MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF NF1 AND NF2 MEETING

国家神经纤维瘤病基金会国际联盟关于NF1和NF2分子生物学的下一次会议将于1999年6月20-22日在马萨诸塞州剑桥的Whitehead研究所举行。从1985年开始，NNFF联盟会议在这些重要的神经系统疾病的研究中成为许多基础发现的催化剂。这些会议提供了一个定期论坛，汇集了基础研究人员、遗传学家、临床医生和其他熟悉NF1和NF2的人，分享他们最新的研究成果和经验。NNFF联盟在NF1和NF2分子理解的快速进展中发挥了重要作用，包括克隆相关基因、建立诊断测试、探索基因功能、开发动物模型以及建立基础设施以建立患者-临床医生网络以促进临床试验。按照最近建立的模式，1999年的联合会议以小型形式组织，将邀请发言者、会议主席和少数选定的讨论者参加。将有五场正式会议，包括开幕之夜的主题会议。四次定期会议将有5至6名发言人，包括几名初级调查员，以及一名会议主席，他将向会议提供概述并促进讨论。演讲者将被要求将他们的演讲时间限制在分配时间的一半左右，其余时间用于所有参与者之间的公开讨论。1999年联盟会议的主题是“NF1和NF2：定义功能”，重点将是通过使用生化，细胞生物学和体内方法来探索这两个基因的细胞和分子生物学功能。这次小型会议，特别是强调公开和积极的讨论，将最大限度地增加对我们目前对这些问题的理解进行有意义和可能具有开创性的分析的机会。这次会议还将有助于确定我们知识方面的重大差距，并概述解决这些差距的想法、战略和合作。进一步了解NF1和NF2的分子基础对疾病发病机制、癌症生物学以及神经系统及其他细胞分化和发育的广泛基础问题具有重要意义。

Funding is requested to support the next meeting of the National Neurofibromatosis Foundation International Consortium for the Molecular Biology of NF1 and NF2 to be held June 20-22, 1999 at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in 1985, the NNFF Consortium meetings have served as the catalysts for many of the fundamental discoveries in the study of these important diseases of the nervous system. These meetings provide a regular forum to bring together basic researchers, geneticists, clinicians, and others familiar with NF1 and NF2 to share their latest research findings and experiences. NNFF Consortia have been instrumental in the rapid advances in the molecular understanding of NF1 and NF2, including the cloning of the responsible genes, establishment of diagnostic tests, exploration of gene function, development of animal models, and creation of infrastructure to establish a patient-clinician network to facilitate clinical trials. Following a recently established pattern, the 1999 Consortium meeting has been organized with a small format, which will be attended by invited speakers, session chairs and a small number of selected discussants. There will be five formal sessions, including an opening night keynote session. The four regular sessions will have 5 to 6 speakers each, including several junior investigators, and a session chair, who will provide an overview to the session and foster discussion. The speakers will be instructed to limit their presentations to approximately half of the allotted time, with the remainder dedicated to open discussion among all participants. The theme of the 1999 Consortium meeting is "NF1 and NF2: Defining Function," and the focus will be to explore the cell and molecular biological functions of these two genes through the use of biochemical, cell biological and in vivo approaches. This small format meeting, especially with the emphasis on open and active discussion, will maximize the chance for meaningful and potentially groundbreaking analysis of our current understanding of these issues. This meeting will also help to identify critical gaps in our knowledge and outline ideas, strategies and collaborations to address them. An improved understanding of the molecular basis of NF1 and NF2 has implication for disease pathogenesis, cancer biology generally, as well as a wide range of fundamental problems of cellular differentiation and development in the nervous system and beyond.