The Fernstrom Symposium on the Neuromuscular Junction will be held from 6 to 11 June 1988 as a satellite symposium of the European Society for Neurochemistry meeting to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden. The symposium will have 46 speakers: 19 from the United States, 22 from Europe, 2 from Canada and 1 each from Japan, Israel and Venezuela. The remaining 100 participants will be invited to present poster presentations. The scientific program will consist of 6 sessions over 3 1/2 days. The topics will include: ion channel structure and function; transmitter release; the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor; excitation- contraction coupling; genetic expression and regulation in nerve and muscle and degenerative disease mechanisms. Numerous advances have been made in these areas. The purpose of this symposium is to create a forum where leading scientists can present their findings, discuss their relevance to our overall understanding of presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms, and to identify important unresolved issues. The aim is to promote the spread of this knowledge to younger investigators who will be encouraged to attend, and to the scientific community in general through the rapid publication of the proceedings. The purpose of this application is to obtain funding for trans-Atlantic airfare for American speakers. A similar proposal for the same purpose and amount is being submitted to the National Institutes of Health. If both grants are funded, the round-trip airfare for 18 of the 19 American speakers will be covered. Since this meeting is a satellite symposium of the European Society for Neurochemistry meeting (12-17 June 1988), it provides an opportunity for Americans to attend this second scientific congress. Room and board for the American speakers will be provided by a grant from the Fernstrom Foundation (Sweden). The trans-Atlantic airline tickets will be purchased from American carriers.
