CONFERENCE ON POTASSIUM CHANNELS--FROM MOLECULES TO DISE

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The APS Conference on the "Biology of K Channels: From Molecules to Disease," is scheduled for September 22-26, 1999 in Snowmass, Colorado. The meeting will feature an in-depth exchange of ideas concerning potassium channels, their regulation, and their involvement in normal and pathological situations. Potassium channels constitute a diverse group of membrane proteins that mediate the passive movement of potassium, driven by its electrochemical gradient, across cell membranes. Much has been learned over the last decade regarding the gating, function and regulatory properties of K channels, due in large part, to the widespread use of the patch-clamp technique on native cells, isolated cells and cells in culture. However, the most recent and exciting advances have been due to the molecular isolation of many members of distinct families of potassium channels. These molecular cloning efforts have provided the genetic material for expression and study of specific K channels. This Conference is designed to bring together electrophysiologists, cell physiologists, molecular biologists and geneticists from all over the world who have been involved in research or have research interest in the broad topic of K channels. In the modern era, the best work in this field has involved an integrative approach utilizing all of these techniques in order to get at the structure, function, regulation of the K channels as well as the involvement of thse K channels in human disease. The fundamental goal of the Conference is to understand the gating/regulatory and structural/genetic elements of K channels. In addition, the organizers hope to interest new investigators and students in pursuing research opportunities to understand how the K channel functions and its role in several inherited diseases.