2007 Vascular Cell Biology Gordon Research Conference

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): [unreadable] [unreadable] Funds are requested to support the Gordon Research Conference on "Vascular Biology" to be held February 11-16, 2007 in Ventura, CA. The conference will cover a variety of topics including development of the vascular system, junctional communication, intracellular signaling, angiogenesis in reproduction, tissue specifications of vascular beds, proteases and matrix, and angiogenic and anti-angiogenic therapies. The meeting will bring together speakers, discussants and participants that represent a wide range of disciplines, approaches and systems. The small size of the conference and the informal atmosphere will facilitate discussion and interactions. Recent developments in the study of the control of vascular biology, such as inflammation and the use of systems biology make this a particularly timely meeting. SIGNIFICANCE: The study of vascular biology has been proceeding at a remarkable pace. Many new molecules relevant to vascular development and angiogenesis have been discovered in the last 2 years. These developments have applicability in many diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammation. A timely review of the latest developments is essential in the fast moving field. APPROACH: The proposal will utilize the Gordon Conference format, which has been very successful, by providing an informal location and atmosphere that promotes scientific interactions. The relatively small size of the meeting (150 participants) and diversity of participants makes for an excellent exchange of ideas among both senior and junior investigators. The meeting will begin on a Sunday evening and end on Thursday. Each session is thematic and will be chaired by a Discussion Leader. A total of 31 speakers and 7 discussion leaders will be chosen. Topics include extracellular matrix signaling, apoptosis, vascular cell differentiation, tumor angiogenesis and tumor niches, endothelial cell junctions and permeability, immunology, vascular tube formation, and signaling transduction and integration. A listing of speakers and discussion leaders includes many of the leaders in the field (Iruela-Arispe, Hood, Nabel, Simons). In addition to lectures there will be posters selected from submitted abstracts. Only two posters per lab will be permitted to encourage diversity. A poster "contest" will also occur. The meeting is unique in its focus and size. Participants will be selected to provide a broad representation from all scientists including both clinical investigators and representatives from industry. Particular attention will be paid to women and minorities. The conference will be widely advertised and has a web site. Based on information from the previous meeting (esp. feedback from participants), and statistics regarding demographics of the previous participants, we have chosen topics and speakers to achieve diversity and address new areas (e.g. systems biology) within the field. The requested funds will be used to cover meeting fees and travel expenses of the speakers, chair and co-chair as well as 15 students and fellows. Total cost for the conference is estimated at $80,000 of which $23,500 will come from the GRC Chair's fund, $26,500 from industry and the remainder ($30,000) from the NIH. INVESTIGATORS: Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D., will be the principal investigator. He is an experienced organizer of Gordon Research conferences having chaired the Angiotensin II conference and serving as Vice-chair of the Vascular Biology conference in 2005. The Vice-chair, Michael Simons, M.D., will assist Dr. Berk in organizing and running the conference. ENVIRONMENT: The meeting site has excellent facilities in terms of audiovisual support, accessibility, quality of rooms and food, size of conference rooms, and many areas for interactions among speakers and participants. We believe this will be an excellent Gordon Research conference based on the timeliness of the subject matter, the excellence of the organization and program content, the excellence of the proposed speakers, and the meeting facilities. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]