2026 VCP International Scientific and Community Summit

Session 1: VCP Biochemistry and Structural Biology

Peter Shen, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Utah, where his laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms of protein quality control. His group uses structural biology and biochemical approaches to determine high-resolution structures of VCP and other macromolecular machines involved in proteostasis. Dr. Shen has contributed several structural insights into how VCP unfolds substrates and engages its cofactors, helping define key principles of AAA+ ATPase function. As chair of the VCP Biochemistry and Structural Biology session, he aims to highlight advances that bridge molecular mechanism with disease relevance.

Session 2: VCP Co-Factors and Protein Interactions

Michelle Arkin, PhD is Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, and serves as Vice Dean for Research Technology and Entrepreneurship in the School of Pharmacy. She is Executive Director of the Small Molecule Discovery Center, a collaborative research and core facility that includes high-throughput screening and medicinal chemistry capabilities. Dr. Arkin’s chemical biology laboratory develops new tools and technologies to “drug” the most challenging targets and diseases, including VCP disease.

Session 3: VCP Localization and Cellular Functions

Dr. Lloyd is the Cullen Endowed Chair and Professor of Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.  Dr. Lloyd sees patients with neuromuscular diseases and specializes in basic and translational research in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM), with a particular interest in VCP disease.  His laboratory studies the role of VCP in neurons and muscle cells using Drosophila and iPS cell models. 

Session 4: Understanding Multisystem Disease: VCP in Organ Systems

Dale Martin is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo, where he leads the NeurdyPhagy Lab investigating proteostasis dysfunction in Huntington disease (HD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He earned his Ph.D. in Cell Biology at the University of Alberta and completed postdoctoral training at the University of British Columbia and Temple University. His work has contributed to the discovery of lipid nanoparticles for brain drug delivery and earned him a Future Leaders in Brain Research award for optimizing antisense oligonucleotide delivery for ALS and multisystem proteinopathy.

Session 5: Therapeutic Development in VCP-MSP

Conrad "Chris" Weihl is a Professor of Neurology, Head of the Neuromuscular Section and Director of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. His research program focuses on both genetic and acquired myopathies with an emphasis on how dysfunction in protein quality controls lead to muscle degeneration. He began his career investigating the pathogenic mechanism of VCP disease mutations in muscle disease. Dr. Weihl has a strong commitment to the training of future neuromuscular clinicians and myologists and was awarded a K24 mid-career investigator award to mentor residents, fellows, junior faculty and early stage scientists in patient oriented research. Clinically, Dr. Weihl sees patients in a multidisciplinary muscular dystrophy association clinic and recently established a clinic devoted to the care of patients with IBM.

Session 6: From Lab to Life - Translating Science into Solutions

Tahseen Mozaffar, MD, is a Professor of Neurology and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, where he has been on faculty since 2000. He is the former founding director of the Division of Neuromuscular Disorders at UCI. Dr. Mozaffar's work focuses on clinical and translational research in neuromuscular diseases, with particular expertise in inclusion body myositis and ultra-rare myopathies. He leads clinical trials in the neuromuscular space, including studies through the NeuroNEXT network funded by NIH and natural history studies such as INSPIRE IBM.