Biological cells exchange chemicals and electric charge with their environments through ionic
channels--protein tunnels filled with ions and water--in the cell membrane walls. Signaling in
the nervous system, coordination of muscle contraction including the pumping action of the
heart, and ion transport in every cell and organ are carried out through ionic channels. A
substantial fraction of all drugs employed by physicians act directly or indirectly on channels.
To underline the scientific importance of biological channels, the Nobel Committee awarded the
2003 Chemistry Prize to Agre and MacKinnon "for discoveries concerning channels in cell
membranes."
Ionic current pulses have been observed experimentally in a wide variety of channels in the
membranes of many types of cells. These current pulses are rectangular wave in shape with
constant heights and are distributed stochastically in time. The workshop will focus on the
hierarchy of mathematical models (from discrete to continuum) for ion transport in the channel
and surrounding baths and the gating mechanism for turning the ionic current on and off, as well
as numerical simulations and mathematical analysis (asymptotics, inverse problems, etc.) of the
models.
A limited amount of funding for participants at all levels is available, especially for researchers in the early
stages of their career who want to attend the full program.
Center for Scientific Computation And Mathematical Modeling (CSCAMM)
Computer Science Instructional Center (Building #406)
University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, MD 20742-3289