The FASEB Summer Conference entitled, """"""""Transport ATPases: From Molecules to Maladies"""""""" will bring together approximately 150 investigators from diverse scientific disciplines, including structural and computational biology, genetics and medicine, cell biology, biochemistry and pharmacology, to discuss exciting new developments relating to ion and solute pumps from June 6-11, 2010 at Snowmass Village, CO. The goal of the conference will be the timely integration of different lines of research on this topic for a deep, mechanistic understanding of human pathologies, paving the way for new therapies and advances in nanotechnology. An impetus for the conference is the rapidly growing number of diseases associated with Transport ATPases, among them: cancer and drug resistance, heart disease, immune and infectious diseases, ulcers, diabetes, vision and hearing loss, neurodegeneration and mitochondrial diseases. Sessions will include Rotary Catalysis, Structure and Mechanism of ATPases, Membrane Dynamics and Vesicle Fusion, Orphan ATPases, Transport ATPases and Cancer, Biogenesis, turnover and trafficking of ATPases. All major classes of Transport ATPases (P, V, F and ABC-type) will be covered, ranging in substrate from cations (H+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cu+) to hydrophobic drugs, cholesterol and lipids. Several speakers will be junior investigators and a Young Investigator's Forum will include selected talks from poster presentations. There will be two mentoring sessions for junior investigators: Resume building and Job searches, and Writing a Fellowship or Grant application. Special attention will be given to increase diversity among participants and the conference site will be accessible to persons with disabilities. The conference will provide ample opportunities for collegial discussions, stimulate new ideas and collaborations and foster future research on these important enzymes and metabolic engines. This is the only conference that unites scientists working in disparate fields on the sole and common topic of Transport ATPases. Project Narrative Relevance of the Conference to Public Health: Transport ATPases are essential for life and good health. They work as nanomotors or metabolic engines, producing virtually all the ATP used to fuel active processes in the human body. Other members control acid-base balance, salt and water movements within, outside and across cell membranes. Still others control the movement of trace metals, like copper into metalloenzymes. In cancer, chemotherapy often leads to increased activity of drug transporting ATPases, leading to multidrug resistance and failure of treatment. Other transport ATPases are defective in a host of genetic disorders, including a form of Parkinsons, liver and skin disease, vision and hearing loss, to name a few. Some are targets of drugs used to treat heart failure and stomach ulcers. Thus, bringing together researchers who use very different approaches to study Transport ATPases will lead to a better understanding of their role in disease and offer new approaches in treatment and technology.
Relevance of the Conference to Public Health: Transport ATPases are essential for life and good health. They work as nanomotors or metabolic engines, producing virtually all the ATP used to fuel active processes in the human body. Other members control acid-base balance, salt and water movements within, outside and across cell membranes. Still others control the movement of trace metals, like copper into metalloenzymes. In cancer, chemotherapy often leads to increased activity of drug transporting ATPases, leading to multidrug resistance and failure of treatment. Other transport ATPases are defective in a host of genetic disorders, including a form of Parkinsons, liver and skin disease, vision and hearing loss, to name a few. Some are targets of drugs used to treat heart failure and stomach ulcers. Thus, bringing together researchers who use very different approaches to study Transport ATPases will lead to a better understanding of their role in disease and offer new approaches in treatment and technology.
