Seminars

IMMpact Symposium

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IMM Seminars

Unless otherwise specified, all seminars will be held at 11 AM in the Beth Robertson Auditorium at IMM (1825 Pressler, Room 104).


DATE AND HOST	Fall 2026 - Spring 2027 IMM SEMINAR SERIES SPEAKERS
September 11, 2026 Host: Peter Doris, PhD	Speaker: Rinki Ratnapriya, PhD Institution: Baylor College of Medicine Presentation title: Decoding Microglial Roles in Neurodegenerative Disease Through Machine Learning and Functional Genomics
September 18, 2026 Host: Dongjoo Choi, PhD	Speaker: Simone Brioschi, PhD Institution: UTHealth Houston Presentation title: Perivascular macrophages as key regulators of cerebrovascular function in health and disease
September 25, 2026 Host: Dongjoo Choi, PhD	Speaker: Seungwoo Kang, PhD Institution: UTHealth Houston Presentation title: From Astrocytes to Networks: Glutamate Homeostasis and Spatiotemporal Coordination in Alcohol Use Disorder
October 9, 2026 Host: Longjun Wu, PhD	Speaker: Taka Kanekiyo, M.D., PhD Institution: Mayo Clinic Presentation title: APOE and ABCA7 in Lipid metabolism and Alzheimer’s disease
October 16, 2026 Host: Sheng Pan, PhD	Speaker: Weiguo Andy Tao, PhD Institution: Purdue University Presentation title: Extracellular vesicles and protein modifications
October 23, 2026 Host: Kyoji Tsuchikama, PhD	Speaker: Jann N. Sarkaria, M.D. Institution: Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Presentation title: TBD
November 6, 2026 Host: Mikhail Kolonin, PhD	Speaker: Katsu Funai, PhD Institution: University of Utah Presentation title: Weight loss improves mitochondrial efficiency for ATP synthesis
November 13, 2026 Host: Yuanzhong Xu, PhD	Speaker: Lingyoung Li, PhD Institution: University of Alabama at Brimingham Presentation title: Rethinking the Nucleus Accumbens: A Multimodal Perspective
November 20, 2026 Host: Kristin Eckel-Mahan, PhD	Speaker: Tapasree Sarkar, PhD Institution: Texas A&M University Presentation title: TBD
December 11, 2026 Host: TBD	Speaker: TBD Institution: TBD Presentation title: TBD

