Workshop: Cellullar Sensors
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Baeza
How we sense the environment, including our internal state, is a fundamental question in Biology. It is crucial for understanding human physiology but also helps explain the detection of signals by insects spreading deadly diseases like malaria or dengue. Despite important advances in this field in the last years, many critical questions remain. This workshop brings together eminent scientists from across the world who have a shared interest in sensory signaling, from structural biology to translating basic science into therapeutic approaches. Speakers will discuss recent advances including the structures of sensory ion channels and receptors, the discovery and role of sensory receptors in physiology and disease, signaling in the neuroimmune interface and the development of new methods and molecular sensors. Finally, we will discuss the pathophysiology of cellular sensors in relation to various diseases, including pain, and the restoration of sensory functions. Our aim is to discuss advances in cellular sensors from a range of model organisms, analyzed at different levels of complexity, from the molecular dissection of their function to the design and implementation of artificial sensors for controlled drug release. The workshop should be attractive to researchers working in a range of fields, including neuroscience, immunology, physiology, biophysics, chemical biology and bioengineering.