Mapping the Pain Landscape: From Molecules to Medicine - Abstract
This proposal requests funding to support the 76th Annual Symposium of the Society of General Physiologists
(SGP), titled ‘Mapping the Pain Landscape: From Molecules to Medicine’, to be held on September 27th–October
1st, 2023, at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, MA. SGP symposia are globally appreciated
as leading meetings for physiologists, biophysicists, and neuroscientists of all career stages and professional
fields. The meeting theme is timely and designed to call attention to an emerging or impactful research area,
within the domain of physiology. The 2023 meeting will bring together ~150 scientists and trainees to discuss
cutting-edge fundamental and applied research relating to the role of membrane proteins in pain perception and
treatment strategies. This pertinent theme was chosen to provide a venue for scientists to share and discuss
new discoveries that can contribute to combatting pain, a major source of distress and burden on the health care
system, and the cause of the enduring opioid epidemic. SGP symposia are large enough to represent a diverse
range of research areas, and small enough to maximize individual discussions and foster collaborative
interactions between students, postdoctoral fellows, early-career investigators, and established leaders in their
fields. The organizers, Drs. Theanne Griffith (UC Davis), Valeria Vásquez (U. of Tennessee Health Science
Center, Memphis), and Frank Bosmans (U. of Ghent) represent an eager triumvirate of physiologists with
expertise in experimental and computational approaches for pain research. They have assembled an all-star
international group of 24 speakers, from interdisciplinary subfields that are mutually synergistic. Dr. Cheryl
Stucky (Medical College of Wisconsin) will deliver the ‘Friends of Physiology’ keynote lecture, the first woman to
do so in seven years. Roundtable discussions on topics of diversity in the pain field and professional
development, as well as poster sessions, are included in the meeting program. SGP is known for providing
outstanding administrative support, ensuring a successful meeting will be held in a superb and historic venue.