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The HUPO Early Career Researcher (ECR) Committee is pleased to announce a call for the 11th anniversary of the ECR Manuscript Competition, sponsored by Taylor and Francis, at HUPO 2025 taking place November 9 - 13, in Toronto, Canada. The Manuscript Competition is a unique opportunity for early career researchers to gain visibility in the proteomics community, as it serves as a platform to highlight the invaluable contributions that postdoctoral fellows, young clinicians, and junior faculty members make to the proteomics field.

We encourage early career proteomics researchers to participate in this competition with an already published or accepted manuscript during the 2024 and 2025 calendar years. Three finalists will be selected to present their publications in a dedicated plenary session at HUPO 2025, where an expert committee will evaluate the oral presentations to determine the “Proteomics Highlight of the Year” by an ECR.

Eligibility criteria: This competition is intended for postdoctoral fellows (Ph.D. degree awarded post January 2019), junior faculty members (appointment post January 2021 and PhD awarded post January 2013), and young clinicians (M.D. degree awarded post January 2018). Applicants must be HUPO members. Career interruptions and leave, such as parental leave, will be considered to extend the eligibility period. Finalists from previous years are not eligible to participate.

Publication criteria: The applicant must have contributed significantly to the publication as the first or last (or shared first/last) author. The publication must be an original research article. Review articles will not be considered for this competition. The publication must have been accepted or printed for publication at the time of submission for the competition but must not have been published before January 1, 2024. Manuscripts that were posted on bioRxiv and other pre-print servers prior to submission will be considered.

How to Apply: A complete application must include the documents listed below. Send completed applications by email to ecr@hupo.org.

A single publication file as a pdf (including the supplementary information, if applicable) and 

1. Single publication file as a pdf (including the supplementary information if it applies)

• The manuscript must be an original research article, and the applicant must have contributed significantly to the concept and/or experimental            work and/or data analysis (first, co-first, corresponding or co- corresponding author)
• The publication must have been accepted and/or printed for publication at the time of submission to the competition, but not earlier than January 1, 2024.
• The publication must be in English.

2.    A short statement (300 words maximum) in which the applicant describes the novelty and impact of the publication on the field of proteomics.

Deadline to apply: March 28, 2025

Building on the success of HUPO 2024, the HUPO Early Career Researcher (ECR) Committee is eager to share our plans for HUPO 2025, which will take place November 9 - 13, in Toronto, Canada. We have put together a diverse programme of events and competitions to foster growth and connection within the community.

Here is what you can expect:

• Manuscript & 3-Minute Thesis Competitions: Showcase your research and hone your communication skills.
• Poster Competitions: A vibrant space to visually present your findings and engage with others.
• Mentoring Sessions: Connect with experienced researchers for valuable guidance and support.
• HPP Research Day
• Rising Star Award: Celebrate outstanding early career research and recognize outstanding contributions.
• ECR Networking Event: Build lasting connections with fellow researchers and explore potential collaborations.

We will be sharing more details on the HUPO 2025 website and in upcoming HUPOST newsletters. This program offers something for every ECR. Mark your calendars and join us for a year of learning, collaboration, and unforgettable experiences at HUPO 2025!

The HUPO Education and Training Committee (ETC) successfully organized precongress training courses during the HUPO Congress in Dresden 2024. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the participants for contributing to the success of these sessions. The precongress training courses were well attended and provided valuable insights, helping participants deepen their knowledge of proteomics. If you have suggestions or recommendations for future training courses, please feel free to contact the ETC.

Summary of Session #1: Post-translation modification -insight into sample preparation, enrichment, detection, and computation.

This pre-congress training course was designed to address various aspects of posttranslational modifications (PTMs), offering insights into sample preparations, enrichment techniques, detection methods, and computational approaches for analyzing and profiling PTMs. The session aimed to educate and inspire researchers and students interested in measuring and understanding PTMs in biological or clinical samples.

The panelists for the session included esteemed experts in the field: Prof. Birgit Schilling (Buck Institute for Research on Aging, USA), Prof. Martin Larsen (University of Southern Denmark, Europe), and Prof. Daniel Kolarich (Griffith University, Australia). They provided in-depth coverage of different PTMs, including phosphorylation, glycosylation, cysteine modifications, and other modifications like malonylation and succinylation. Each expert shared the latest state-of-the-art tools and methodologies while highlighting future directions in PTM sample preparation and analysis.

The training course attracted many audience members, including graduates and early career researchers. Despite being the first session on day 0 of the HUPO Congress, it garnered significant attention and participation. Attendees provided overwhelmingly positive feedback, noting that it offered a comprehensive snapshot of various PTMs. They appreciated the opportunity for fruitful discussions with the panellists, which extended beyond the session into subsequent days of the conference. This interactive format enriched the learning experience and fostered valuable connections within the proteomics community.

The Symphony of Proteomics

In the dance of life, proteins play,
With post-translational tunes on display.
Phosphorylation sparks their flame,
A phosphate touch to fuel the game.

