RiboWest 2025 Wrap Up: U. of Lethbridge, June 8th-11th
Scientists from Canada and all over the world recently convened at the University of Lethbridge for the annual RiboWest conference (June 8th to 11th). RiboWest has been held in Western Canada since 2005., and the 2025 conference was organized by Drs. Dylan Girodat, Trushar Patel, Vineet Rathod, Stacey Wetmore and Jessica Willi. RiboWest 2025 had a fantastic program with a number of outstanding invited keynote speakers and trainee presentations, highlighting the strength of RNA research in Canada and abroad.
The conference started with an exciting trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, where attendees were able to take a group shuttle to explore and hike one of Canada’s most spectacular wilderness areas.
After returning to Lethbridge, attendees socialized that evening with a welcome reception. The conference kicked off the following morning with introductory remarks by Dean of Arts and Science Dr. Matt Letts, followed by the first keynote by Bowen Li (U. of Toronto) on AI-driven Development of Lipid Nanoparticles for mRNA Delivery. Subsequent sessions on RNA Therapeutics and Translation featured more keynote talks from Anita Hopper (Ohio State U., on tRNA introns as regulatory ncRNAs).and Artem Babaian (U. of Toronto, speaking about a computational RNA renaissance). Day one concluded with poster sessions and a trainee networking event.
Day two featured sessions on Viral RNA, RNA modification and non-coding RNAs, with invited speaker Samie Jaffrey (Cornell U.) talking about the Cap2 structure on m6Am and m6A mRNAs, and invited speaker Francois Bachand (U. de Sherbrooke) giving a talk on exploiting ribosomal protein chaperones in cancer treatment.
The second day also featured a presentation by Mark Bayfield on RNA Canada ARN and RNA Alberta, highlighting benefits to members and upcoming RNA Canada ARN programming. Jessica Willi also gave a presentation on RNA Alberta, and the day featured a tour of the university’s Science and Academic Building. Attendees were able to purchase RNA Canada ARN merchandise, including t-shirts, tote bags and stickers, as well as sign up for RNA Canada ARN membership. The talks segued into more poster sessions, and that evening, a gala dinner culminated with the announcement of prizes for the best trainee poster and oral presentations. Ceren Gulhan, Aysha Demeler, Isa Dzhabrailov, Lionel Pereira, Ridwan Tajudeen and Samira Ebrahimi received the top poster awards, while Noga Sharlin, Scott Teersteg, Iqra Yaseen, Fabian Rohden, Evgenia Momchilova and Hendrik Boog received the top oral presentation awards, and Mark Lea & Zabih Mir Hassani received the People’s Choice awards. Congrats to all the award winners!
The final day featured an mRNA session, with a keynote by Amy Si-Ying Lee (Harvard Medical School) on the evolution of biological novelty through specialization of mRNA translation, and an invited speaker, Ewan McRae (Houston Methodist U.), discussing base modifications on RNA folding landscapes. The day concluded with an EDI Workshop for trainees on navigating complex conversations, as well as a meeting for PIs for organizing the next RiboWest conference. After lunch the conference disbanded, with everyone happy to have discussed top RNA research and having had a chance to visit the amazing U. of Lethbridge campus. See you in 2026!
