Hematopoiesis

Keystone Symposia, Silverthorne CO

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Hematopoiesis, organized by Leonard I. Zon, Stuart H. Orkin and Nancy A. Speck, which will be held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado from January 14 - 19, 2013. Hematopoiesis is the process by which hematopoietic stem cells self-renew and differentiate to form the peripheral blood lineages. This meeting seeks to develop a broad view of this process in terms of the self- renewal process, development of the hematopoietic system, and differentiation. Plenary sessions will encompass the birth of hematopoietic stem cells all the way through development of mature cell lineages throughout adult life. They will include sessions on developmental hematopoiesis that will explore the birth of the blood system in embryos, sessions on adult stem cell self-renewal, and sessions on stem cell niches and novel hematopoietic regulators. Particularly exciting areas of research that will be covered in the meeting include the identification of new growth factors that enhance stem cell decisions, advances in our understanding of transcription mechanisms using new genetic and genomic technologies, and new epigenetic mechanisms that regulate leukemic stem cell populations. The meeting will also address drug strategies that are being developed for clinical trials. Taken together, we anticipate that this conference will yield novel insights into the biology and potentil therapeutic uses of hematopoietic stem cells and their progeny for the control of cancer and disease. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Hematopoiesis is the process by which hematopoietic stem cells - the cells that give rise to all blood cell types - self-renew and differentiate to for the peripheral blood lineages. In the United States, nearly 10,000 deaths annually are directly attributable to blood-related diseases, and dysfunction of the blood and blood-forming system contributes too many of the leading causes of death in the U.S., including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke. The Keystone Symposia meeting on Hematopoiesis will gather internationally recognized investigators who work on blood cell development, malignancy, and anemias to develop new hypotheses based on emerging data.