On 25-29th of July 2026, a world-leading group of experts in gap junctional biology came together in the halls of the historic University of Padua, Italy, at the International Gap Junction Conference. Over the course of five days, the discussions spanned from the nanoscales of ion channel opening probabilities to clinical symptoms.
The physiology and pathology of connexins – proteins that form gap junction channels – is among the most complex areas of cellular biology. The same channel that is essential for maintaining tissue integrity can switch to driving disease progression under the wrong conditions. Nevertheless, clear trends are emerging from decades of research as connexins exist in two main forms:
✦ Gap Junctions – direct communication channels between cells. These are essential for maintaining normal tissue physiology.
✦ Hemichannels – incomplete, or undocked, channels. If opened, they can form pores in cells. These become more active in disease as the complete channels start breaking down.
Controversies did not go untouched, including:
✦ Are there physiological roles of hemichannels?
✦ What are the less well-known non-channel roles of connexins inside the cells?
A lot of this knowledge comes from cardiac sciences, where the importance of intercellular communication is emphasised through the connection of its disruption with life-threatening arrhythmias. Similar mechanisms exist in the liver, eye, skin and nervous system. Among these, astrocytes form one of the most extensive multicellular communication networks in the human body. Learning how to protect one gap junctionally-coupled system like the heart helps us create better therapeutic strategies for others, including the brain in Parkinson’s.
One message emerged consistently across tissues and disease areas: preserving normal gap junctional coupling while preventing pathological hemichannel activity is becoming an increasingly attractive therapeutic strategy.
For Cellestial Health, gap junctions composed of connexin 43 became the first strategic drug target, given their essential roles in astrocytic communication as well as disruption in Parkinson’s.
At the IGJC, Dr Nat Hastings contributed a unique patient-centred perspective on why and how gap junctional preservation is likely to alleviate the burden of Parkinson’s disease.
Stay tuned for more news on emerging collaborations.