Scientific backgorund
Signal transduction studies the molecular mechanisms conveying information from the environment into a living cell. This communication mediates the cellular and organismal responses to multiple environmental stimuli, ranging from cytokines, stress agents, growth factors, to pathogens. As such, Signal Transduction studies the molecular, biochemical and biological responses that all living cells develop to adapt to changes in their environment, including changes in protein conformation, enzyme activity and gene expression regulation, which ultimately results in morphological changes, cell migration, proliferation, differentiation or death.
In health, these mechanisms are tightly regulated and become responsible for the normal growth pattern of individual cells and the development of multicellular organisms as ours. In contrast, dysregulation of signal transduction pathways leads to some of the most prevalent diseases and pathologies, including cancer.
Studies in signal transduction pathways are of primary importance not only to understand how healthy cells work and communicate with each other, but also to develop therapies to treat pathologies that originate in molecular unbalances. At present days the field progresses as a consequence of the interaction of professionals form a variety of disciplines from Organic Chemistry to Medicine, from Physics to Cell and Computational Biology.
Only fifty years separated the discovery of the structure of DNA to the sequencing of the human genome. This fact is a direct consequence of the fast speed at which molecular biology techniques have progressed in a few decades. The promotion of exchange of ideas, discussion of results, and training of junior scientists around the globe is needed for the enhanced scientific understanding and development of improved therapies for a myriad of diseases.
SISTAM2010 will bring together scientists from around the world and young investigators from around the Continent working on a variety of scientific projects related to signal transduction research and human diseases that arise from their deregulation, such as cancer.