2011 Cold Spring Harbor Conference on Neurobiology of Drosophila

描述(由申请者提供)：计划召开的果蝇神经生物学会议将召集一群初级和资深科学家，讨论在非常成功的模式系统--果蝇黑腹果蝇--的神经生物学研究中的最新进展。这项提议寻求对2011年会议的支持，这是这一系列会议中的第14次两年期国际会议。本次会议聚焦于利用遗传学、分子生物学、生物化学、细胞生物学、电生理学、成像和行为分析的综合力量来解决神经生物学中的基本问题所取得的进展。内容涉及i)感觉系统：ii)行为、脑功能及其进化；iii)神经疾病模型和细胞机制；iv)神经回路-发育、进化和功能；v)突触传递、发育和可塑性；vi)神经发展和进化；vii)技术创新和应用。经前几位与会者表决，会议将保持中等规模(430名与会者)，不设平行会议，以促进讨论、交流思想和技术，并促进在这一迅速发展的领域的新的合作。所有申请者将被鼓励提交一份摘要，大多数参与者将发表演讲或海报。发言者将由会议领导人和会议组织者从会议前几个月提交的最及时和最有趣的摘要中挑选出来：这将确保所有演讲都涵盖最新的科学。如果会议超额认购，参会者将被选择包括至少一名来自每个参与实验室的代表。这次会议在突出年轻调查人员和妇女的工作方面有着良好的记录。为了鼓励初级研究人员的参与，一位写出了自上次会议以来最好的博士论文的研究生做了一次特别的演讲。 公共卫生相关性：这次果蝇神经生物学会议关注的是利用遗传学、分子生物学、生物化学、细胞生物学、电生理学、成像和行为分析的综合力量解决神经生物学中的基本问题的进展，使用模式生物果蝇黑腹果蝇。整个领域的一个驱动原理是，虽然看起来与人类几乎没有共同点，但低等果蝇与脊椎动物有许多相同的基因、分子和神经网络--尽管简单得多。建立在苍蝇遗传学百年研究基础上的苍蝇神经生物学领域是一个新兴的努力领域，世界各地的许多实验室在该领域取得了重大进展。了解这些系统在果蝇中是如何工作的，对于我们阐明这些东西在高等动物中是如何发挥作用的努力具有巨大的相关性，结果包括我们如何看待神经疾病、大脑进化和人类研究的其他主要主题。许多为苍蝇而开发的研究技术在脊椎动物和哺乳动物的神经系统功能研究中具有相当大的实用价值。这次会议的目的是提供一个论坛，让在苍蝇神经生物学领域不同领域工作的不同科学家群体聚集在一起。会议规模适中，不设平行会议，以促进讨论、交流思想和技术，并促进这一迅速发展的领域的新合作。科学组织者由以前的参与者投票选出，从而确保了对科学交流的新视角。所有申请者都被鼓励提交一份摘要，大多数参与者将发表演讲或海报。演讲者将由会议领导人和会议组织者从会议前几个月提交的最及时和最有趣的摘要中挑选出来，确保所有演讲都涵盖最新的科学。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The planned conference on Neurobiology of Drosophila will convene a group of junior and senior scientists to discuss the latest advances in the neurobiology research that are being made in the highly successful model system the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. This proposal seeks support for the 2011 conference, which is the 14th biennial international meeting in this series. This meeting focuses on advances made using the combined power of genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, electrophysiology, imaging, and behavioral analysis to address fundamental issues in neurobiology. The topics covered will range from i) Sensory systems: ii) Behavior, brain function & its evolution; iii) Neurological disease models & cellular mechanisms; iv) Neural circuits - development, evolution and function; v) Synaptic transmission, development and plasticity; vi) Neural development & evolution; and vii) Technological innovations & applications. By vote of the previous participants, the meeting will remain of moderate size (430 participants) and will have no parallel sessions so as to facilitate discussion, exchange of ideas and techniques, and to promote new collaborations in this rapidly-evolving field. All applicants will be encouraged to submit an abstract and the majority of participants will present a talk or poster. Speakers will be chosen by session leaders and meeting organizers from the most timely and interesting abstracts submitted a few months in advance of the conference: this will ensure that late-breaking science is covered in all of the talks. In the event that the conference is oversubscribed, participants will be chosen to include at least one representative from each participating laboratory. This conference has an excellent track record for highlighting the work of younger investigators and women. To encourage participation by junior investigators, a special lecture is presented by a graduate student who has written the best Ph.D. thesis since the previous meeting. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This Neurobiology of Drosophila conference focuses on advances made using the combined power of genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, electrophysiology, imaging, and behavioral analysis to address fundamental issues in neurobiology using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. A driving principle of the entire field is that the lowly fruit fly, while seeming to have little in common with humans, shares many of the same genes, molecules and neural wiring -albeit far simpler - with vertebrate animals. Building on one hundred years of research in fly genetics, the fly neurobiology field is a burgeoning field of endeavor with many laboratories around the world making significant advances in the field. Understanding how these systems work in Drosophila has enormous relevance to our efforts to elucidate how these things function in higher animals, with consequences including how we think about neurological disease, brain evolution and other major themes of research in humans. Many of the research techniques that are developed for use in the fly have considerable utility in research into nervous system function in vertebrates and mammals. The aim of the conference is to provide a forum to bring together a diverse group of scientists working in different areas of the field of fly neurobiology. The meeting will be of moderate size and will have no parallel sessions so as to facilitate discussion, exchange of ideas and techniques, and to promote new collaborations in this rapidly evolving field. The scientific organizers are elected by vote of the previous participants, thus ensuring a fresh perspective on the scientific exchange. All applicants are encouraged to submit an abstract and the majority of participants will present a talk or poster. Speakers will be chosen by session leaders and the meeting organizers from the most timely and interesting abstracts submitted a few months in advance of the conference, ensuring that late-breaking science is covered in all of the talks.