Mitochondrial Dynamics and Signaling

The field of mitochondrial biology and medicine field is (once again) in rapid growth, and it is our intention to capture this momentum and excitement with a new conference focused specifically on this vibrant and diverse topic.

Mitochondria were traditionally thought to act only as cellular powerplants. Recent progress in genetics, proteomics and imaging approaches to track mitochondria in vivo has provided evidence that mitochondria are central to cell signaling and dynamics, and for the response to stress. However, we still know very little about how they behave in the cell, and what influences them biochemically and physically. This applies to various aspects of mitochondrial behavior, including motility, heterotypic and homotypic contact formation, fusion-fission, and secretion. These aspects were difficult to study in the heart and other components of the cardiovascular system but with the recent progress in technology, their significance for health and disease has been proven.

The conference will focus on these aspects of mitochondrial existence both in model systems and cells with specialized structural and functional arrangements like cardiomyocytes and muscle fibers. The program will have an emphasis on the physiological situations but will also cover mitochondrial stress responses elicited by various conditions, including environmental exposures which initiate or augment cell injury. Considering the dominance of cardiac, neuronal, and muscular impairments in mitochondrial diseases, the program of the new conference will focus on these tissues. Thus, we will address the unmet needs for comprehensively support of the broad and rapidly emerging mitochondrial biology research and the wealth of scientists who have been working on this field. This meeting also will engage junior investigators, female scientists, and underrepresented minorities who seek training in mitochondrial biology.