Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientist to co-chair international forum on gap junctions
Co-chairs James Smyth and Silvia Penuela are bringing scientists from across the globe to Arlington to share findings in a rapidly developing field whose insights point to novel therapeutic opportunities in a wide range of disorders and complex diseases.
The 2024 International Gap Junction Conference, which will be in Arlington, Virginia, is being organized by associate professors Silvia Penuela (left) of the University of Western Ontario and James Smyth of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Photo courtesy James Smyth.
Co-chairs James Smyth, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and Silvia Penuela, an associate professor at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, are bringing the International Gap Junction Conference back to the United States for the first time since 2013.
The biennial conference, which will be held July 27-31 in Arlington, brings together a community of researchers investigating connexins, innexins, and pannexins, a critical family of molecules that allow cells to communicate with their environments and each other. As essential components of normal tissue function, this field's research encompasses a broad variety of human disease states including neurological disorders, cancer progression, and deadly cardiac arrhythmias.
“Research into connexins, pannexins and innexins is helping shape our understanding of their role in heart health, brain health, cancer biology, and more,” said Smyth, who is also associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science. “We are excited to be hosting this conference, which provides an opportunity for scientists conducting research in this field not only to share their findings, but to foster global collaborations.”
The program committee includes researchers from Taiwan, Canada, China, Italy, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, and Brazil.
Keynote speakers will cover the relationship between connexin43 and proliferation of cells in glioblastoma; pannexin-1 biology in stroke, cognitive decline, and brain function; connexin and pannexin signaling in bones and the musculoskeletal system; and how junction proteins act as signaling hubs in diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and sepsis.
Conference registration includes special pricing for students; the registration deadline is July 19.
The conference advisory committee also includes Assistant Professor Samy Lamouille, Professor Robert Gourdie, and Assistant Professor Scott Johnstone, all with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute.
