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Membrane Transport Proteins

Gordon Research Conference

Membrane Transporters: Translating Molecules to Medicine

June 12 - 17, 2016
Chair Rajini Rao
Vice Chair Harald H. Sitte
Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco
Via Giovanni Pascoli
Lucca (Barga), Lucca, Italy
 Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the Gordon Research Conference on Membrane Transport Proteins, which has been held every two years since 1998.

Our vision for the upcoming conference is to link molecular and mechanistic insights on clinically important membrane transporters - including carriers, ion channels and pumps, to human disease. Along with new topics on rational drug design, mining big data and perspectives from Pharma, we will continue to focus on protein structure and dynamics, cell biology and physiological function of membrane transporters.

The conference will highlight translational aspects of membrane transport proteins as targets in neurological and psychiatric disorders as well as the gamut of human diseases including cardiovascular, diabetes and cancer. Sessions will include emerging technologies in stem cells, proteomics, gene editing, and 3-D organoids in the context of their application to membrane transport proteins.

The guiding principle of a Gordon Conference is the presentation of new, unpublished work and the free, unhampered discussion that follows. This tradition of freely sharing ideas is due in large part to GRC's "off the record" policy which prohibits photography or tape recording of sessions or the publication of conference proceedings. Each session will include slots for speakers selected from abstracts as well as late-breaking research. Summer in Tuscany promises to be beautiful, join us there!