DATE AND HOST	Fall 2025 - Spring 2026 IMM SEMINAR SERIES SPEAKERS
October 3, 2025 Host: Kristin Eckel-Mahan, PhD	Speaker: Jeff Jones, PhD Institution: Texas A&M University Presentation title: Structural and functional divergence of a circadian output circuit between nocturnal and diurnal species
October 10, 2025 Host: Priyatansh Gurha, PhD	Speaker: Mark T. Bedford, PhD Institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center Presentation title: Signaling Downstream of PRMT5: Old and New Effectors
October 24, 2025 Host: Mikhail Kolonin, PhD	Speaker: Keri L. Schadler, PhD Institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center Presentation title: Exercise changes the pancreas cancer microenvironment to promote treatment efficacy
October 31, 2025 Host: Qingchun Tong, PhD	Speaker: Xinzhu Yu, PhD Institution: UT Health-IMM Presentation Title: Unraveling Astrocytic Role in Neural Circuits and Behaviors
November 7, 2025 Host: LongJun Wu, PhD	Speaker: Dongjoo Choi, PhD Institution: UT Health-IMM Presentation title: Role of Astrocyte-specific Transcription Factor in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease
November 14, 2025 Host: Kendra Carmon, PhD	Speaker: Yuan-Hung Lo, PhD Institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center Presentation title: Modeling Gastric Cancer Using CRISPR-Engineered Human 3D Organoids to Explore Cell Plasticity and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities
November 21, 2025 Host: Wenliang Li, PhD	Speaker: Yun "Nancy" Huang, PhD Institution: Texas A&M University Presentation title: TET-mediated epigenetic regulation in cancer and aging
December 5, 2025 Host: LongJun Wu, PhD	Speaker: Melanie Samuel, PhD Institution: Baylor College of Medicine Presentation title: Engulf, Signal, Support: Microglia and Vasculature integration of Neural Cues
December 12, 2025 Host: Kai Sun, PhD	Speaker: Hongyuan Yang, PhD Institution: UT Health Houston Presentation title: Lipid storage and trafficking in human metabolic disorders
January 9, 2026 Host: Mikhail Kolonin, PhD	Speaker: Kui Cui, PhD Institution: Harvard Medical School Presentation title: Nanotherapy and Lymphatic Reprogramming: New Frontiers in Cardiometabolic Health
January 16, 2026 Host: Kristin Mahan, PhD	Speaker: Cynthia Ju, PhD Institution: UT Health Houston Presentation title: Eosinophils in Acute Liver Injury and Repair
January 23, 2026 Host: Ashish Kapoor, PhD	Speaker: Lilei Zhang, MD, PhD Institution: Baylor College of Medicine Presentation title: Circadian regulation of cardiac remodeling
January 30, 2026 Host: Priyatansh Gurha, PhD	Speaker: Blaine Bartholomew, PhD Institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center Presentation title: Transcription Regulation and the SWI/SNF (BAF) Complex
February 6, 2026 Host: Zhiqiang An, PhD	Speaker: Jin Wang, PhD Institution: Baylor College of Medicine Presentation title: TBA
February 13, 2026 Host: Mikhail Kolonin, PhD	Speaker: Yalan Deng, PhD Institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center Presentation title: TBA
February 20, 2026 Host: Ashish Kapoor, PhD	Speaker: Georgios Karras, PhD Institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center Presentation title: TBA
February 27, 2026 Host: Ali J. Marian, MD	Speaker: Priyatansh Gurha, PhD Institution: UT Health-IMM Presentation title: TBA
March 6, 2026 Host: Mikhail Kolonin, PhD	The Harry E. Bovay, Jr. Annual Lecture Speaker: Alan R. Saltiel, Ph.D. Institution: University of California, San Diego Presentation title: Adapting to Metabolic Stress
March 20, 2026 Host: LongJun Wu, PhD	Speaker: Zhongcong Xie, PhD Institution: UT Health Houston Presentation title: TBA
March 27, 2026 Host: Kristin Mahan, PhD	Speaker: Eveline Barbieri, PhD Institution: Texas Children's Hospital Presentation title: TBA
April 3, 2026 Host: Wenliang Li, PhD	Speaker: Faye M. Johnson, MD, PhD Institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center Presentation title: TBA
April 10, 2026 Host: Aaron Cox, PhD	Speaker: Makoto Fukuda, PhD Institution: Baylor College of Medicine Presentation title: TBA
April 17, 2026 Host: Nami McCarty, PhD	Speaker: Weiyi Peng, PhD Institution: University of Houston Presentation title: TBA
April 24, 2026 Host: LongJun Wu, PhD	CNG Symposium Speakers: Various TBA Institutions: Various
May 8, 2026 Host: Qingyun Liu, PhD	Speaker: Katelyn Handley, MD Institution: UT Physicians Houston Presentation title: TBA
May 15, 2026 Host: Ali J. Marian, PhD	Speaker: Leila Rouhi, PhD Institution: UT Health-IMM Presentation title: TBA
May 22, 2026 Host: Eva Sevick, PhD	Speaker: George Golovko, PhD Institution: University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Presentation title: TBA
May 29, 2026 Host: Qingchun Tong	Speaker: Yanjun Sun, PhD Institution: UT Health Houston Presentation title: TBA

Questions regarding The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine’s Seminar Series can be directed to both:

Ashish Kapoor Phone: 1-713-500-2439 or email

Kai Sun Phone: 1-713-500-3190 or email

CVG-THI Seminars

CVG/THI Seminars

We appreciate your interest! Please check back for future announcements.