The International GCE Webinar is a monthly webinar series, open to all, featuring talks on cutting-edge applications of genetic code expansion (GCE) technologies as well as advances in the GCE field. It is organized by the Oregon State University GCE4All Research Center and hosted by Rick Cooley and John Lueck. The webinar is meant to be of value to both developers and users of GCE, as well as anyone interested in learning more about it. Speakers will be from around the globe, and we invite speaker and topic suggestions.
International GCE Webinar
Webinar mechanics
The webinars run from October through June and occur on the third Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (corresponding to 2 p.m. GMT March-October and 3 p.m. GMT November through February). The general format is to give each of the two speakers ~25 minutes which we recommend be divided into a presentation of ~20 minutes followed by ~5 minutes of discussion.
Registration
When possible, seminars will be recorded and made available for viewing on the GCE4All YouTube Channel; as this will not be possible for all seminars, please make it a priority to register for and participate in the live events. Although the seminars are free and open to all, pre-registration is required to get the specific link for each seminar.
Upcoming Webinars
April 16th, 2026
Studying and engineering RNA binding proteins using genetic code expansion
John Pezacki (University of Ottowa)
RNA molecules serve as both genetic messengers and as functional non-coding regulators, with specific activity relying on interactions with diverse proteins. These interactions can guide and control mammalian cell biology, facilitate deleterious alterations and even be central to virus-host interactions and viral pathogenesis. Characterizing RNA-protein interactions remains challenging, particularly for dynamic or low-abundance complexes. I will present selected examples of use of genetic code expansion to probe RNA-protein interactions, assay helicase/polymerase activity and even impart new functions.
Mechanism of BAD activation
Cat Vesely (Oregon State Univ)
Bcl2-associated agonist of cell death (BAD) is a central integrator of cell survival signaling and the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Multisite phosphorylation promotes BAD sequestration by 14-3-3, whereas dephosphorylation activates its pro-apoptotic function through engagement with Bcl-xL. How BAD is released from this high-affinity 14-3-3 complex to become activated remains unresolved. In this seminar, I will present structural and biochemical insights revealing how changes in 14-3-3 oligomeric state, together with Bcl-xL engagement, are required for BAD release, establishing a mechanistic framework for BAD activation.
May 21st, 2026
Ross Thyer (Rice University, Texas)
June 18th, 2026
Nanxi Wang (Nanjing University, China)
Henning Mootz (U Münster, Germany)
2025-2026 Webinar Recordings
November 20th, 2025
Intracellular Protein Editing
George Burslem (University of Pennsylvania)
Main-chain hydrogen bonding in GABAA receptor gating and disease
Marcel Goldschen-Ohm (University of Texas at Austin)
December 18th, 2025
Bright and Magnetic Insights into Protein Function
Thomas Huber (Australia National University)
Using GCE to "electrify" proteins and bacteria
Lital Alfonta (Ben-Gurian University, Israel)
For over two decades, our research has focused on incorporating non-canonical amino acids into bioelectrochemical systems to enable precise control of electron flow at the molecular level. A primary objective has been establishing direct electron transfer (DET) between redox enzyme active sites and conductive surfaces, thereby facilitating electrocatalytic transformations under applied potentials for the synthesis of both native and non-natural products. We have demonstrated this approach using enzymes such as dehydrogenases and oxidases for applications in biofuel cells, catalysis, and biosensors for glucose and other metabolites monitoring. Additionally, we elucidated the critical influence of enzyme orientation on electrode interfaces, guiding the design of highly efficient biosensing architectures.
January 15th, 2026
The Molecular Level Consequences of RNA Modifications on Protein Synthesis
Kristin Koutmou (University of Michigan)
OrthoRep-Driven Evolution of Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases
Chang Liu (UC Irvine)
February 19th, 2026
Ribosomal synthesis of non-standard cyclic backbones in vitro
Joongoo Lee (POSTECH, Korea)
Engineering Life's Language: Streamlined Approaches for Efficient Genetic Code Expansion
Ahmed Badran (The Scripps Research Institute)
March 19th, 2026
Genetic Code Expansion as a Platform for Functional Silk Fibroin Materials
Toshi Teramoto (National Agriculture & Food Research Organization & University of Tsukuba, Japan)
Silk fibers produced by the silkworm Bombyx mori are composed primarily of the structural protein silk fibroin, a renewable biomaterial with excellent mechanical strength and biocompatibility. However, the natural amino acid composition of silk fibroin limits further functional diversification. In this webinar, we present our research on expanding silk material functionality through genetic code expansion (GCE) in transgenic silkworms. By engineering aminoacyl‑tRNA synthetases, synthetic amino acids can be incorporated residue‑specifically into silk fibroin during translation. The introduction of azide‑ or halogen‑substituted amino acids enables site‑selective chemical modification and modulation of material properties, providing a versatile platform for high‑performance silk materials for industrial and biomedical applications.
Site-Resolved Mapping of the Ligandable Landscape for Targeted Protein Degradation
Satpal Virdee (University of Dundee, UK)
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) represents a transformative therapeutic modality, yet its expansion remains constrained by the requirement for high-affinity, specific ligands. To bypass this bottleneck, we developed a site-resolved, ligand-independent platform that decouples target validation from initial lead discovery. By integrating genetic code expansion with ultra-fast bioorthogonal chemistry, we "sensitize" specific residues within the E3 ligases VHL and CRBN to a generic bioorthogonal proximity inducer (BPI).
