) The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) series on the ?The Cell Biology of Metals? provides a truly outstanding forum for scientific exchanges, presentations and discussions in the emerging field of metals in biology, focusing on the acquisition, distribution, sensing and utilization of metals in proteins, cells and systems from bacteria to humans. This GRC series was initiated in 2005 and in the next cycle was immediately oversubscribed, illustrating that the meeting filled an important niche exploring the molecular mechanisms of metal utilization in proteins, organelles, and whole organisms. This conference has now become a cornerstone of the field and is unique in attacking broad research questions such as how metal cofactors are assembled to how metal ions play roles in metabolic and infectious diseases. The Cell Biology of Metals GRC is held every two years and has consistently attracted more than 140 attendees. The Gordon Research Conference series is internationally renowned for the high-quality, cutting edge nature of its meetings, showcasing unpublished work; the program of the proposed 2017 conference strives to maintain this high standard. The 2017 Cell Biology of Metals GRC will be held on July 23 ? 28 at Mount Snow in West Dover, VT. This application describes the preliminary program, which is organized around the theme of ?Mechanisms from Microbes to Humans?. Session topics include metals in enzyme function, metalloenzyme strucutres, metal homeostasis, metal sensing and dynamics, metalloprotein biogenesis and signaling, metals in host-pathogen interactions and metals in physiology and disease. The conference will be comprised of keynote presentations, research and poster talks, poster discussions, and informal scientific discussions. This meeting will bring together an outstanding and diverse cadre of molecular and structural biologists, biochemists, geneticists, cell biologists, physiologists and clinicians to interact and brainstorm on new discoveries, ideas and directions in basic and applied research on the cell biology of metals. Given the increase in the number of metabolic and infectious diseases linked to changes in cellular metal homeostasis, this meeting fills a critical niche for investigating the underlying mechanism(s) of these disorders and for brainstorming approaches for novel diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics.
The major goal of the GRC and GRS on the Cell Biology of Metals is to serve as a focal point to bring together a diverse cadre of scientists from chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, physiology, and medicine engaged in investigating the mechanisms of how cells use, sense, distribute, and regulate metal ions. The meeting will encompass keynote lectures, research and poster talks, poster sessions, and informal scientific discussions to promote cross-fertilization of ideas, and to facilitate the genesis of new collaborations to advance the field. Scientific discussions will span a breadth of key topics from the fundamental questions of how metal co-factors are assembled, to the mechanisms of metal metabolism and the role of metals in metabolic and infectious diseases.
