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Muscle: Excitation-Contraction Coupling

Gordon Research Conference

Deciphering the EC Coupling Machinery in its Physiological Context

June 1 - 6, 2025

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GRC Education Requirements: Undergraduates or those who have not obtained a bachelor's degree in science/engineering (or acceptable equivalent) are not eligible to apply to attend Gordon Research Conferences or Seminars.

Chairs

and

Vice Chairs

and

Rey Don Jaime Grand Hotel

Avinguda de l'Hotel

Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain

Venue and Travel Information

Application Information

Applications for this meeting must be submitted by May 4, 2025. Please apply early, as some meetings become oversubscribed (full) before this deadline. If the meeting is oversubscribed, it will be stated here. Note: Applications for oversubscribed meetings will only be considered by the conference chair if more seats become available due to cancellations.

Conference Description

The Muscle: Excitation-Contraction Coupling GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

The conference focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle contraction. A goal is to explore specific aspects of this process across skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles. Mechanosensing will be a new topic this year. Recent advancements in imaging (super-resolution microscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, cryo-electron tomography), high throughput approaches, transcriptomics, and artificial intelligence have brought a fresh wave of information that advances the understanding and possibilities of intervention. Sharing information at the cutting edge of research will help to push the field forward.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Muscle: Excitation-Contraction Coupling" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Ultrastructural Organization of the EC Coupling Machinery and Related Proteins Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:45 pm - 8:05 pm	"Structural Basis of Excitation-Contraction Coupling"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:35 pm	"Structural Insight into Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor Closure Modulation by Small Molecular Compounds"
8:35 pm - 8:40 pm	Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:00 pm	"Structural Identification of the RY12 Domain of RyR1 as an ADP Sensor and the Target of the Malignant Hyperthermia Therapeutic Dantrolene"
9:00 pm - 9:05 pm	Discussion
9:05 pm - 9:25 pm	"Structural Basis for IP₃ Receptor Activation and Regulation"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Ca²⁺ Signaling and EC Coupling Proteins Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Dysregulated Ca²⁺ Signaling and Thermoregulation in Malignant Hyperthermia Model Mice"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am	"Ryanodine Receptor Regulation of Basal Muscle Function"
9:55 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:15 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"Calcium-Mediated Regulation of Cardiac Excitation-Contraction Coupling"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:40 am	"Applying the Physiology of Excitation- Contraction Coupling in the Myometrium to Women in Labour"
11:40 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:00 pm - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	General Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	The GRC Power Hour™ The GRC Power Hour™ is designed to address the interests and needs of all scientists and the challenges they face in their careers. Specifically, the program promotes meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages about barriers to career advancement and strategies to support the professional growth of all members of the community. The GRC Power Hour™ is open to all conference participants. Organizer:
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Multiple Facets of Muscle Mechanosensing Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:05 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
6:05 pm - 6:25 pm	"PIEZO1 Mechanosensing in Vascular and Muscular Health"
6:25 pm - 6:35 pm	Discussion
6:35 pm - 6:55 pm	"Expected and Unexpected Mechanosensory Roles of Titin in Striated Muscle"
6:55 pm - 7:05 pm	Discussion
7:05 pm - 7:25 pm	"The Heart Is a Smart Pump — Mechanotransduction Mechanisms of the Frank-Starling Law and the Anrep Effect"
7:25 pm - 7:35 pm	Discussion
7:35 pm - 7:45 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
7:45 pm - 7:50 pm	Discussion
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	General Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Muscle Disease, Atrophy, Regeneration, and Metabolic Implications Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Defining the Transition and Functional Regulation of Developing and Adult Human Myofibers"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am	"Understanding the in vivo Dynamics of Skeletal Muscle Regeneration and Disease Utilising Image Intensive Analyses in Zebrafish"
