The Canadian Neurometabolic meeting, a satellite of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience, is a unique event that brings together scientists studying CNS controls of energy balance, neural cell metabolism, the impact of metabolism on brain and behavior, and the interaction between metabolism and brain disorders.
A primary goal of this meeting is to provide a valuable platform for trainees to share their latest findings and network.
This 1-day meeting features the keynote and plenary speakers below.
Invited Speakers
Keynote speaker: Zachary Knight, PhD
Department of Physiology | UCSF
Zachary Knight is a Professor in the Department of Physiology at UCSF and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His lab studies the neural mechanisms that control homeostasis, including especially the regulation of hunger, thirst and body temperature.
Zachary received his B.A. in Chemistry from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from UCSF. During his Ph.D. research in the lab of Kevan Shokat, Zachary discovered some of the first selective inhibitors of PI3-kinase and mTOR. In 2007, Zachary co-founded Intellikine to develop these compounds into drugs, which led to the development and approval of duvelisib for the treatment of cancer. Zachary then switched fields from chemistry to physiology and performed postdoctoral research in the lab of Jeffrey Friedman at Rockefeller University, where he developed genetic methods for identifying neural cell types in the mouse brain.
Zachary returned to UCSF in 2012 to start his independent research group investigating the neurobiology of homeostasis. His lab is recognized for performing the first neural recordings of many of the key cell types in the brain that control homeostasis, including neurons for hunger (AgRP neurons), satiety (POMC, GCG, and PRLH neurons), thirst (SFO neurons) and body temperature (PACAP neurons). These experiments led to the general discovery that homeostatic neurons in the hypothalamus and brainstem - long thought to function primarily by reacting to physiologic imbalances - instead utilize sensory cues from the outside world to anticipate physiologic changes and adjust behavior preemptively. This has transformed our understanding of how the brain controls hunger and thirst.
Zachary's work has been recognized by awards from the Sloan, McKnight, Rita Allen, Klingenstein, and Brain and Behavior Research Foundations; the Robertson Investigator Award from the New York Stem Cell Foundation; the New Innovator, Pathway to Independence, and PECASE Awards from the National Institutes of Health; the Pathway Award from the American Diabetes Association; and the Helmholtz Young Investigator in Diabetes Award. In 2018, he was named an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Plenary lecture: Melissa Chee, PhD
Carleton University
Plenary speaker: Tony K. Lam, PhD
University of Toronto
Many thanks to our sponsors!!!
Follow us! @NeuroClub
Organizing Committee:
Alfonso Abizaid, PhD - Carleton University
Thierry Alquier, PhD - Université de Montréal / CRCHUM
Stephanie Borgland, PhD - University of Calgary / Hotchkiss
Laura Corbit, PhD - University of Toronto
Stephanie Fulton, PhD - Université de Montréal / CRCHUM
Margaret Hahn, MD - University of Toronto / CAMH
Maia Kokoeva, PhD - McGill University / MUHC
Dana Small, PhD - McGill University / MUHC
Location
Sheraton Centre Hotel
123 Queen Street West Toronto, ON Canada, M5H 3K6Registration period
February 3, 2025 - 17:00 until May 16, 2025 - 23:59
Submission period
February 3, 2025 - 12:00 until April 30, 2025 - 23:59
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact canadian.neurometabolic@gmail.com .