Channels and Transporters in Immunity - SUMMARY
This proposal requests funds to support the FASEB Science Research Conference (SRC) on "Channels and
Transporters in Immunity" (CTI) that will be held from June 14–20, 2024 in St. Paul, MN. FASEB SRCs are
one of the leading conference series that bring together scientists from all over the world who are experts in a
specific research area to present and discuss their latest and most important research. This will be the first
FASEB SRC on this particular topic and the most significant meeting of the year on this topic. The only other
multi-day conference in the CTI field took place in 2021 and was attended by more than 150 participants, both
virtually and in person. The current FASEB conference, organized by the same team, builds on the success of
the 2021 meeting and aims at establishing a recurring venue for scientists in the fields of immunology,
physiology, biophysics, structural biology and cell biology. Effective immune responses to infection or tissue
damage rely on the ability of immune cells to rapidly respond to stimuli. Several channels and transporters
(C&Ts) have emerged to be important control switches that shape immunological and inflammatory responses
during infection, cancer and autoimmunity. Mutations in some of these channels have been linked to
immunodeficiency in rare populations of human patients. Nevertheless, we know very little about the function of
the vast majority of the hundreds of C&Ts that are expressed in immune cells. Major gaps in our current
knowledge include a mechanistic understanding of how ion fluxes regulate immune responses at the cellular and
organismal level. This is a clearly missed opportunity for our basic understanding of immunology as well as its
clinical applications. As a result, there are currently no FDA–approved drugs targeting C&Ts for immunological
disorders. Clinical areas that would benefit from a better understanding of the role of ICTs in immune cells include
asthma/allergy, autoimmune diseases, antitumor immunity and immunity to infection. The FASEB SRC on
"Channels and Transporters in Immunity" will provide a unique and novel opportunity for scientists from different
fields that typically do not interact to discuss the latest advances in the regulation, function and physiological
roles of ICTs in innate and adaptive immunity. The purpose of this conference therefore is nothing less than to
invigorate the entire field of C&Ts in immunology and to ignite broad interest among academic labs and
pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs targeting C&Ts for the treatment of immunological diseases. The
specific aims of the symposium are to (1) Discuss cutting-edge science in the ion channel and immunology fields
and promote opportunities for new interdisciplinary collaborations; (2) Facilitate the translation of basic
knowledge into pre-clinical explorations and clinical initiatives; (3) Provide presentation, networking and career-
development opportunities for trainees including students, postdocs and junior faculty; and (4) Increase the
number of women, under-represented minorities (URMs) and disabled individuals in this field.
