Speaker: Hao Peng (MIT)

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 Location: 46-3002 (Singleton Auditorium)Speaker: Haitham Amal, PhD Affiliation: Associate Professor (Tenured), The School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Visiting Professor, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard UniversityHost: Dr. Alan JasanoffTalk title: The NO Answer for Autism Spectrum DisorderAbstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that shares core behavioral deficits. A few molecular mechanisms have been identified in ASD when most of the studies focus on a single pathway/target. To date, no effective single-drug treatment has been found for ASD, which raises the need for new drug targets. We hypothesize that multi-molecular pathways parallelly may lead to synaptic/neuronal dysfunctions and eventually to ASD phenotype. Our multi-proteomic approach using clinical and mouse model samples identified three novel potential targets possibly orchestrating in ASD: (1) de novo S-nitrosylation (NO-mediated protein modification) of the TSC2 protein. In this talk, I will focus on the role of NO (nitric oxide) in ASD. (2) Upregulation of Gephyrin phosphorylation at specific sites, which affects synaptic plasticity and functions. (3) An abnormal upregulation of the catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial ATP synthase, which may affect the integrity of the inner mitochondrial membrane. Here, we used ASD human plasma samples, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), and mouse models to perform a comprehensive study of the mechanisms underlying ASD pathology. The three-way pathological mechanisms were investigated using a state-of-the-art multi-proteomics platform coupled with sophisticated systems biology analyses to filter out ASD-relevant molecular changes. Pharmacological and CRISPR/Cas9 tools were used to validate the targets and explore the molecular and synaptic features following interventions. Three mouse models of ASD (Shank3, Cntnap2, and Nlgn3) were used to evaluate the behavioral outcomes of the pharmacological treatment. This talk will focus on deciphering unknown multi-way molecular mechanisms underlying ASD pathology that may uncover novel drug targets for ASD.

Speaker: Serena An (MIT) & Katherine Tung (Harvard)Title: Newton polytopes of dual Schubert polynomialsAbstract: The M-convexity of dual Schubert polynomials was first proven by Huh, Matherne, Mészáros, and St. Dizier in 2022. We give a full characterization of the supports of dual Schubert polynomials, which yields an elementary alternative proof of the M-convexity result, and furthermore strengthens it by explicitly characterizing the vertices of their Newton polytopes combinatorially. Using this characterization, we give a polynomial-time algorithm to determine if a coefficient of a dual Schubert polynomial is zero, analogous to a result of Adve, Robichaux, and Yong for Schubert polynomials. This is a joint work with Yuchong Zhang, and there is a companion paper titled “Postnikov–Stanley Polynomials are Lorentzian.”

Time: 6:00 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Blueprint for Tough Tech entrepreneurshipThis event is for the MIT Community. Please register with an MIT.edu email.Please join us as Emily Knight, President and CEO of The Engine, presents our first MITEI Presents: Advancing the Energy Transition seminar of the spring 2025 semester.The transition to a clean energy future depends on breakthrough technologies—but these solutions often require long development timelines, specialized infrastructure, and patient capital. At MIT and beyond, Tough Tech startups working at the intersection of science, engineering, and impact face significant barriers to scaling. Emily Knight, the president and CEO of The Engine (built by MIT) will discuss how The Engine provides the critical resources these early-stage teams need—from lab and fabrication space to deep networks—to advance innovations in industries like clean energy, industrial decarbonization, and sustainability. Join us to explore what it takes to bring these climate solutions to scale and drive real impact.Light refreshments will follow.