One-day Symposium on Developmental Bioelectricity in Boston, MA – July 26th, 2019
Posted by joshua.finkelstein, on 16 April 2019
A fundamental question in biology is how cells communicate to fashion and repair complex biological structures and tissues. It is well established that cells communicate through biochemical cues. However, compelling evidence suggests that cells and tissues of all types use ion fluxes to communicate electrically as well. In addition, it is now clear that this method of communication is essential to proper development, regeneration, cancer suppression, and tissue homeostasis. The field of developmental bioelectricity focuses on the regulation of cell-, tissue-, and organ-level patterning and function, as the result of endogenous electrically-mediated signaling events. While endogenous ionic phenomena and the effects of applied fields have been known for decades, there has been an explosion of new molecular-level and computational work in the past 5–10 years to establish this new interdisciplinary field, which is ripe for its first focused meeting.
We are delighted to announce that there will be a satellite symposium on Developmental Bioelectricity (see https://www.developmentalbioelectricity.org/), immediately before the 78th Annual Society for Developmental Biology Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts this summer. This one-day symposium will take place on July 26th, from 9:00am to 4:00pm, and individuals registered for the Annual SDB Meeting can attend this symposium without paying an additional registration fee. Our current speakers include Emily Bates (University of Colorado), Wendy Beane (Western Michigan University), Laura Borodinsky (University of California Davis), Matthew Harris (Harvard University), Xi Huang (University of Toronto), Michael Levin (Tufts University), Kelly McLaughlin (Tufts University), Harry McNamara (Harvard University), Nestor Oviedo (University of California Merced), and Min Zhao (University of California Davis).
We still have a few spots left for talks from graduate students and post-doctoral fellows! If you are interested in giving a short talk at this Satellite Symposium on your research/on the work you are presenting at the poster session of the Annual SDB Meeting, please contact us at bioelectricity@tufts.edu