9:55 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:15 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"Disrupting Muscle-Bone Homeostasis: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Musculoskeletal Impairment Following Botulinum Toxin Injection"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:40 am	"Chronic Aberrant Intracellular [Ca²⁺] Disrupts Insulin-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Muscle Cells"
11:40 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:00 pm - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	T-Tubules and Caveolae Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:05 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
6:05 pm - 6:25 pm	"Preserving T-Tubule Structure in Muscular Dystrophy and Enhancing Glucose Uptake in Skeletal Muscle for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes"
6:25 pm - 6:35 pm	Discussion
6:35 pm - 6:55 pm	"Muscle Membrane Microdomains; New Insights into Caveolae and T-tubules"
6:55 pm - 7:05 pm	Discussion
7:05 pm - 7:25 pm	"Dysferlin: An Emerging Regulator of Cardiac T-Tubules and Arrhythmias."
7:25 pm - 7:35 pm	Discussion
7:35 pm - 7:45 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
7:45 pm - 7:50 pm	Discussion
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	General Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Mitochondria, Sarcoplasmic Reticulum, and Inter-Membrane Protein Trafficking Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Mitochondrial Cristae Ultrastructure in Oxidative and Glycolytic Skeletal Muscle"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am	"Mitochondrial Structure and Function in Striated Muscle"
9:55 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:15 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"S-Palmitoylation Impacts on JPH2's Subcellular Distribution Pattern and its jSR/PM Tether Function in Cardiac Myocytes"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:40 am	"The Role of Rad in Isoproterenol-Stimulated Ca_V1.2 Channel Trafficking in Cardiomyocytes"
11:40 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:00 pm - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	General Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Cutting Edge Technologies: High Throughput Approaches, Synthetic Peptides, and AI Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:10 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
6:10 pm - 6:30 pm	"De novo Design of Precision Actuators Targeting Calcium and Sodium Channels"
6:30 pm - 6:40 pm	Discussion
6:40 pm - 7:00 pm	"Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomic Screening of EC-Coupling"
7:00 pm - 7:10 pm	Discussion
7:10 pm - 7:20 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
7:20 pm - 7:25 pm	Discussion
7:25 pm - 7:35 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
7:35 pm - 7:40 pm	Discussion
7:40 pm - 8:00 pm	General Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Moving Forward with New Therapies for Myopathies Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:10 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:30 am	"New Therapeutics for Atrial Cardiomyopathy"
9:30 am - 9:40 am	Discussion
9:40 am - 10:00 am	"Why the Eyes are Spared from Neuromuscular Degeneration in ALS"
10:00 am - 10:10 am	Discussion
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:20 am - 10:25 am	Discussion
10:25 am - 10:55 am	Coffee Break
10:55 am - 11:15 am	"Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Proof-of-concepts for Centronuclear Myopathies"
11:15 am - 11:25 am	Discussion
11:25 am - 11:45 am	"RyR2-Targeted Therapeutics in Arrhythmogenic Heart Disease – New Discoveries from Animal Models and Humans"
11:45 am - 11:55 am	Discussion
11:55 am - 12:05 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:05 pm - 12:10 pm	Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Keynote Session: Convergent and Divergent Themes in Skeletal and Cardiac EC Coupling Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:05 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
6:05 pm - 6:50 pm	"Elegance of EC-Coupling Mechanisms in Skeletal Muscle in Health, Exercise and Disease"
6:50 pm - 6:55 pm	Discussion
6:55 pm - 7:40 pm	"Cardiac E-C Coupling: Ca to CaM to CaMKII"
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm	Discussion
7:45 pm - 8:00 pm	Closing Remarks
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

This material is based upon work supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under award number FA9550-25-1-0085. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Air Force.

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Diversity Funding

Financial assistance is available for qualified applicants through the GRC Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship Program. This program provides a grant to underrepresented minority graduate students, postdocs, faculty and scientists to help fund their attendance at their first GRC meeting. Learn more.

Registration Fees

Conferee Single Room:

$1,625.00

Conferee Shared Room:

$1,380.00

Conferee Off-Site:

$1,115.00

Guest Single Room:

$1,435.00

Guest Shared Room:

$1,190.00

Guest Off-Site:

$925.00

Child 4-12 yrs Shared Room:

$595.00

Child 4-12 yrs Off-Site:

$463.00

Child Under 4 yrs Shared Room:

Free

Child Under 4 yrs Off-Site:

Free

Additional Fee Info

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