A virtual seminar series to highlight work on apical ECM across different systems
Organizers:
Meera Sundaram, UPenn
Max Heiman, Boston Children’s, Harvard U.
Nathalie Pujol, U. Aix Marseille
Jordan Ward, UC Santa Cruz
To sign up for access or request to speak in a future session, use this link:
https://forms.gle/Y6UjbnXPH1pDHAE97
Date: Tuesday Nov 18, 2025, 10:00am-11:30am NYC time
Session theme: aECM across organisms
Facilitator: Meera Sundaram, UPenn
Speakers:
Neha Ghosh (Jessica Treisman lab), NYU, Drosophila lens aECM https://med.nyu.edu/research/treisman-lab/
Sungjin Park, U. Utah, Mouse tectorial membrane https://neuro.utah.edu/labs/park/Home.html
Nathalie Pujol, CIML-Aix Marseille U., C. elegans cuticle aECM http://www.ciml.univ-mrs.fr/science/project-mechanobiology-innate-immunity-c-elegans
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Date: Tuesday Feb 10, 2026, 10:00am-11:30am NYC time
Session theme: aECM trafficking and processing
Facilitator: Nathalie Pujol, U. Aix Marseille
Speakers:
Jean Smith, Stetson U. , Yeast cell wall aECM https://www.stetson.edu/other/faculty/jean-smith.php
Ondine Cleaver, UT Southwestern, Mammalian mucins https://labs.utsouthwestern.edu/cleaver-lab
Marta Llimargas, IMB Barcelona, Drosophila chitinous aECM https://ibmb.csic.es/en/department-of-cells-and-tissues/mechanisms-of-morphogenesis-and-organogenesis/
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Date: Tuesday Apr 14, 2026, 10:00am-11:30am NYC time
Session theme: invertebrate cuticle and the molt cycle
Facilitator: Jordan Ward, UC Santa Cruz
Speakers:
Yael Politi, Techniche U., Dresden, Arthropod cuticles and Sea Urchin shells https://www.digs-ils.phd/research/research-groups/yael-politi
Pooranachitra Murugesan (Andrew Chisholm lab), UC San Diego, C. elegans cuticle collagen tagging project https://biology.ucsd.edu/research/faculty/adchisholm
Helge Grosshans, FMI Basel, C. elegans oscillatory gene expression https://www.fmi.ch/research-groups/groupleader.html?group=113
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Date: Tuesday Jun 2, 2026, 8:00am-9:30am NYC time
Session theme: Zona Pellucida domain proteins
Facilitator: Max Heiman, Boston Children’s, Harvard U.
Speakers:
Paul Wassarman, Icahn SOM, Mount Sinai, Mammalian egg coat ZP proteins https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/wassarmanlab/
Luca Jovine, Karolinska Institutet, ZPD protein structure/function https://ki.se/en/people/luca-jovine
Yuki Itakura (Shigeo Hayashi lab), RIKEN BDR, Drosophila ZPD proteins https://www.bdr.riken.jp/en/research/labs/hayashi-s/index.html
Helen Schmidt (Meera Sundaram lab), UPenn, C. elegans ZPD proteins https://sundaramlab.com/
Sundaram Lab at UPenn 