Advances in Diabetes Research:Cell Biol. to Cell Therapy

City Of Hope/Beckman Research Institute, Duarte CA

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Each year the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at City of Hope National Medical Center holds an annual diabetes and obesity symposium in the memory of the late Rachmiel Levine, the scientist responsible for clarifying the nature of insulin action. This year's meeting is entitled "Advances in Diabetes Research: From Cell Biology to Cell Therapy" and is designed to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date presentation on the latest developments and technological improvements in diabetes basic science and clinical research. The program will cover a wide range of topics including genetics of type 2 diabetes, insulin secretion, islet cell function, aging and diabetes, pathophysiology of diabetes and its complications, stem cell and beta cell development, beta cell regulation, clinical islet transplantation, immune suppression and tolerance in islet transplantation, and new technologies in diabetes research. The meeting is expected to attract participants from diverse backgrounds, including well-established and young scientists, endocrinologists, diabetologists, islet biologists, stem cell and gene transfer scientists, transplant surgeons, and health care professionals who manage patients with diabetes, from both the U.S. and abroad. In prior years, the Levine Symposium has attracted over 300 attendees, however due to the magnitude of the topic at hand and the positive response from prior symposia, this year's program is expected to attract a larger number of attendees. The 2004 Rachmiel Levine Symposium will be held on October 6-9, 2004 at the Renaissance Los Angeles Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. In addition to covering a wide range of type 1 and type 2 diabetes topics several other features will be incorporated into this year's program, such as: a. A poster session on the evening of day 2 for young and established investigators to present new and exciting data. A travel grant will be made available to the top presenting young investigators to encourage their careers. b. Organizing oral presentation sessions to allow for select members of young investigators to present their data. This application is being submitted to request educational grant funding for the 2004 Rachmiel Levine Symposium in Diabetes to help support the attendance of a group of young investigators and foster the development of their academic careers.