The 2018 Gordon Research Conference on Membrane Transporters titled ?From physiology to disease? will bring an urgently needed translational focus to research on clinically relevant and highly druggable membrane transporters. Although they account for 10% of the human genome and contribute to a gamut of highly prevalent (autism, depression, diabetes) as well as orphan and rare diseases (Christianson syndrome, mucoviscidosis), membrane transporters remain largely enigmatic in their potential as therapeutic targets. The nine scientific sessions are highly interdisciplinary, bringing together topics and techniques that are not conventionally related: ranging from biophysics to genetics, to prevent the perception of a particular approach (e.g. crystallography) or topic (e.g. neurotransmitter transporters) dominating the conference. New topics have been introduced (e.g. sex as a biological variable in transport processes, the plasma membrane as a regulator of transport, Diabetes and beyond ? transporters are key) that have never been covered in this conference. Ample discussion time after each talk, daily poster sessions and afternoon free time allow plenty of opportunity for informal discussion, networking and forming new collaborations.
Membrane transporters move ions, metabolites, nutrients, neurotransmitters and therapeutic drugs that are central to both life and death, into and out of cells and organellar compartments. They are the clinically relevant targets of blockbuster drugs to treat wide spread diseases like diabetes, cancer and depression, as well as orphan diseases and rare genetic disorders. The Gordon Research Conference on Membrane Transporters: from physiology to disease will bring together scientists from industry, academia and government to focus on translating advances in basic science to therapies that benefit numerous patients.
