Presenter of The "Heidemann Lecture" Announced: Prof. Yujia Xu of Hunter College

The Scientific Committee announced the presenter of the "Heidemann Lecture" of the 2023 IULTCS Congress: Prof. Yujia Xu.

Dr. Yujia Xu, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at Hunter College of the City University of New York, will be the distinguished presenter of the “Heidemann Lecture” thereby opening the scientific programme of the 37th Congress of the IULTCS on Oct 18th 2023 in Chengdu, China.

The Heidemann Lecture is a keynote presentation held in memory of Prof. Dr. Eckhardt Heidemann (1925-1999). Dr. Heidemann's practical advancements in the field and lifelong dedication to studying the structure and properties of the collagen molecule have left a lasting impact. As a tradition, the Host Society invites a distinguished guest lecturer with a prominent profile to deliver this keynote presentation (30–45 minutes) on a collagen-related topic, usually scheduled for the first morning of the Congress.

Dr. Xu received her doctorate degree in Biophysics from the University of Connecticut, and conducted her postdoctoral research in the field of protein folding in the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She started her collagen related research as a research associate with Prof. Barbara Brodsky and Prof. Jean Baum in the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and Rutgers university. She is currently an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Dr. Xu’s main research interest has been the molecular mechanisms of the biological functions of collagen. Using protein design and recombinant technology, her lab pioneered the strategy to develop triple helical peptides that can further self-assemble into collagen-like fibrils using modular amino acid sequences. These fibril-forming collagen mimetic peptides (FCMPs) are effective molecular tools for collagen research including the investigation of molecular interactions that stabilize collagen fibrils, which is among one of the fundamental research projects pioneered by Prof. Heidemann several decades ago. The FCMPs are also being used to develop novel biomaterials for biomedical applications.

The Scientific Committee is delighted to announce that Prof. Xu has accepted the invitation to Chengdu and will actively engage in the Congress, sharing her profound expertise and vast experience with our industry. We express our utmost appreciation for Prof. Xu's valuable contribution, which is poised to augment the scientific discourse and advance our understanding within the field.