Steve Busby is currently the Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham. After studying Biochemistry as an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, Steve moved to Oxford for his doctoral studies, supervised by George Radda. Since his appointment in Birmingham, his research has focussed on the molecular mechanisms that control gene expression in bacteria, with particular attention to studying the regulation of transcript initiation in Escherichia coli. Recently, this work has concentrated on applications of bacterial regulatory circuits to biotechnology, and understanding the expression of virulence determinants in pathogenic strains. As well as running his research group in Birmingham, Steve has served as both Head of School and Dean of Science. Steve has had a long association with the Biochemical Society and was a trustee from 2011-2016, when he served as vice-Chair, and then Chair, of the Society. Steve was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005, and he is also a Fellow of both the American and the European Academies of Microbiology. 

Nectarios Nicolaou has been active in the field of Clinical Biosciences for over fifteen years. He began his studies at Intercollege, Nicosia, Cyprus and the University of Indianapolis, USA, achieving a Diploma in Pre-Medicine. Subsequently, he studied at Kingston University, London, UK and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Medical Biochemistry in 2006. Returning to Cyprus, he joined the newly established Aretaeio Hospital in Nicosia, as a member of the Clinical Laboratory department. While there, he was accepted as a postgraduate student in Immunology and Immunogenetics at the University of Manchester, UK. Focusing his research interest on the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, he investigated the changes of the levels of two adipokines, leptin and adiponectin, as well as their potential use as inflammatory markers in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.

As of October 2019, he is a doctoral researcher at the Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, Frederick University, Nicosia, Cyprus, aiming to investigate and evaluate various biochemical and genetic parameters as potential diagnostic factors in young adolescents with delayed puberty. He is a Chartered Biologist (CBiol) and Member of the Royal Society of Biology (MRSB) as well as a member of the Biological Society of Cyprus where he sits on the Health Committee. In addition, he is a member of the Biochemical Society, participating in the Awards Committee and the Early Career Researcher (ECR) Taskforce. He is a registered member of the Institute of Biomedical Science (MIBMS), the British Society for Immunology, the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, the Hellenic Society of Immunology, the Society of Biological Sciences in Cyprus and the Cyprus Association of Clinical Laboratory Directors, Biomedical and Clinical Laboratory Scientists. As of October 2015, he collaborates with Frederick University in Nicosia as Special Teaching Staff for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes on the topics of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology.

After graduating from the University of Manchester with a degree in Molecular Biology, Rachel went on to study for a PhD with David Lane at Imperial College London. Rachel's early career was in haemostasis (regulation of blood clotting), with a particular focus on the protein C anticoagulant pathway and endothelial cell biology. Rachel then joined the Macrophage Biology group at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (Imperial College London), changing research field to study inflammatory signalling. In 2022, Rachel was promoted to Professor of Immunopathogenesis. 

Research in Rachel's group focusses on the mechanism of action of mycolactone, the lipid-like exotoxin of the Buruli ulcer infectious agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans. Mycolactone has many unusual and fascinating biological functions, and in 2014 they identified its mechanism of action - as an inhibitor of protein translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum. They are now applying this knowledge to understand more about Buruli ulcer, a neglected tropical disease, and basic cell biology. 

Keywords: infection, immunity, cell biology, autophagy, inflammation, mycobacteria, translational control

After doing a BSc in Biochemistry at Imperial College and a PhD at University College London, Ian took a post-doctoral position at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla to investigate regulation of gene expression brought about by cell adhesion. Ian returned to University College London to continue his focus on gene regulation and then obtained a fellowship at the University of Leeds to start his own research group and expanded his interest to encompass chromatin regulation and epigenetics. Ian is currently Professor of Molecular Neuroscience and has an interest in regulation of gene expression and the modulation of chromatin in the ageing and diseased brain.

Keywords: Neuroscience, Gene regulation, Epigenetics, Neurodegeneration

Maria Luisa S. Sequeira-Lopez, MD. FAHA, is the Harrison Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Biology at the University of Virginia. Dr. Sequeira-Lopez received her MD from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (1990), completed a Pediatric Residency (1994) and Fellowship (1997) at the Hospital Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Next, she joined the University of Virginia, School of Medicine, USA (1998) for a postdoctoral training in kidney development and renin cell differentiation and obtained a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship, followed by continuous funding from the National Institute of Health. Her research program examines the fundamental contributions of kidney vascular development to disease and regeneration with a special focus on renin cells. She identified the earliest progenitors for all cells in the kidney vasculature and the mechanism whereby they differentiate into renin cells, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells. Her work has demonstrated a crucial role of kidney vascular progenitors in tissue regeneration with enormous implications in kidney disease and hypertension.

Keywords: Renin-angiotensin aldosterone system, cell fate, cell plasticity, vascular development, regeneration, epigenetics.

Dr Emily Flashman is currently Associate Professor of Molecular Plant Science in the Department of Biology, University of Oxford. Emily gained her B.Sc. in Biochemistry at the University of Southampton, conducting research with Prof. Keith Fox on triple helix DNA. She then gained her D.Phil. in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in Oxford investigating interactions between heart muscle proteins and how these are impacted by disease-causing mutations. She then moved to the Department of Chemistry in Oxford where she conducted post-doctoral research with Prof. Chris Schofield on the structure and mechanism of human oxygen-sensing enzymes. Emily started her independent career with a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, with which she transitioned to studying plant oxygen-sensing enzymes and their role in adaptive responses to flooding. She now holds a position in the Department of Biology where she continues her work on plant enzymes involved in stress sensing and how these might be engineered for improved stress tolerance.

Keywords: Enzyme kinetics, Protein engineering, Oxygenases, Hypoxia