Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

This year is the 22nd GPCR (G protein-coupled receptor) Retreat, a world-leading forum where top scientists share recent findings and innovative ideas to understand how GPCRs control communication throughout the body for healthy function. Importantly, GPCRs are targeted by many prescription drugs used to treat medical conditions such as hypertension, heart diseases, cancer, and brain diseases, among others. Knowledge transfer and discussions on emerging novel concepts about how GPCRs work are therefore critical towards new drug development in the foreseeable future. Since 1999, the GPCR Retreat has welcomed outstanding speakers at all stages of their careers, including world-renowned scientists including Nobel Prize winners Drs. Kobilka (Chemistry 2012), Südhof (Physiology or Medicine 2013) and Lefkowitz (Chemistry 2012). One of the core values of the meeting is to present unpublished science and to promote close interactions among all participants, particularly between student trainees and GPCR scientists. To promote a cordial and intimate environment, registration to the GPCR Retreat 2023 is capped at 200 participants, including women and members of under-represented groups. Students and trainees are central to this unique meeting. The Trainee-Faculty ratio is 2:1 with many opportunities for informal interaction with 12 student presenting to all at symposia, and two poster sessions. The meeting will include recognized leaders GPCR research, Drs. Kathleen Caron (Duke University) and Arthur Christopoulos (Australia), and 25 Canadian and international researchers, promising to be another outstanding meeting. This year, for the first time and to fulfill community outreach, we will engage the public with a series of podcasts by our invited speakers, made available through our website. Support for this meeting will enable Awards for best student posters and defray speaker travel expenses so that we can keep trainee registration well below cost.