Molecular bases of health and disease

The programme is designed to bring leaders in the fields of molecular respiration together with scientists working at the forefront of membrane transport, membrane structural biology and lipid biochemistry to create a more complete understanding of respiration and transport and explore further the relationship between function and disease. The application of advanced biophysical techniques to such systems is at the forefront of both method and research developments and new technologies could further revolutionise our understanding of membrane bioenergetics. The residential format will encourage the exchange of the latest data and a critical discussion of the technical challenges.

This meeting gathers renowned experts who will highlight recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cAMP signalling in nano-scale compartments and how such local signalling regulates key cellular and physiological processes in the cardiovascular system. A further focus will be the relevance of cAMP signalling compartments as pharmacological targets for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Cutting-edge methodology such as the use of various high-resolution imaging techniques and advanced biosensors, animal models, and the current state of drug development, will be discussed.

This meeting focuses on the biology and signalling of the class I isoforms of PI3K, and the drugs that have been generated to interfere with their function in disease. After some challenging years in PI3K pathway drug development, good progress has recently been made, with 3 PI3K inhibitors now approved for oncology and several others in the registration pipeline. Basic science investigations continue to provide new insight into the clinical observations.