This approach enables systematic mapping of neosubstrate degradation at single-residue resolution. We demonstrate generality with E3-independent degradation through direct recruitment of upstream E2 conjugating enzymes. This streamlined methodology provides a universal blueprint for interrogating the ligandable landscape of induced proximity, effectively validating novel degradation axes to accelerate and de-risk the advancement of proximity-based medicines.
2024-2025 Webinar Recordings
October 17th, 2024
Genetic code expansion enables visualization of Salmonella type three secretion system components and secreted effectors
Linda Kenney (UTMB, Galveston)
Ribosomal Synthesis of Diketone-containing Peptide Backbone via Post-Translational Acyl Shift
November 21st, 2024
Small Molecule Approaches to Mediate Nonsense Suppression
David Bedwell (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
FLORENCE - Fluorescence labelling of re-coded E.coli with non-canonical chemical entities for single molecule tracking
Filip Ilievski (Magnus Johansson lab) Uppsala University, Sweden
February 20th, 2025
A Dual-Purpose Non-Canonical Amino Acid for the Expanded Genetic Code: Combining Metal-Binding and Click Chemistry
Amanda Jarvis (Univ of Edinburgh, UK)
March 20th, 2025
Tools to Decode Molecular Plasticity in the Dark Proteome
Edward Lemke (Mainz, Germany)
Leveraging Genetic Code Expansion to Better Understand a Neurodevelopmental Disorder
May Chakrabandhu (Cote D'azure, France)
May 15th, 2025
Development of ACE-tRNAs as a Platform Therapeutic: Does Nonsense to Missense Make Sense?
John Lueck (University of Rochester)
2023-2024 Webinar Recordings
October 19th, 2023
Expanding the non-canonical amino acid toolbox for mammalian cells
Simon Elsässer (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden)
November 16th, 2023
The cX-Zyme: A Halogen Bond Catalyzed DNA Nuclease
P. Shing Ho (Colorado State University, USA)
January 18th, 2024
Engineering post-translationally modified selenoproteins in E. coli
Natalie Krahn (University of Georgia, USA)
Chemically expanded antibody engineering on the yeast surface: covalent antibodies and more
Jim van Deventer (Tuffs University, USA)
February 15th, 2024
Applications of Genetic Code Expansion and Bioorthogonal Chemistry to Study Membrane Proteins
Tom Sakmar (The Rockefeller University, USA)
Novel molecular insights into the Orai1 channel dynamics using photocrosslinking
Isabella Derler (University Linz, Austria)
March 21th, 2024
Genetically Encoded Bioorthogonal Chemistry in Living Systems
Peng Chen (Peking University, China)
June 20th, 2024
Studying structural and functional consequences of site-specific phosphorylation in Ubiquitin and NEDD8 by using unnatural amino acids
Katrin Stuber (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
Investigating site-specific acetylation of ubiquitin and the suitability of surrogates for acetylation by genetic code expansion
Simon Kienle (University of Konstanz, Germany)
2022-2023 Webinar Recordings
October 20th, 2022
PermaPhos: Revealing New Functions of Phosphorylated Proteins
Rick Cooley (Oregon State University)
November 17th, 2022
Genetically encoded chemical tools for protein studies in the live cell
Irene Coin (Leipzig)
Design and Evolution of Enzymes with Non-Canonical Catalytic Mechanisms
Anthony Green (Manchester, UK)
December 15th, 2022
Investigations of multi-domain DNA/RNA binding protein machines using FEncAA
Edwin Antony (Saint Louis University, School of Medicine)
Decoding the Language of Aromatic Side-Chains in Ion Channels and Receptors
Chris Ahern (University of Iowa)
January 19th, 2023
Methodological challenges of an expanded genetic code
Nediljko Budisa (University of Manitoba, Canada)
February 16th, 2023
Engineering Biomaterials Bearing Non-Canonical Amino Acids
Jin Kim Montclare (New York University)
Expanded genetic code for live-cell fluorescent protein labeling in (neuro)biology
Ivana Nikic-Spiegel (Tuebingen)
March 16th, 2023
Identification of neuropeptide and toxin binding sites on a membrane-embedded receptor through crosslinking
Stephan Pless (University of Copenhagen)
April 20th, 2023
Split aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases for proximity-induced stop codon suppression
Jeffery M. Tharp (Indiana University School of Medicine)
May 18th, 2023
Protein chemistry: an unnatural approach to unravelling the mystery of allostery
Sharona Gordon (University of Washington)
Applications of the Fluorescent Amino Acid Acridonylalanine
James Petersson (University of Pennsylvania)
June 15th, 2023
NMR isotope-labelled, serine-16 phosphorylated, amelogenin – the key to brighter smiles and understanding biomineralization
Garry Buchko (PNNL)
GCE Community Networking
A resource available for more extensive discussion and networking among those learning about, using and/or developing GCE technologies is the GCE bulletin board – GCEbb – a forum for email-based discussions. More information about the GCEbb, including how to join the email list, can be found at the GCEbb home page. We are looking forward to having you join our GCE conversations!