# Ion Channels and Transporters in Immunity, Inflammation and Anti-tumor Immunity

> **NIH NIH R13** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $18,000

## Abstract

ABSTRACT: This proposal requests funds to support an international symposium on "Ion Channels and
Transporters in Immunity, Inflammation and Anti-tumor Immunity", the 74th Annual Symposium of the Society of
General Physiologists (SGP), which will be held from September 9th – 13th, 2020 at the Marine Biological
Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The SGP annual symposium has an established reputation as one of the leading
meetings for physiologists, cell biologists, and biophysicists spanning across all career stages and professional
arenas. Each year the meeting topic is unique, chosen to highlight emerging topics of interest. The 2020 meeting
is poised to be especially unique and innovative: It will be the first international conference dedicated to the topic
of ion channels and transporters (ICTs) in the immune system. Effective immune responses rely on the ability of
immune cells to rapidly respond to pathogens and tissue damage. Several ICTs have emerged to be important
control switches that shape immunological and inflammatory responses during infection, cancer and
autoimmunity. Mutations in some of these channels have been linked to immunodeficiency in rare populations
of human patients. Nevertheless, we know virtually nothing about the function of the vast majority of the hundreds
of ion channels that are expressed in immune cells. This is in contrast to excitable cells like neurons and
cardiomyocytes, in which ion channels have been well studied and used as molecular targets for the treatment
of a variety of diseases. Major gaps in our current knowledge include a mechanistic understanding of how ion
fluxes regulate immune responses at the cellular and organismal level. This is a clearly missed opportunity for
our basic understanding of immunology as well as its clinical applications. As a result, there are currently no
FDA–approved drugs targeting ion channels for immunological disorders. Clinical areas that would benefit from
a better understanding of the role of ICTs in immune cells include asthma/allergy, autoimmune diseases,
antitumor immunity and immunity to infection. The 2020 SGP symposium will provide a novel opportunity for
immunologists and ion channel physiologists to discuss the latest advances in the regulation, function and
physiological roles of ICTs in innate and adaptive immunity. The purpose of this conference therefore is nothing
less than to invigorate the entire field of ICT research in immunology and to ignite broader interest among
academic labs and pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs targeting ion channels for the treatment of
immunological diseases. The specific aims of the symposium are to (1) Discuss cutting-edge science in the ion
channel and immunology fields and promote opportunities for new interdisciplinary collaborations; (2) Facilitate
the translation of basic knowledge into pre-clinical explorations and clinical initiatives; (3) Provide presentation,
networking and career-development opportunities for tr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10069908
- **Project number:** 1R13AI154684-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** STEFAN FESKE
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $18,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-24 → 2021-09-23

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10069908

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10069908, Ion Channels and Transporters in Immunity, Inflammation and Anti-tumor Immunity (1R13AI154684-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10069908. Licensed CC0.

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