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Membrane Transport Proteins" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
4:00 pm - 8:00 pmArrival and Check-in
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pmWelcome / Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff
7:40 pm - 9:30 pmMolecules in Motion: Transporter Dynamics, Single Molecules and Movies
Speakers in this session use cutting edge approaches to map out conformational changes in elegant molecular detail.
Discussion Leader: Nieng Yan (Tsinghua University, China)
7:40 pm - 8:00 pmLucy Forrest (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, USA)
"Secondary Transport: Does Taking the Elevator Rock the Boat?"
8:00 pm - 8:05 pmDiscussion
8:05 pm - 8:30 pmHassane Mchaourab (Vanderbilt University, USA)
"Ion Coupling and Alternating Access of LeuT-Fold Transporters"
8:30 pm - 8:35 pmDiscussion
8:35 pm - 9:00 pmEmad Tajkhorshid (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA)
"Atomic-Level Characterization of Structural Transitions and Energy Landscapes in Membrane Transporters"
9:00 pm - 9:05 pmDiscussion
9:05 pm - 9:25 pmMateusz Dyla (Aarhus University, Denmark)
"Structure and Dynamics of an Ion Pump at the Single-Molecule Level"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmBig Data: Virtual Mining, Genomes and Phenomes
Innovative approaches to effectively mine and harness genomic, chemical and patient data.
Discussion Leader: Aurelio Galli (Vanderbilt University, USA)
9:00 am - 9:25 amRamanath Hegde (Institute of Protein Biochemistry, National Research Council, Italy)
"Druggable F508del-CFTR Proteostasis Regulatory Network Identified by Meta-Analysis of Corrector Gene Expression Signatures"
9:25 am - 9:30 amDiscussion
9:30 am - 9:55 amGiulio Superti-Furga (Center for Molecular Medicine, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria)
"Solute Carriers, Metabolism and Drug Response: A Magic Triangle"
9:55 am - 10:00 amDiscussion
10:00 am - 10:25 amGerda Breitwieser (Weis Center for Research, Geisinger Health System, USA)
"Using PheWAS and SKAT-O to Define Disease Associations in Large Datasets of Human Gene Variants"
10:25 am - 10:30 amDiscussion
10:30 am - 11:00 amCoffee Break
11:00 am - 11:25 amJean-Louis Reymond (University of Bern, Switzerland)
"Chemical Space Driven Discovery of Transporter Inhibitors"
11:25 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 11:40 amHari Prasad (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA)
"Mining Patient Databases for Testable Hypotheses in Neurodegenerative Disorders"
11:40 am - 11:45 amDiscussion
11:45 am - 11:55 amJose Llongueras (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA)
"Cancer Genome Databases Reveal New Pathways in Tumorigenesis"
11:55 am - 12:00 pmDiscussion
12:00 pm - 12:25 pmThomas Hopf (Harvard Medical School, USA)
"Using Evolutionary Information to Predict Transporter Specificity and Conformational Flexibility"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pmFree Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pmPower Hour
The GRC Power Hour is an optional informal gathering open to all meeting participants. It is designed to help address the challenges women face in science and support the professional growth of women in our communities by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring.
Organizer: Christiane Albrecht (University of Bern, Switzerland)
4:30 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pmTRP Channels in Health and Disease
This session will cover ion channels in taste perception, cancer and other channelopathies.
Discussion Leader: Joseph Bryan (Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute, USA)
6:00 pm - 6:25 pmEmily Liman (University of Southern California, USA)
"Sensing Acids Through TRP Channel-Dependent and Independent Mechanisms in Sensory Neurons"
6:25 pm - 6:30 pmDiscussion
6:30 pm - 6:55 pmHaoxing Xu (University of Michigan, USA)
"Lysosomal Physiology and Calcium Signaling"
6:55 pm - 7:00 pmDiscussion
7:00 pm - 7:25 pmDimitra Gkika (INSERM, France)
"TRPM8 Channel Puts the Chill on Prostate Cancer Cell Migration"
7:25 pm - 7:30 pmDiscussion
7:30 pm - 7:55 pmChristine Ziegler (University of Regensburg, Germany)
"Polycystin-2: The Mysterious Role of a TRP Channel in ER Calcium-Signaling"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pmDinner
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
8:30 amGroup Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pmUnconventional Transporters: Flipping Lipids, Porting Peptides and More
Clinically important transporters, including ABC pumps, that bridge the mechanistic divide between channels and transporters.
Discussion Leader: Simon Newstead (University of Oxford, United Kingdom)
9:00 am - 9:25 amRaimund Dutzler (University of Zurich, Switzerland)
"Ion and Lipid Transport by TMEM16 Family of Calcium Activated Channels and Scramblases"
9:25 am - 9:30 amDiscussion
9:30 am - 9:55 amLuis Galietta (Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Italy)
"Anoctamins: Channels or Scramblases?"
9:55 am - 10:00 amDiscussion
10:00 am - 10:25 amChristiane Albrecht (University of Bern, Switzerland)
"Placental Membrane Transporters: Bottleneck Between Mother and Fetus?"
10:25 am - 10:30 amDiscussion
10:30 am - 11:00 amCoffee Break
11:00 am - 11:25 amJyh-Yeuan (Eric) Lee (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA)
"ABCG5/ABCG8: A Structural View on Sterol Transport"
11:25 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 11:55 amRobert Tampe (Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany)
"Lipid and Peptides on the Move: New Twists and Turns on ABC Transporters"
11:55 am - 12:00 pmDiscussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pmKatharina Jungnickel (University of Oxford, United Kingdom)
"Structural and Functional Studies on a Proton-Coupled Amino Acid Transporter"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pmDiscussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pmToshihiko Kobayashi (National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan)
"Oligopeptide Transporter SLC15A4 Regulates Allergic Reactions by Controlling Mast Cell Homeostasis and Inflammatory Response"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pmFree Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pmTransport in 3D: From Stem Cells to Organoids
Replacing traditional cell culture with stem cells and 3D approaches that capture complex spatial interactions in tissues.
Discussion Leader: Kathy Sweadner (Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School, USA)
6:00 pm - 6:25 pmSofia Lizarraga (University of South Carolina, USA)
"The Role of NHE6 in Christianson Syndrome Neuronal Pathology: A Stem Cell Model"
