Funds are sought to cover partial support of the Gordon Research Conference on Calcium Signaling, to be held at Oxford, UK, September 27, 2001. The meeting provides a unique multi-disciplinary forum for interchange of ideas and information in the field of Ca2,+ signaling. Since Ca2+ Signaling is a fundamental means of cellular control common to all eukaryotic organisms from yeast to mammalian cells, the meeting derives particular strength by stimulating the interchange of basic information on cell regulation from workers using a rich variety of different organisms and cellular systems. The primary objective is to facilitate successful interactions between new and established investigators. Highest priority will be given to the selection and provision of funds to support junior scientists (student and postdoctoral trainees), women scientists, under-represented minority scientists and international participation. The conference will include nine discussion sessions, each lead by a prominent member of the field with experience in maximizing interactive exchange. There will also be two poster sessions. The main sessions will emphasize the role of Ca2+ in controlling fundamental cell functions. These include the regulation of Ca2+ fluxes at the plasma membrane, the spatial and temporal control of Ca2+, signaling events, and the role of Ca2+ signaling in exocytosis, fertilization, cellular energetic and cell death. Participants include a combination of established and successful younger investigators using an array of cellular systems and different techniques to observe the generation and propagation of Ca2+ signals, ranging from molecular biological analysis, manipulation of the Ca2+ signaling machinery in model systems, in vivo, to sophisticated and pioneering micro- imaging technology in subcellular compartments. Basic disciplines of participants include biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, molecular biology, biophysics and pharmacology; however, all have a primary interest in understanding the mechanisms and significance of Ca2+ signaling events in cells. The topics to be addressed at this meeting are important to our understanding of a number of health problems, including issues related to environmental toxins that affect health, cancer biology, cardiac and neuronal functions, diabetes and aging to name a few.