Cysteine whispers, bonds anew,
Redox shifts, a path to pursue.
Modifications subtle, yet profound,
In these small marks, life is found.

Glycosylation, sugars sweet,
Chains of charm, functions meet.
Signal, structure, cell’s embrace,
Decorate the protein's face.

Succinylation, a mark so rare,
Metabolic threads it lays bare.
Histone trails and energy's crest,
A nuanced role in life's behest.

Proteomics, a map so vast,
Revealing secrets of the past.
Through every PTM, a story told,
In bonds of science, mysteries unfold.

We invite you to write essays or poems that explore and endorse the vast and fascinating landscape of proteomics and related fields.

How to Submit:

Please send your essays or poems to [Justyna.Fert-Bober@cshs.org; blandine.chazarin@gmail.com]. There is no due date, but we wish to share the work on a monthly basis. Feel free to include a title and a brief description of your work if you wish.

Let’s celebrate the -omics world together over coffee and creativity! We look forward to your submission and to enriching our community with your thoughts and inspirations.

Welcome to the new members stepping in to lead the ECR efforts forward:

• Co-chairs: Charlotte Hutchings and Livia Rosa
• VC Logistics: Emily Hashimoto-Roth
• VC Online Activities: Jessica del Castillo Alferez
• VC Communications: Ireshyn Govender
• HPP Delegates: Christian Moritz (B/D-HPP) and Dongxue Wang (C-HPP)

Keep reading to view their biographies:

Charlotte Hutchings

Charlotte is a final year PhD student in Prof. Kathryn Lilley's Group at the University of Cambridge. Her research currently focuses on the use of expression and subcellular spatial proteomics methods to explore the response of HEK293 cells to the production of viral vectors for gene therapy. Charlotte particularly enjoys the challenge of dealing with large datasets and has become an active member of the Bioconductor community, learning and teaching coding skills around the world as well as publishing multiple data analysis workflow to promote open research and analysis. She also sits on several committees, including the British Society for Proteome Research, HUPO Early Career Researchers and HUPO Marketing and Outreach committee. Charlotte is not only enthusiastic about her research, but is also interested in education, promoting equality in science and being a core member of the proteomics community.

Livia Rosa-Fernandes

Livia, D.Sc., is a Research Fellow in Neuroproteomics at the Macquarie Medical School's Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre. She earned her B.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences and M.Sc. in Biological Sciences with a focus on Genetics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Rosa-Fernandes completed her D.Sc. in Medical Sciences at the University of São Paulo Medical School, where she integrated molecular and cellular biology with quantitative proteomics to investigate multidrug resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia. During her postdoctoral research at the University of Southern Denmark, she expanded her expertise in systems biology, studying neurodevelopmental impairment caused by Zika Virus infection. Her current research focuses on the impact of aberrant protein interactions in the development of neurological pathologies. Dr. Rosa-Fernandes is a recipient of the Gilberto B. Domont Award, which honors young scientists' contributions to advancing proteomic sciences. She is member of the Brazilian Proteomics Society council and is engaged in several initiatives to promote knowledge transfer and increase access to scientific education.

Emily Hashimoto-Roth

Emily is a graduate student at the University of Toronto, Canada, pursuing a Ph.D. in Computational Biology and Molecular Genetics under the supervision of Dr. Hannes Röst. Her research aims to leverage mass spectrometry-based proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, and computational methods to better understand the onset and progression of gestational diabetes mellitus and future development of type II diabetes. Previously, she completed her M.Sc. in Biochemistry specializing in Bioinformatics at the University of Ottawa, Canada, under the co-supervision of Dr. Mathieu Lavallée-Adam and Dr. Steffany Bennett, where her research focused on the application of machine learning algorithms to mine and analyze protein-protein interaction datasets. Her passion for research, however, extends beyond the lab. Since 2020, she has also been a member of the Canadian National Proteomics Network and Human Proteome Organization, helping to strengthen the proteomics field by fostering welcoming communities for researchers of all career stages to meet and collaborate.

Jessica del Castillo Alferez

Jessica is a PhD candidate at Sanquin Research, Amsterdam and  affiliated to University of Utrecht, Netherlands. She is part of the Symphony consortium, which aims to improve treatment for hemostatic disorders by addressing interindividual variations in bleeding tendencies. Her PhD research seeks to link the proteome to the bleeding phenotype by profiling plasma and blood cells to identify haemostasis modifiers. Her work focuses on proteomic profiling of patients to monitor response to treatment in bleeding disorders as well as applying plasma peptidomics to investigate fundamental aspects of haemostasis. Jessica is passionate about clinical proteomics, a field she entered during her master’s internship at the University of Groningen while studying proteomic adaptations in asymptomatic MCADD. Beyond her research, Jessica is an enthusiastic member of the HUPO ECR Committee since 2022 and has been actively involved in the organization of panel discussions and congress activities such as mentoring sessions and competitions. In her role as vice chair, she will contribute to the organization of panel sessions to provide a space for the proteomics community  to come together and discuss important topics about navigating a career.

