Novel fluid/structure/field (FFSI) modeling framework in the context of ion channels (Cancelled) (22frg240)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "Novel fluid/structure/field (FFSI) modeling framework in the context of ion channels" workshop in Banff from August 21, 2022 to August 28, 2022.

Tremendous progress has been made in the past century in biological sciences thanks to
technological advances in experimental and measuring techniques. As was the case for physics and chemistry in
the previous century, biological sciences are at a critical juncture where further advancements
depend and rely crucially on the development of now quantitative tools. Mathematics will inevitably play a crucial role
during the processes while biology comes increasingly more quantitative as a scientific discipline.

Bio-ions and biomolecules are essential in performing biological functions in living organisms.
The understanding of their roles in nerve and physiological functions has fundamental importance,
as demonstrated by several Noble prize winning researchers since the prize was established.
For example, Cajal shared the 1906 prize for his discovery of synaptic transmission in neural communication.
Hodgkin and Huxley won the 1963 prize for their discoveries concerning the ionic mechanism involved in
the excitation and inhibition in the nerve cells. The detailed discovery of the functions of single ion
channels came much later, which was recognized by the 1991 prize awarded to Neher and Sakmann.

Real biological problems of ion transport are characterized by interaction on all scales and
no living biological systems can function without flows. Working on problems from living biological
systems requires mathematics that describes interactions of ions at the atomic scale as well as the organ scale.
These problems are inherently multi disciplinary and they present formidable challenges as well as
fantastic opportunities for modelers, analysts, and computational scientists.
Concurrently, renewable energy devices rely on ionic transport at increasingly large densities. Thus, similar mathematical challenges arise in modeling permeability in biological ionic channels and ionic transport in nano-pores of capacitive desalination devices.

In this research group, we focus on the modeling of ionic flows through ion channels, while taking into account possible deformations in the structure of the ionic channel. Such deformations can completely change the behavior of the channel, and have not yet been systematically studied, probably due to the challenges that such a study poses. Using new approaches, we are now able to consider these problems.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).