 20a. Experimental evolution
• 20b. Genome evolution
• 20c. Evolutionary medicine
• 20d. Microbial ecology

21 Immunology

• 21a. Innate immunity
• 21b. adaptive immune responses
• 21c. Immune cell development and activation
• 21d. Immune signaling and regulation
• 21e. Immunotherapy and immune-related diseases
• 21f. Host-pathogen interactions

22 Science Education

• 22a. K-12
• 22b. Primarily Undergraduate
• 22c. Graduate and medical school
• 22d. Tools and Technology for Science Education

23 Scholarship of Diversity

• 23a. Impact of diversity on research quality and productivity
• 23b. Evidence-based approaches to improve recruitment and retention in the biomedical research workforce
• 23c. Individual and institutional barriers to workforce diversity
• 23d. Scaling and dissemination of strategies for eliminating barriers to career transitions