4th Annual Meeting, American Society of Gene Therapy

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): For gene therapy it has been the best of times and the worst of times. Rarely a technology in medicine has undergone such scrutiny, partly because of the broad promise that this field holds. The tragedy of young Gelsinger is partly offset by the successes in children with SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) who are now enjoying a normal childhood. Additionally, there are promising and encouraging results on the treatment of hemophilia and certain types of cancer. There are also exciting new results in several pre-clinical models. The American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) will hold its 4th annual meeting in Seattle, Washington from May 31-June 3, 2001, to discuss the latest and exciting results in the field of gene therapy. The three and a half day meeting will include 3 keynote addresses, 9-10 symposia (4 speakers/symposia), presidential symposia, special symposia on future biology, 20 colloquia (selected from submitted abstracts), 10-15 workshops (6-8 speakers/workshop), 20 education seminars, 20 meet-the-professor sessions, 3 days of poster viewing, high school student/teacher outreach program, public education, and corporate symposia. The general areas covered in the meeting will be gene therapy approaches to cardiovascular disease, cancer, genetic diseases, infectious diseases, musculo-skeletal disorders, neuronal disorders, and hematopoiesis. The workshops are designed to discuss the improvements in delivery systems, production of vectors, novel vector systems, and specific diseases. The education program is to acquaint the attendees of general areas of gene therapy to broaden their horizons. The "meet-the-professor" sessions are designed to promote interaction among young investigators and faculty members. Young scientists working in the field of gene therapy will have opportunities to present their work in colloquia and at the poster sessions. Based on the 3rd ASGT meeting and a recent increase in membership, we expect nearly 2,500-3,000 participants. We have planned a program where 10-15 percent of the participants will have an opportunity to make oral presentations. Because of the breadth and wide scope of gene therapy, we seek "cross-institutional support" for the meeting from the NIH, including, but not limited to NHLBI, OD, NCI, NEI, NHGRJ, NIA, NIAID, NIAMS, NICHD, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIGMS, NIMH, and NINDS. Emphasis on education and extensive participation of young practitioners in the field, give the annual ASGT meeting a unique niche. Indeed, in just four years, the annual ASGT meeting has become "the premier scientific meeting in gene therapy."