Mammalian Somatosensation: Mechanisms of Itch, Touch, Pain and Interoreception in Health and Disease - ABSTRACT Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Mammalian Somatosensation: Mechanisms of Itch, Touch, Pain and Interoception in Health and Disease, organized by Drs. Diana Bautista, Rebecca Seal and Ishmail John Abdus-Saboor. The conference will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico from January 14-17, 2024. This Keystone Symposia conference will explore recent advances in our understanding of mammalian somatosensation, the processes by which mammals sense features of their external and internal environments. The program features a diverse group of invited speakers and will include world-renowned leaders studying mechanisms underlying itch, touch and pain, in health and disease. The conference program was created to cover topics that span from receptors and signaling mechanisms to neural circuits and behaviors in mammals. Additionally, the conference will highlight the use of cutting-edge tools for discovery and characterization of neural sensory pathways. The program was designed to include ample time for discussions with speakers and provide networking opportunities during poster sessions and meals. Moreover, the program reserves time for short talks that will be selected from abstracts submitted by trainees and junior faculty. Overall, this conference aims to encourage the sharing of cutting-edge, unpublished data, to facilitate dynamic discussion and debate, and promote new collaborations in the field.