Ireshyn Govender

Ireshyn serves as a senior scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa. He commenced his tenure at CSIR in 2013 as a candidate researcher, concentrating his efforts on clinical proteomics within the realm of precision medicine for HIV/AIDS. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2019. Ireshyn is actively involved in clinical research groups that leverage proteomics to tackle diseases prevalent in South Africa and among underrepresented populations, focusing on the identification of prognostic and/or diagnostic protein biomarker panels. Additionally, he holds the position of vice-chairperson and is a member of the executive committee of the South African Association for Mass Spectrometry (SAAMS). In his new capacity as VC Communications of the HUPO ECR Committee, he aims to further highlight the exceptional contributions of early-career researchers and to enhance the connection between specialized scientific endeavours and the broader public.

Christian Moritz 

Christian is a researcher at the University Hospital of Saint-Étienne, France. He did his PhD in the field of neuroproteomics in Kaiserslautern/Germany and moved to translational biomedical research for his postdoc projects in France. There, he is screening the human proteome for novel autoantigens targeted by serum antibodies of patients with rare neuropathies.

Dongxue Wang

Dongxue is currently an associate research professor at the National Center for Protein Sciences in Beijing (NCPSB) and the head of the mass spectrometry platform at the π-HuB Project Infrastructure in Guangzhou, China. She obtained her doctoral degree in proteomics in Dr. Bernhard Kuster's group at the Technical University of Munich. After that, she joined NCPSB in Beijing in 2019 and the π-HuB Project Infrastructure in Guangzhou in 2021. Dongxue has been focusing on developing and applying mass spectrometry-based proteomics technologies, integrating with clinical data and other omics, to understand human biology and diseases better. During her PhD, she and colleagues established the most comprehensive proteome and transcriptome atlas of 29 healthy human tissues, providing a protein expression baseline for examining human health and diseases. As a scientist at the National Center for Protein Science and the π-HuB Project Infrastructure, she and her team have been developing high-throughput and fully automated proteomics pipelines. They apply these methods in analyzing large cohorts of clinical samples to discover novel biomarkers and drug targets for nasopharyngeal cancer such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, melanoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and polycystic ovary syndrome, among others. As a member of the HUPO community and the ECR committee, Dongxue looks forward to serving as a vital link and making valuable contributions to the activities of the ECR and HPP committees.

The November HUPOST is now available including the HUPO 2024 wrap-up & Photos, New HPP Portal, ECR Competition Award Winners, HUPO Election Results & More  

Sponsored by Mass Dynamics

We had a very inspiring 3-minute thesis competition session, where 11 PhD students tackled the challenge of presenting their complex research projects in just three minutes, using only one static slide, as if addressing a lay audience. The creativity displayed was remarkable, with each student distilling intricate topics into accessible, engaging presentations that captivated the audience. Their precision in both timing and delivery reflected impressive skill and dedication.

The standout presentation came from Ericka Itang, who took us into a "proteomics crime scene".

Winner:  Ericka Itang
Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry, Germany: Unlocking Clues to Childhood Illness: Exploring Proteins as Disease Markers

Runner-up:  Linus Wollenweber
Utrecht University, Netherlands: The Odd One Out – Mass Spectrometric Detection of the Ever-Changing IgG4 Landscape

Runner-up: Julian Müller
Technical University Munich, Germany: PTMNavigator: Interactive Visualization of Differentially Regulated Post-Translational Modifications in Cellular Signaling Pathways

3-Minute Thesis Competition Sponsored By:

Sponsored by Molecular Omics

Over the course of three days, the HUPO 2024 poster competition showcased the vibrant research diversity of our community. Thirty esteemed judges from various regions and scientific disciplines convened to evaluate the innovative work of our preselected student and postdoctoral finalists.

The presentations were assessed based on graphical elements, delivery skills, content richness, and overall impact. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the finalists. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from the judges underscores the exceptional caliber of the presentations, reflecting the cutting-edge research and dedication of the participants.

WINNERS

Postdoc
Thierry M. Nordmann

P-II-0644 A Proteomic Skin Disease Atlas for Accurate and Rapid AI-Driven Clinical Decision Making

Student
Sophia Steigerwald

P-II-0687 Single Cell Deep Visual Proteomics (scDVP) of Human Hepatocytes in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency

RUNNERS-UP

Postdoc
Matthew The

P-II-0689 An End-to-End (phospho) Proteomics Data Analysis Platform for Precision Oncology of 1000 Prospective Pan-Cancer Patients

Postdoc
Fabian Frommelt

P-III-0880 Deep Interactome Profiling MS (DIP-MS), a Novel Interaction Proteomics Method for the Deconvolution of Immunoprecipitated Protein Complexes

Student (Master)
Adele Nel

P-II-064 Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Breast Cancer and Normal Tissues with Deep Plasma Profiling using the Mag-Net™ Workflow

Student
Tilman Werner

P-II-0704 Proteomic Profiling of IDH-Wildtype Glioblastoma Reveals Prognostic Subtypes with Matching Abundances of Semi-Specific Peptides in Serum

Poster Competition Sponsored by: