The purpose of this proposal is to request funding to support the 5th and 6th Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Protein Folding Dynamics and the accompanying Graduate Research Seminar (GRS) in Protein Folding Dynamics, which is a workshop for graduate students and post docs addressing the methods and models of protein folding. The 2010 meetings will take place at the Ventura Beach Marriott, Ventura, California from January 9-10 (GRS) and January 10-15 (GRC), 2010. The subsequent meeting will be scheduled for January 2012. The broad and long term goal of the conference is to bring together experiment and theory;it is a forum for discussion between experts in experimental biophysics and experts in theory and computer simulation. The conference will serve as a forum to discuss fundamental problems from polypeptide energetics and dynamics;to chaperone assisted folding and the relationship between protein misfolding and disease.
The specific aims of the Graduate Research Seminar in Protein Folding Dynamics is to serve as a venue for graduate students and postdoctoral scientists to i) develop background on current techniques, theories and models in preparation for the GRC in Protein Folding Dynamics, ii) share their knowledge of protein folding methodologies and techniques and iii) meet each other and discuss their own research. The significance of this application is that the Graduate Research Seminar in Protein Folding Dynamics involvement and inclusion of young and developing scientists represents a key objective in our vision to provide this vibrant multi-disciplinary research area with scientists who are broadly based in both experimental protein folding methodologies and the models and theories that provide a basis for the interpretation of experiment in this field.
The health relatedness of this application is multifaceted. The discussions of current research in the field will directly apply to our understanding and treatment of the many misfolding diseases and the many pathologies and problems of aging that result from a loss of proteostasis. In a broader sense, the conference and workshop will have an impact on a mechanistic understanding to the variation in the human genome as most of the non-synonymous variation in the genome result in subtle changes in protein dynamics and energetics.
