Neuronal Cell Biology: A Biology of Extremes Scientific Organizers: Timothy A. Ryan and Erin M. Schuman Date: January 23 - 26, 2021
Location: Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza Hotel, Santa Fe, NM, USA Neurons are a perfect example of the biology of extremes. Most neurons in the brain must live, without dividing for 7-9 decades of life. Individual cells cover spatial expanses that are truly enormous compared to the molecular scale. Although cell somas of neurons are comparable in size to many other types of cells in the body, neurons are polarized cells and the output compartment, the axon, of an individual cell in the brain can extend up to 40 cm in a rodent and probably much further in a human, i.e. 20,000 x more than typical cells. The molecular basis of how neurons are built and sustained at these “extremes” is a central problem in neuronal biology. The tools needed to understand basic questions like protein and lipid synthesis and turnover in neurons as well the metabolic basis of synaptic performance are just beginning to emerge. All of these properties are thought to be particularly impactful in diseases associated with aging, such as most neurodegenerative diseases. There are rapid and major ongoing advances in neuro cell biology that have allowed for a mechanistic understanding and therapeutic intervention in many neurologic diseases. Registration opens in January 2020 |