The 2017 Gordon Research Conference on Calcium Signalling

Ca2+ signaling is an evolutionarily conserved pathway that plays prominent roles in cellular function from primitive eukaryotic uni-cellular organisms all the way to humans. Cytoplasmic Ca2+ is a remarkably versatile second messenger - essentially every cell in the body has vital processes controlled by intracellular free Ca2+. These processes include neurotransmission, muscle contraction, metabolism, immune cell activation as well as fertilization and cell death. Given its central role in cell physiology, it is no surprise that aberrant Ca2+ signaling is increasingly recognized as a crucial mechanism underlying cell damage associated with pathophysiology in numerous diseases such as allergy, pancreatitis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, cardiac hypertrophy and arrhythmias, and hypertension. In fact, Ca2+ signalling has also been linked to major world health issues including malaria and toxoplasmosis. This conference will bring together the world's leaders in Ca2+ research together with graduate students and postdocs with the primary goal of enhancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Ca2+ signaling and homeostasis, how Ca2+ signals can produce physiological and pathological effects and how Ca2+ channels can be targeted for therapeutic benefit.