Tracing the Path of Chloride: From Ion Channels and Transporters to Physiology and Therapeutics

This proposal requests funds to support the 78th Annual Symposium of the Society of General Physiologists (SGP), entitled “Tracing the Path of Chloride: From Ion Channels and Transporters to Physiology and Therapeutics.” The meeting will be held on September 3-7, 2025, at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, MA. The 2025 meeting promises to be groundbreaking and highly productive, marking the first international conference in over a decade dedicated to Cl− ion channels and transporters since the 2013 Biology of Chloride meeting. Cl− channels, such as GABA receptors, and transporters, like CLC and KCC, are essential for maintaining neuronal inhibition and excitability. They also play a critical role in regulating vascular tone, where their dysfunction can contribute to cardiovascular disorders. Dysregulation of these channels is linked to numerous diseases that affect tens of millions of Americans, including pain, epilepsy, neurodegeneration, and hypertension. The SGP symposium has a distinguished reputation as a premier venue for physiologists, cell biologists, and biophysicists across various career stages. With around 150 anticipated participants, SGP symposia strike a balance between being expansive enough to thoroughly explore a thematic topic and compact enough to encourage meaningful discussions and cross- disciplinary collaborations. By showcasing the latest work that uses a wide range of technical approaches in various systems and on a broad range of Cl− channels and transporters, the 2025 SGP symposium will bring together investigators who share conceptual and methodological goals but who do not ordinarily interact. The meeting format at the MBL fosters rich interactions between early-career and established researchers, encouraging collaboration and individual discussions. The “Friends of Physiology” lecture will be delivered by Dr. Jue Chen (National Academy of Sciences, Rockefeller University), a renowned leader in studying the Cl− channel CFTR. The meeting will be organized by Dr. Anne Carlson (University of Pittsburgh) and Dr. Zhaozhu Qiu (Johns Hopkins University), recognized experts in the study of Cl− channels and transporters. They have assembled a fantastic lineup of 24 speakers from interdisciplinary subfields. Roundtable discussions on career development, along with poster sessions, are included in the meeting program. SGP is known for providing outstanding administrative support, ensuring a successful meeting will be held in a superb and historic venue. The overarching goal of the 2025 SGP symposium is to link the latest discoveries and mechanisms regarding Cl− ion transport to fundamental insights into chloride regulation with human health and, ultimately, new avenues for treating neurological and cardiovascular diseases.