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About Us

The Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Signaling (KU Leuven) has played a central role in Ca²⁺ research at the international level. Our expertise and interests have focalized on the role of Ca²⁺ signalling in cell function, pathophysiology and cell death & survival and its implications for diseases such as neurodegeneration, cancer and Wolfram syndrome. Hence, we decided to host the 10^th Workshop of the European Calcium Society (ECS) entitled “The Ca2+ signalling toolkit in cell function, health & disease”, which will take place from November 15-17, 2023 at the KU Leuven, Convent of Chievres, Begijnhof, Leuven (Belgium). The meeting will also honor Jan B. Parys, our colleague and mentor who is retiring in 2023. We are aiming at about 100-120 registrants from across the world. Furthermore, 12 eminent and emerging international researchers from top institutes and universities covering several aspects of this topic will participate at the workshop as invited speaker (see Page 2).

Intracellular Ca²⁺ signals coordinate a plethora of key cellular functions. Intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and dynamics are controlled by a complex network of channels, pumps, exchangers, buffering proteins, thereby effecting cellular processes through Ca2+-dependent proteins and enzymes, collectively called the “Ca2+-signaling toolkit”. While the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) serves as the main intracellular Ca2+-storage organelle, several other organelles contribute to intracellular Ca2+ storage such as lysosomes and/or are affected by ER-derived Ca2+ fluxes such as mitochondria through membrane-contact sites. During the past years, novel insights in the molecular composition, cellular function and accessory proteins of the Ca2+-signaling toolkit have emerged with ground-breaking and novel findings & insights published in high-ranking journals. Moreover, it has become increasingly clear that dysregulation of intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis and dynamics is an early hallmark and/or driver of a wide spectrum of pathophysiological & disease conditions. For instance, several oncogenes and tumor suppressors exploit Ca2+-transport systems to promote malignant cell survival and/or enhance cell death resistance. Moreover, several diseases for which the molecular basis was elusive have been found to have a genetic basis with driver mutations in genes encoding Ca2+-transport systems. Hence, this the focus of our workshop on the role of the Ca2+-signaling toolkit in cell function, health & disease is highly timely and is poised to spark a lot of enthusiasm across disciplines.

Given your commercial activities, we would hope that this meeting offers an excellent opportunity to reach out to the top labs & top scientists attending this meeting.

Therefore, we have set up a sponsoring program with different possibilities. However, if you would prefer another format or your sponsoring budgets may not immediately fit in the schedule, you should not hesitate to contact us for further information to work something out. We are very happy to discuss this further and explore opportunities to collaborate with you.

I hope you find this an exciting opportunity and really look forward to your positive response!

Best wishes,

Prof. Geert Bultynck
in name of the organizing team

Sponsoring levels

For all information, as well as for informing us about your decision and/or for further discussions on the modalities: please contact [email protected]

Invited speakers (all confirmed)

1. Rafael Fissore (University of Massachusetts, USA): The sophisticated Ca2+ toolkit required for the initiation of development in mammals
2. Natacha Prevarskaya (Universite de Lille, France): Calcium signaling in cancer cells: new challenges
3. Marek Michalak (University of Alberta, Canada): Interplay between stress sensing, signaling and cardiac excitation-contraction coupling
4. Ilya Bezprozvanny (UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, USA): Targeting ER signaling as an approach to treat neurodegeneration
5. Andreas Guse (University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany): Novel insights in NAADP signaling
6. Barbara Ehrlich (Yale University, New Haven, USA): Calcium signaling and neuropathy
7. Paola Pizzo (University of Padua, Italy): Novel concepts in mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling
8. David Yule (University of Rochester, USA): Lessons learned from in vivo measurements of Ca2+ signals in exocrine glands
9. Malene Brohus (Aalborg University, Denmark): Molecular segregation of calmodulin mutation phenotypes
10. Ana-Garcia Saez (University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany): Calcium fluxes in cell death
11. Martha Cyert (Stanford University, CA, USA): Systematic discovery of calcineurin signaling pathways
12. Gyorgy Hajnoczky (Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA): IP3 receptors and ER-mitochondrial contact sites

The meeting is also a celebration of the upcoming emeritus status of Jan Parys (KU Leuven, Belgium), who will give the opening lecture at the meeting.

Invited speakers cover a broad range of Ca2+ research from across the globe. The international speakers are from different career stages from emerging postdocs up to established, senior principle investigators. The selection of invited speakers has also been established with respect for equity, diversity and inclusion. Moreover, gender balance has been aimed for so that speakers from the same gender were within the 33-66% range.