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aims to encourage the sharing of cutting-edge, unpublished data, to facilitate dynamic discussion and debate,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.
