GDR MePhy

Dear colleagues,

We are excited to announce iPhloem 2017 – a workshop on the physics, physiology and genetics of sugar transport in plants.

The meeting will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark | October 5-6, 2017.

Meeting website: http://www.iphloem.org

The main topics of the workshop will be:
– Fluid dynamics of sugar transport and sap flow in plants
– Phloem loading and unloading
– Plasmodesmal structure and function
– Vascular architecture
– Bioimaging and biomimetics

Confirmed speakers:
Robert Turgeon (Cornell University)
Howard A. Stone (Princeton University)
Yrjö Helariutta (University of Cambridge)
Jessica Savage (University of Minnesota)
Alexander Schulz (University of Copenhagen)
Uwe Sonnewald (Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)
Ulrich Hammes (Universität Regensburg)
Johannes Liesche (Northwest A&F University)
Kirsten Knox (University of Edinburgh)
Jessica Gersony (Harvard University)

Registration and abstract submission deadline: 8 September 2017

Green plants are Earth’s primary solar energy collectors, and the vision of enhancing plant productivity to ensure population- and food security in the 21st century has stimulated enormous scientific interest. Using breeding and genetic tools, the goal is to develop plants with enhanced ability to perform photosynthesis and distribute energy-rich sugars across the plant body. To succeed in this effort an in-depth understanding of the physical and biological constraints on sugar transport and resource allocation in plants is required. The sensitivity of plant cells, however, has hampered the development of experimental tools to reach this goal. This, combined with the lack of appropriate biomimetic models has made it exceedingly difficult to shed light on several highly important biological processes.

By bringing together scientists from different disciplines for an intense working group, we propose to catalyze advances in elucidating basic mechanisms and constraints on sugar transport in plants. We will bring together leading and emerging researchers – as well as students – from plant physiology and genetics, physics, and engineering, in a 2-day workshop. Our goal is to create an interdisciplinary environment that can address key fundamental questions at the interface between physics, physiology and molecular biology, with strong impact on future crop development programs, as well as bioinspired systems.

We look forward to an inspiring meeting in Copenhagen.

Best wishes,
Kaare H. Jensen, Missy Holbrook and Michael Knoblauch