Programme

Preliminary description:
Minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and phosphate are essential for all forms of life. However, they must also be maintained within narrow physiological limits to avoid a range of pathophysiological consequences. Various organs, including the intestine, kidneys, bone, and endocrine organs, participate in the tight control of these minerals. Dysregulation of mineral balance, either systemic or local, occurs with age and during various diseases, contributing to cardiovascular, metabolic, and bone diseases. Recent advances in this field have revealed new mechanisms of transepithelial mineral transport, new modes of interplay between minerals, new endocrine regulators, novel pathophysiological consequences, and alterations in their control as we age. This symposium will highlight some of these key advances, ranging from cellular mechanisms to whole-organism and integrative physiology in animals and humans.