A speaker presents graphs on a large screen to an audience at the Arizona Metabolomics Symposium.

Friday, Feb. 20

Arizona Metabolomics Symposium 2026

Join us at our 2026 symposium

Metabolomics has emerged as an extremely promising approach for providing detailed and multilayered information about complex biological processes and systems. Enhance your knowledge, skills and abilities with like-minded interested in promoting metabolomics and research collaborations toward clinical testing and improving the health of all Arizonans. Spend the day at this no-cost event as we explore new developments in metabolism, gut and health from top researchers.

Breakfast will be provided
A small number of attendees will be invited to a hands-on workshop immediately following the symposium.

Date
Friday, Feb. 20, 2026

Time
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location

850 PBC, Suite 130L
850 N. 5th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004

2026 agenda

Time	Sessions	Speakers
8:30–8:55 a.m.	Breakfast
8:55–9 a.m.	Welcome and introduction	Haiwei Gu and Corrie Whisner
9–10 a.m.	Impact of Developmental Alcohol Exposure on Brain Functional Connectivity and Behavioral Flexibility	Donita L. Robinson, professor of psychiatry and associate dean for graduate education, University of North Carolina School of Medicine
10–10:30 a.m.	A Case for Acetate Supplementation: Insights from Metabolomics and the Microbiome	Carol Johnston, professor, ASU College of Health Solutions
10:30–10:45 a.m.	Break
10:45–11:15 a.m.	Leveraging Metabolomics to Characterize Mechanistic Impacts of Short- and Long-Term Interventions in Prolonged Sitting Time	Dorothy Sears, professor, ASU College of Health Solutions
11:15–11:45 a.m.	Transcriptional Regulation of Cardiometabolic Diseases	Dr. Yanqiao Zhang, director and professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
11:45 a.m. –1 p.m.	Lunch break and lightning talks
1–2 p.m.	So, Why Is Biomarker Validation Difficult in Metabolomics? What’s Working and Not (Yet) Working	Daniel Raftery, professor, University of Washington; member, Fred Hutch Cancer Center
2–2:30 p.m.	Steroid Hormones in Glucose Metabolism: When, Where and How	Zong Wei, associate professor of physiology, Mayo Clinic
2:30–2:45 p.m.	Break
2:45–3:15 p.m.	Metabolic Resilience as a Systems Phenotype: AI-Calibrated Targeted GC-MS and Causal Graphs for Mechanism-Aware Human Phenotyping	Paniz Jasbi, co-founder and chief science officer, Theriome
3:15–3:45 p.m.	Food Insecurity, Gut Microbes and Metabolites in Emergent Adults	Corrie Whisner, associate professor, ASU College of Health Solutions
3:45–4:15 p.m.	Metabolic Interaction Between the Gut and Host	Haiwei Gu, associate professor, ASU College of Health Solutions; founder, MetaBiotics LLC
4:15–4:20 p.m.	Closing remarks
2–4:30 p.m.	Hands-on workshop (Invitation only)