2016 Lymphatics Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Gordon Conference on Lymphatics has been running since 2004, meeting every other year, and uniquely brings together scientists who think about lymphatic vessels and interstitial fluid clearance from multiple perspectives. The meeting involves and attracts physiologists, engineers, developmental biologists, immunologists, cancer biologists, geneticists, and clinicians, allowing for a high level of cross fertilization between disciplines. The 2016 conference builds on the rapid growth in the field of lymphatic biology that the first decade of conferences fostered. Sessions have been designed to center around a theme that integrates speakers from various disciplines to further promote cross-disciplinary interactions. For example, a session on the lymph node in lymphatic biology will bring together presentations from the field of immunology to physiological analysis of how the organization of a lymph node and where it is placed in a chain of lymphangions affects lymph flow within the lymphatic system. Throughout the conference, talks will consider the emerging connections between lymphatics and the cardiovascular system, from platelets to arterial disease and lipid metabolism. Whereas the skin has been the traditional organ in which work in the field has focused, the 2016 conference will feature talks and even whole sessions that consider interstitial flow and lymphatic vessels in different organ systems. These include talks on glymphatics and lymphatic vessels that drain cerebrospinal fluid from the brain and may change the way we view molecular trafficking and clearance of waste from the brain. This issue is especially important in diseases associated with aging, such as Alzheimer's, where management of wastes is central. The meeting will also host a session devoted to mesenteric lymphatic development, function, and roles in intestinal disease. New disease perspectives will be discussed, including a session devoted to the molecular and clinical features of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) a disease that primarily involves the pulmonary system. The inclusion of this session is designed to dovetail with other talks that will consider links between lymphatics and fibrosis as a complication in multiple diseases. We will hear about the potential of novel therapeutic targets such drugs that target the mTOR pathway, not previously discussed at this meeting. Indeed, after a decade of building a basic science foundation in the field, both the critical role of lymphatics in many diseases and pathways that might provide viable targets for modifying their function are emerging. Many of these topics are entirely new to this conference. Although the conference has always fostered interactions between scientists coming from many different disciplines who do not otherwise have a chance to interact, this is especially true in the planning of the Lymphatics 2016 GRC.