6:25 pm - 6:30 pmDiscussion
6:30 pm - 6:55 pmStine Pedersen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
"3D Multicellular Models to Study the Regulation and Roles of Acid-Base Transporters in Breast Cancer"
6:55 pm - 7:00 pmDiscussion
7:00 pm - 7:25 pmMark Donowitz (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA)
"Human Enteroids as a Model for Human Intestinal Transport Physiology and Host Pathogen Interactions"
7:25 pm - 7:30 pmDiscussion
7:30 pm - 7:55 pmDaniela Rotin (Hospital for Sick Children, Canada)
"Analysis of the Regulation of ENaC and NKCC1 by Nedd4-2 Using Tissue Organoids and Knockout Mice"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pmDinner
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmNeurochemistry and Neurotransmitter Transporters
This session covers transporters in neurological disorders and as targets of psychostimulants and antidepressants.
Discussion Leader: Harald Sitte (Medical University of Vienna, Austria)
9:00 am - 9:25 amGaia Novarino (IST Austria, Austria)
"Abnormal Amino Acid Transport Across the Blood Brain Barrier Leads to Neurodevelopment Defects and Autism Spectrum Disorder"
9:25 am - 9:30 amDiscussion
9:30 am - 9:40 amJonathan Coleman (Oregon Health and Science University, USA)
"X-Ray Structures of Serotonin Transporter Define Mechanisms of Inhibition and Allosteric Modulation"
9:40 am - 9:45 amDiscussion
9:45 am - 9:55 amThomas Stockner (Medical University of Vienna, Austria)
"Development of a Zinc-Dependent Serotonin Transporter by a Combined Experimental and Computational Approach"
9:55 am - 10:00 amDiscussion
10:00 am - 10:10 amNicolas Reyes (Pasteur Institute, France)
"Structural Studies of an Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter"
10:10 am - 10:15 amDiscussion
10:15 am - 10:25 amThomas Steinkellner (University of California, San Diego, USA)
"Selective Vulnerability of Dopamine Neurons to Excitotoxic Stress: A New Model of Parkinson's Disease"
10:25 am - 10:30 amDiscussion
10:30 am - 11:00 amCoffee Break
11:00 am - 11:25 amUlrik Gether (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
"The Dopamine Transporter: A Key Player in Psychostimulant Addiction and Dopaminergic Pathologies"
11:25 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 11:55 amManju Kurian (School of Life and Medical Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom)
"Dopamine Transporter Deficiency Syndrome: Phenotype, Genotype and Novel Therapeutic Strategies"
11:55 am - 12:00 pmDiscussion
12:00 pm - 12:25 pmAurelio Galli (Vanderbilt University, USA)
"Failure to Prime the Dopamine 'Pump' in Autism"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pmFree Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pmBench to Bedside: Perspectives from Pharma
Leaders from industry address challenges and successes in translating basic science research into clinical advances that impact disease.
Discussion Leader: Paul Wren (GlaxoSmithKline, United Kingdom)
6:00 pm - 6:15 pmIntroduction by Discussion Leader
6:15 pm - 6:40 pmClaire Steppan (Pfizer Corporation, USA)
"Solute Carriers (SLCs) as Drug Targets: Challenges and Opportunities"
6:40 pm - 6:45 pmDiscussion
6:45 pm - 7:10 pmJeremy Caldwell (Ardelyx, Inc., USA)
"Tenapanor - Harnessing GI Physiology with a Minimally Systemic, Gut Targeted NHE3 Inhibitor to Address Unmet Medical Need"
7:10 pm - 7:15 pmDiscussion
7:15 pm - 7:40 pmAdam Weinglass (Merck & Co., USA)
"ROMK and NPC1L1 - Basic Science to Clinic and Back"
7:40 pm - 7:45 pmDiscussion
7:45 pm - 7:55 pmThomas Licher (Sanofi, Germany)
"Approaches and Workflows for Transporter Projects with a Special Focus on SURFE(2)R Technology"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pmDinner
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 amBusiness Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
9:00 am - 12:30 pmTransporter Trafficking, Pharmaco-Chaperones and Vesicular Transport
Biogenesis, folding and delivery of transporters, endo-lysosomal transport, small molecule correctors and diseases.
Discussion Leader: Lydia Aguilar-Bryan (Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute, USA)
9:00 am - 9:25 amMichael Freissmuth (Medical University of Vienna, Austria)
"Sleepless in Vienna: How to Rescue Misfolded SERT and DAT"
9:25 am - 9:30 amDiscussion
9:30 am - 9:45 amMondira Kundu (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, USA)
"The Autophagy-Inducing Kinase ULK/ATG1 Regulates ER-to-Golgi Trafficking of SERT"
9:45 am - 9:50 amDiscussion
9:50 am - 10:10 amHaley Melikian (University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA)
"Controlling Dopamine Transporter Membrane Stability: Trafficking, Braking and Potential for ADHD Rescue"
10:10 am - 10:15 amDiscussion
10:15 am - 10:40 amMargarida Amaral (BioISI - Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, University of Lisboa, Portugal)
"CFTR: Translating Science into Treatment"
10:40 am - 10:45 amDiscussion
10:45 am - 11:15 amCoffee Break
11:15 am - 11:30 amLiudmila Cebotaru (Johns Hopkins University, USA)
"Rescuing ABCA4 Trafficking Mutants in Stargardt Disease"
11:30 am - 11:35 amDiscussion
11:35 am - 12:00 pmJoseph Mindell (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, USA)
"Role of Chloride Transport in Lysosomal pH Regulation"
12:00 pm - 12:05 pmDiscussion
12:05 pm - 12:25 pmRobert Edwards (University of California, San Francisco, USA)
"The Regulation of Glutamate Release by Protons"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pmFree Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pmKeynote Session: Structural Insight into Disease
The keynote session will link transporter structure and gene variants to human disease.
Discussion Leader: Rajini Rao (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA)
6:00 pm - 6:25 pmJoseph Bryan (Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute, USA)
"The Flip Side: What Disease Tells Us About an Ion Channel"
6:25 pm - 6:30 pmDiscussion
6:30 pm - 6:55 pmKathy Sweadner (Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School, USA)
"Mutations and Phenotypes in Na, K-ATPase Diseases"
6:55 pm - 7:00 pmDiscussion
7:00 pm - 7:25 pmDax Fu (Johns Hopkins University, USA)
"Human Zinc Transporter ZnT8: Bridging Between Genetic Discoveries and Drug Development"
7:25 pm - 7:30 pmDiscussion
7:30 pm - 7:55 pmAlexander M. Cruickshank Lecture: Nieng Yan (Tsinghua University, China)
"Crossing the Boundary: Towards a Molecular Understanding of Solute Transport"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pmDinner
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 amDeparture

Contributors

Conference Links

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Additional Fee Info

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