Dr. Preethi Chandrasekaran is currently a research staff member and lab manager at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Prior to this, she was a faculty member at the University of North Texas. Preethi completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Government Kilpauk Medical College, India. She then went on to earn her Master’s degree in microbiology and Immunology from Northern Illinois University. At present, she is a part of the editorial board of several journals. Currently, her research focuses on pathways of biosynthetic metabolism in the context of fatty liver, Diabetes, Atherosclerosis, lipids, and Neurological disorders. In addition, she is immensely involved in biochemical and structural aspects of G-protein coupled receptors such as Orexin and Cannabinoid receptors using NMR, Cryo-EM and X-ray Crystallography to identify potential drug targets for dyslipidemia and sleep disorders.

Ralf Weiskirchen is a full professor and head of the Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC) at the RWTH University Aachen. He earned his Ph.D. at the Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne in 1994. Based on his academic training and research experience, he has an excellent background in multiple biological disciplines, including molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and genetics. His research focus is the analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of hepatic disease. Particularly, he explores the immunobiology of the liver from its native state to chronic inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and cancer, with special emphasis on cytokine/chemokine activities and the identification of novel laboratory biomarkers for individual conditions.