Combined Meeting of the Red Cell Club and the East-West Iron Club

Preliminary Program

RED CELL CLUB REGISTRATION

7:30 – 8:30 AM – Monday, October 27, 2025 at the SMC Campus Center

8:00 – 8:40 AM – Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at the SMC Campus Center

EAST-WEST IRON CLUB REGISTRATION

1:00 – 2:00 PM – Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at the SMC Campus Center

8:15 – 8:45 AM – Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at the SMC Campus Center

RED CELL CLUB PROGRAM

7:30 – 8:30 AM	Registration
8:30 – 8:40 AM	Welcome and Opening Remarks Patrick Gallagher and Iqbal Hamza
8:40 AM – 10:20 AM	Session 1 – Erythroid Cells (15 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Session Chair: Eugene Khandros – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
8:40 – 9:00 AM	Dimitri Diaz – University of Delaware “A novel short isoform of Tensin1, eTNS1, acts as a regulator for terminal erythroid differentiation”
9:00 AM – 9:20 AM	Anand Aishwarya – University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine “Contact-free single cell assay for assessing RBC mechanical properties using Brillouin microscopy: Evaluation of anti-sickling therapeutics”
9:20 – 9:40 AM	Kasturi Pal – University of Delaware “Terminal human erythroblasts show polarized membrane blebbing and organelle accumulation prior to enucleation”
9:40 – 10:00 AM	Yasmin Elgammal – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center “Characterization of the Human Erythromyeloblastic Islands (EMBIs)”
10:00 – 10:20 AM	Huanghe Yang – Duke University School of Medicine “Targeting ion and lipid transport in red blood cell disorders”
10:20 – 10:50 AM	Coffee Break
10:50 – 12:50 PM	Session 2 – Erythroid Gene Regulation (15 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Session Chair: Scott Peslak – University of Pennsylvania
10:50 – 11:10 AM	Eugene Khandros – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia “Selective globin gene activation by the non-canonical BAF chromatin remodeling complex”
11:10 – 11:30 AM	Liz Traxler – University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine “Optimized CRISPR-Cas12a genome-wide screen reveals PTPA phosphatase pathway in fetal hemoglobin silencing”
11:30 – 11:50 AM	Varun S. Sudunagunta – Columbia University “Stag2 dependent chromatin remodeling enforces the erythroid-specific Gata1 cistrome”
11:50 – 12:10 PM	Mahesh Ramamoorthy – Cleveland State University “Cohesin subunit Stag1 regulates globin genes during terminal erythroid differentiation”
12:10 – 12:30 PM	Abhirup Bagchi – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia “Induction of fetal hemoglobin by a novel molecular glue degrader”
12:30 – 12:50 PM	Marion Serra – Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research “Pomalidomide downregulates FIZ1 to induce fetal hemoglobin in adult erythroid progenitors”
12:50 – 2:00 PM	Lunch Break
2:00 – 3:40 PM	Session 3 – Stress Erythropoiesis (15 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Session Chair: Huanghe Yang – Duke University
2:00 – 2:20 PM	Sara Trimidal – Penn State University “Metabolic Regulation in Stress Erythropoiesis”
2:20 – 2:40 PM	Hangdi Gong – Penn State University “Loss of Selenoprotein w impairs stress erythropoiesis through regulating cell cycle during erythroblast differentiation and maturation”
2:40 – 3:00 PM	Maghna Chakraborty – Pennsylvania State University “Inflammasome Dependent IL1β and IL-18 Signaling is Required for Initiation of Stress Erythropoiesis in Anemia of Inflammation”
3:00 – 3:20 PM	Aashka Shah – Penn State University “Loss of Nitric Oxide Signaling Compromises the Development of the Stress Erythropoiesis Niche”
3:20 – 3:50 PM	Coffee Break
3:50 – 5:10 PM	Session 4 – Special Session on Hemoglobin & Oxygen (15 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Session Chair: Anthony DeMartino – University of Maryland School of Medicine
3:50 – 4:10 PM	Lamiya Hassan Tithy – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Stabilizing Hemoglobin: A Pathway Toward Safer and More Effective Hemoglobin based Oxygen Carriers (HBOCs)”
4:10 – 4:30 PM	Stephen C. Rogers – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Rewiring the Red Cell: Pharmacologic Modulation to Optimize Oxygen Delivery During Stress”
4:30 – 4:50 PM	Qinzi Xu – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Engineering a Recombinant Protein Oxygen Carrier to Minimize hypertensive Side Effects on Traumatic Hemorrhagic Shock Resuscitation”
4:50 – 5:10 PM	Scott J Gallagher – University of Maryland School of Medicine “The Role of Hemoglobin in Skeletal Cells”
5:15 – 6:30 PM	Break & Poster Session
7:00 PM	Dinner at the Pratt Street Ale House

RED CELL CLUB PROGRAM

8:15 – 8:40 AM	Registration and Breakfast………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
8:40 – 11:00 AM	Session 5 – Normal Erythropoiesis (15 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Session Chair: Julien Papoin, Northwell Feinstein Institutes
8:40 AM – 9:00 AM	Daniel Kuppers – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center “N6-methyladenosine regulation of mRNA translation is essential for early human erythropoiesis”
9:00 – 9:20 AM	Nabil Rahman – University of Rochester “HEXIM1 is a critical regulator of cell cycle progression and terminal maturation during steady-state and stress erythropoiesis”
9:20 – 9:40 AM	Jonathan de Wilde – Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research “Novel insights into fetal erythroid progenitor biology through the lens of ribosomal protein haploinsufficiency”
9:40 – 10:00 AM	Annemarie Lang – University of Michigan “Impact of iron-deficiency anemia on erythropoiesis–bone crosstalk and skeletal integrity”
10:00 – 10:20 AM	Pan Wang – Northwestern University “DHODH-driven pyrimidine metabolism sustains aberrant erythropoiesis in JAKV617F-driven myeloproliferative neoplasms”
10:20 – 10:40 AM	Audrey Belot – University of Maryland School of Medicine “A cell-nonautonomous heme acquisition pathway enables erythroid hemoglobinization”
10:40 – 11:00 AM	Arshmeet Kaur Chawla – University of Connecticut School of Medicine “Adrenergic signaling misdirects erythropoiesis, compromising cancer immunity”
11:00 – 11:20 AM	Coffee Break
11:20 – 12:40 AM	Session 6 – Sickle Cell Disease (15 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Session Chair: Elizabeth Rochon, University of Maryland School of Medicine
11:20 – 11:40 AM	Narasaiah Kovuru – University of Pennsylvania “Protein Phosphatase 6 Complex: Novel Regulator of Fetal Hemoglobin and Therapeutic Target in Sickle Cell Disease”
11:40 – 12:00 PM	Guansheng Li – Brown University “Quantifying Drug Treatment Effects on Spleen Function in Sickle Cell Disease Using a Multifidelity Neural Network”
12:00 – 12:20 PM	Yuhao Qiang – University of Maryland Eastern Shore “A Computer Vision–Enhanced Microfluidic Platform for Single-Cell Quantification of Red Blood Cell Sickling Dynamics in Sickle Cell Disease”
12:20 – 12:40 PM	He Li – University of Georgia “In Silico Post-screening of Anti-Polymerization Agents to Treat Sickle Cell Disease”
12:40 – 1:00 PM	Awards, Closing Remarks & Adjourn
1:00 – 2:00 PM	Lunch Break

EAST WEST IRON CLUB PROGRAM

1:00 – 2:00 PM	Registration
2:00 – 2:15 PM	Welcome and Opening Remarks Francesca Vinchi and Iqbal Hamza
2:15 – 3:55 PM	Discussion 1 – Erythropoiesis, Iron & Red Cell Disorders Session Chair: Robert Fleming – Saint Louis University School of Medicine
	Discussion Leader Intro: (18 min talk + 4 min Q&A) Yelena Ginzburg – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai “Selective Erythroferrone Deficiency in Osteoblasts Enhances Hemoglobin Recovery During Stress Erythropoiesis”
	Short Oral Presentations: (9 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Karla Maria Pires – University of Utah “Loss of Irp2 phosphorylation leads to ferroptosis-induced erythroblast cell death and extramedullary erythropoiesis in mice” Zain Bari – Saint Louis University School of Medicine “Transferrin receptor 2 mediates iron-responsive changes in erythropoietin sensitivity in murine physiologic anemia of infancy” Corbin Azucenas – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center “Erythroid-Specific, Inducible CDAN1Δ/Δ Mouse Model Phenocopies Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anemia Type-Ia” Sitara Sriram – University of Florida “Pregnancy in β-Thalassemia Intermedia: Current Knowledge and Experimental Strategies in Th3/+ Mice” Lubna Hamdan – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center “Biomarkers of Ineffective Erythropoiesis in Patients with Beta-Thalassemia Major”
	Round-table Discussion (20 min)
3:55 – 4:15 PM	Coffee Break
4:15 – 5:15 PM	Trainee Data Blitz (2 slides/ 2 min/ 2 questions) Session Chair: Francesca Vinchi – Emory University School of Medicine
	Bruce Akueba – University of Maryland School of Medicine “The common African G6PD A-variant enzyme deficiency does not modulate experimental pulmonary hypertension in mice” Audrey Belot – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Functional adaption of human HRG1 as an intestinal heme transporter” Samuel Bies – University of Maryland, School of Medicine “Red Blood Cell Immunoregulatory and Functional Changes After Processing for Transfusion” Hannah Federman – Weill Cornell Medical College “Urinary cells as novel biomarkers of kidney iron status in chronic kidney disease: implications for iron-related nephrotoxicity and therapy guidance” Sandeepan Ghosh – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Inter-organ heme communication and signaling” Yining Liu – University of Maryland, College Park “Insights into the mechanism of liver iron mobilization for peripheral tissue development” Kelli Monteiro da Costa – University of Utah “Loss of iron-regulatory protein 2 phosphorylation alters DNA synthesis and mitochondrial proteins” Iqbal Muddassar – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Cytoglobin regulates nitric oxide levels, cilia length and beat frequency in airway epithelial cells differentiated at air liquid interface” Temiloluwa Okusolubo – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Investigating the effects of coinheritance of SCD and G6PD deficiency on mouse RBC rheology” Andrew Rock – University of Maryland School of Medicine “HRG1/SLC48A1 as a Genetic Modifier of Erythropoietic Protoporphyria” Jacob Shine – University of Florida “Repurposing of a Classical Non-heme Iron Assay (BPS) Allows Accurate Quantification of Total Iron and by Extrapolation, Heme Iron, in Biological Samples” Jonathan Soldemyr – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Organismal Heme Levels Promote Optimal Lifespan” Tzu Ting Weng – University of Maryland School of Medicine TRxMed “Methods to investigate the novel heme-proteins Androglobin and Cytoglobin” Ran Yu – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Synthetic biology and metabolic engineering of heme biosynthesis in C. Elegans” Yuan Zhang – Weill Cornell Medical College “Iron absorption and gut microbiota on plant-based and omnivorous diets”
5:15 – 6:15 PM	KEYNOTE LECTURE (45 min talk + 15 min Q&A) Mark Gladwin – Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine “Vasculopathy and pulmonary hypertension in Sickle Cell Disease”
6:15 – 6:50 PM	Poster Session
7:00 PM	Dinner at the Pratt Street Ale House

EAST WEST IRON CLUB PROGRAM

8:15 – 8:55 AM	Registration and Breakfast
8:55 – 9:00 AM	Welcome Francesca Vinchi and Iqbal Hamza
9:00 – 10:05 AM	Discussion 2 – Tissue Iron Overload & Deficiency Session Chair: Paola Corti – University of Maryland School of Medicine
	Discussion Leader Intro: (12 min talk + 3 min Q&A) Tom Bartnikas – Brown University “Pathophysiology of altered tissue iron levels”
	Short Oral Presentations: (9 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Chantalle Campbell – Weill Cornell Medical College “Myeloid ferritin heavy chain in the pathogenesis of anemia in chronic kidney disease” Adamantios Mamais – University of Florida “LRRK2 Mutations Disrupt Iron Homeostasis and Drive Ferroptosis Vulnerability In Parkinson’s Disease” Tamseel Fatima – University of Maryland, College Park “Insufficient basal iron limits beiging via alternative Adenylyl cyclase 3 transcription in adipocytes”
	Round-table Discussion (15 min)
10:05 – 11:20 AM	Discussion 3 – Heme Synthesis & Trafficking in Health and Disease Session Chair: Iqbal Hamza – University of Maryland School of Medicine
	Discussion Leader Intro: (12 min talk + 3 min Q&A) Molly Sutherland – University of Delaware “Cytochrome c biogenesis as a model system for heme trafficking”
	Short Oral Presentations: (9 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Alicia Kreiman – University of Delaware “Biochemical Mapping of Heme Transport Mechanisms in the System I Bacterial Cytochrome c Biogenesis Pathway Indira Bhattacharya – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Mechanisms of hemozoin formation in mammals” Annelise Poss – Duke University “Cardiac heme synthesis and ketone oxidation cooperate to manage succinyl-CoA levels” Adam Clark – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Cytoglobin controls cardiac development by regulating NO-sGC signaling”
	Round-table Discussion (15 min)
11:40 – 12:45 PM	Discussion 4 – Heme/Iron Absorption & Transport, and Anemia Correction Session Chair: Jamie Collins – University of Florida
	Discussion Leader Intro: (12 min talk + 3 min Q&A) Nupur Das – University of Michigan “Saracatinib-mediated intestinal iron transport improves anemia independent of Fpn1”
	Short Oral Presentations: (9 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Loise He – University of Florida “Development of a New Nutritional Model for Studying Heme-Iron Absorption with Heme-Iron Polypeptide” Xuedi Zhang – University of Maryland School of Medicine “In vivo proteomics identifies the heme transporter HRG1 interactome” Francesca Vinchi – Emory University School of Medicine “Iron deficiency anemia correction with the oral sucrosomial iron has a superior effect in improving heart functions compared to common iron salts”
	Round-table Discussion (15 min)
12:45 – 1:40 PM	Lunch Break & Poster Session
1:40 – 2:45 PM	Discussion 5 – Heme & Iron in Immunity and Infections Session Chair: Stefano Rivella – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
	Discussion Leader Intro: (12 min talk + 3 min Q&A) Yogesh Scindia – University of Florida “Myeloid heme oxygenase-1 deficiency exacerbates TLR7-induced lupus”
	Short Oral Presentations: (9 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Melissa Perry – University of Maryland School of Medicine “Heme Homeostasis at the Leishmania-Host Interface” Riki Egoshi – University of Maryland School of Medicine “PhuS-dependent Heme and Iron Regulation over the PrrF sRNA Network in P. aeruginosa” Tanmay Arekar – University of Florida “Hepcidin enforces nutritional immunity against disseminated Candida auris infection”
	Round-table Discussion (15 min)
1:40 – 2:45 PM	Discussion 6 – Novel iron-related targetable mechanisms & iron therapeutics Session Chair: Nermi Parrow – Saint Louis University School of Medicine
	Discussion Leader Intro: (12 min talk + 3 min Q&A) Nicholas Bessman – Rutgers University “The role of the Hepcidin/Ferroportin Interaction in Macrophages during Health and Disease”
	Short Oral Presentations: (9 min talk + 2 min Q&A) Nupur Das – University of Michigan “Chemogenetic approach to regulate the hepcidin/FPN axis” Arun Asif – Albany Medical Center “Iron Dysregulation Drives Extra-Cellular Matrix Remodeling to Promote triple-negative Breast Cancer Invasion” Pratibha Poudel – University of Maryland, College Park “Exploring Systemic Copper Trafficking Through Developmental Regulation of ATP7A in the Liver”
	Round-table Discussion (15 min)
3:50 – 4:10 PM	Coffee Break
4:10 – 4:30 PM	Business Meeting – Next Meeting Location – Joint Meeting 2026 – New EWIC Format Discussion – Scientific Committee 2026
4:30 – 4:50 PM	Awards, Closing Remarks & Adjourn