FASEB Conference: The Calpain Gene Family to be held in Whitefish, Montana June 30th to July 5th, 2001

Federation Of Amer Societies For Exper Biology, Rockville MD

Investigators

Abstract

Partial funding is requested for a FASEB Summer Research Conference, " The calpain gene family in health and disease" to be held June 30th to July 5th, 2001, at Big Mountain Resort, Whitefish, Montana. The conference will comprise 30 minutes oral presentations by 25 to 30 experts on various aspects of the calpain family of intracellular proteases, as well as poster presentations from graduate students and post-doctoral trainees. It will draw participants from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds, since calpains are involved in many physiologic and pathologic processes. Half-day speaker sessions will cover the following topics: calpain structure/function studies; novel calpain genes; non-mammalian calpains; molecular and cellular aspects of calpain regulation; physiologic functions of the calpains; genetic calpainopathies, and other pathologies associated with calpains. While focussing on the calpains, the meeting will attract a broad range of investigators, allowing input from many perspectives. From example, studies on model systems (C. elegans, Drosophila) may provide insights on calpain functions in mammalian cells, and the effects of its loss in calpainopathesis ( muscular dystrophy type 2A, type II diabetes). This is the second FASEB Summer Conference on Calpains. The first conference, held in 1999, was attended by over 110 participants. All talks and posters were well attended, and the conferees overwhelmingly voted to have another meeting in 2001