Proper expression, folding, transport, and clearance of proteins are critical for cell function and organismal health. Chaperones and enzymes that post-translationally assist newly synthesized proteins help ensure that they are correctly folded and functional or are degraded. Translocation machineries, proteasomes, and autophagic activities are critical for subcellular localization and for degradation as necessary. Stress and aging challenge the robustness of these chaperone and clearance networks leading to protein mismanagement, overload, and cellular dysfunction. In humans, this is associated with the accumulation and aggregation of misfolded and aggregation-prone proteins, a feature of numerous neurodegenerative, metabolic, and oncogenic diseases.
You are invited to participate in the 17th meeting on Protein Homeostasis in Health & Disease. Groundbreaking work - on molecular chaperones, the unfolded protein response, stress responses, and how these processes are implicated in disease - has first been presented at this meeting over the past three decades plus. The 2026 meeting provides an opportunity to showcase the latest research in this area and will feature talks by leading investigators.
The meeting will begin after dinner at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, and conclude with lunch on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
Keynote Session- Proteostasis: the Road from Basic Concepts to Understanding Aging and Disease
Ulrich Hartl, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany
Rick Morimoto, Northwestern University
Cell Stress Response Signaling in Biology, Aging, and Disease
Veena Prahlad, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Ritwick Sarwarkar, University of Cambridge, UK
Chaperone Mechanisms
Rachel Klevit,
University of Washington
Hideki Taguchi, Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan
Co-translational Folding and Ribosome Quality Control Mechanisms
Claudio Joazeiro,
Heidelberg University, Germany
Marina Rodnina, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany
Biological Condensates and Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
Sascha Martens, University of Vienna, Austria
Degradation Mechanisms - Autophagy Lysosomal Pathway and the Ubiquitin Proteasome System
Ana Maria Cuervo, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Anne Simonsen, Oslo University, Norway
Organellar Proteostasis and Spatial Quality Control in Aging and Disease
Andrew Dillin, University of California, Berkeley
Misfolding and Aggregation in Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Marc Diamond, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Aimee Kao, University of California, San Francisco
Panel Discussion: Emerging Therapeutic Strategies in Proteostasis and Aging: Targeting Misfolded Proteins and Beyond
The format of the meeting will include eight oral sessions and two poster sessions. Each oral session will include invited speakers and speakers selected from submitted abstracts. For this reason, abstracts from accomplished junior and senior investigators are warmly invited. The abstracts should focus on new and unpublished data. The organizers will select abstracts for oral or poster presentations. The status (talk/poster) of abstracts will be posted on our web site (below) as soon as decisions have been made. We have applied for funds from government and industry to partially support graduate students and postdocs. Please apply in writing via email to Kelley McGrath and state your financial needs; preference will be given to those who submit abstracts.
All questions pertaining to registration, fees, housing, meals, transportation, visas, abstract submissions, or any other matters may be directed to Kelley McGrath.
Social Media: The designated hashtag for this meeting is #cshlprotein. Note that you must obtain permission from an individual presenter before live-tweeting or discussing his/her talk, poster, or research results on social media. Click the Policies tab above to see our full Confidentiality & Reporting Policy.
This conference is supported in part by funds provided by TBA
Pricing:
Academic/Media Private Room/Private Bath Package: $TBA
Academic/Media Private Room/Shared Bath Package: $TBA
Academic Shared Room Package: $TBA
Academic/Media No-Housing Package: $TBA
Student Package*: $TBA
Student No-Housing Package: $TBA
Corporate Private Room/Private Bath Package: $TBA
Corporate No-Housing Package: $TBA
*Student Housing is default double occupancy. Please enquire about availability and fees to upgrade to private room.
Room packages close 2 weeks before the meeting start date
Rules for Virtual Participation: Virtual participation will include access to the oral sessions via Zoom, access to the digital poster sessions and access to the Slack discussion channel, and the Leading Strand video archive.
Presenters: Individuals submitting abstracts and facing financial barriers should firstly request financial aid (see above). Permission to present your talk or poster virtually will be given only in exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis. If you think you are eligible for an exemption from the requirement to present in person, please provide a justification in writing via email to Kelley McGrath.
Non-presenting participants: We plan to broaden access to the conference by allowing certain categories of non-presenting participants to attend virtually at reduced fees. Categories include:
1. Individuals from low & middle income countries;
2. Individuals from non-LMIC countries in Asia, Australasia, Africa or South America;
3. Individuals from US & Canadian minority serving institutions;
4. Individuals with a demonstrable financial barrier;
5. Individuals with family obligations or other special circumstances.
For categories 4 & 5 above, please provide a justification via email to Kelley McGrath.
Virtual Fees:
Academic Virtual Package: $TBA
Grad Student Virtual Package: $TBA
Corporate Virtual Package: $TBA
Late Fee (Registrations submitted after 5:00 p.m. ET on April 16, 2026)
Late Academic Virtual Package: $TBA
Late Student Virtual Package: $TBA
Late Corporate Virtual Package: $TBA