Wisconsin Technology Council

media release: Metabolism is the set of life-giving biochemical reactions that enable human cells to grow, develop and maintain physiological stability while adapting to external change. But what happens when metabolism goes array? Many diseases and conditions, some rare but some as prevalent as cancer, can take root.

Researchers from the Morgridge Institute for Research, a private biomedical research body housed within the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, will talk about their work and the broader UW-Madison focus on metabolic health at the Tuesday, Sept. 24, Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon in Madison.

The luncheon will be held at the Sheraton Hotel on Madison’s John Nolen Drive. Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the presentation at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for students and returning veterans, $25 for individual members, $35 for non-members and included for Tech Council corporate members.  Click here to register.  

Morgridge Institute for Research panelists are Danielle Desa, a post-doctoral fellow researching optical engineering to study new ways to grow heart cells, and Peter Ducos, a biophysics doctoral student who collaborates helps researchers across campus with complex and varied biological questions, including work on cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). That’s a technique used to study the structure of biomolecules at molecular resolution. It allows scientists to make detailed 3D images of DNA, RNA, proteins, viruses, cells and the tiny molecular machines within the cell, revealing how they change shape and interact in complex ways.

“This is part of the ‘Rising Sparks’ program within the Morgridge Institute, which is a collaborative hub for the work of 500 or so UW-Madison scientists who want to better understand how ‘the chemistry of life’ affects us all through genetics or environmental factors, for example,” said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. 

This luncheon is sponsored by the Dane County Regional Airport. The Wisconsin Technology Council is the independent, non-profit science and technology adviser to the governor and Legislature, with events, publications and outreach that contribute to Wisconsin’s tech-based economy. To join, go to www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com or call 608-442-7557.