Symposium on Retinal/ Choroidal Angiogenesis

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Retinal and choroidal angiogenesis accounts for the majority of all blindness in developed countries. Because of its profound economic and quality-of-life impact, ocular angiogenesis is an intensely studied process and the field is advancing at an alarming pace. Thus, it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage the information coming from the growing group of investigators interested in ocular and retinal angiogenesis. It is time to take stock, to focus on the important and potentially beneficial aspects of the collective research, and to summarize our progress to date. The primary goal of the forthcoming Symposium on Retinal and Choroidal Angiogenesis is to promote the exchange of current information and ideas among basic and clinical scientists in order to foster advances in our understanding of basic mechanisms and development of therapeutic interventions for angiogenic eye conditions. Special effort has been made to encourage new investigators to attend, to recruit established investigators with both clinical and basic science backgrounds, and to provide ample opportunity for the two groups to interact. We have reached a point in this field where there is strong common interest among basic and clinical scientists in understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying these retinal conditions. This meeting will be responsible for fostering collaborative research projects that will provide vital new information. The symposium will feature a rich mixture of investigators, ranging from cell and developmental biologists to clinician-scientists from major research/clinical centers throughout the U.S. The meeting will be held in Nashville, TN on October 15 - 16, 2004. The program will have 8 platform sessions, dedicated time for poster presentations, and 2 keynote lectures. The program is finalized and includes basic information on molecular and cellular mechanisms of retinal and choroidal angiogenesis, detailed descriptions of in vitro and animal models of angiogenic retinal conditions, applications of new mechanistic theories to human disease pathogenesis, and novel therapeutic strategies for treatment of these conditions. The keynote lectures will be delivered by two nationally known investigators from the field of tumor angiogenesis. Kluwer Academic Publishers will publish the proceedings of the symposium in the form of a book, with each invited speaker contributing a chapter. J. Donald M. Gass, M.D. has agreed to write an introduction. In this application we request funds to support travel and registration costs of 20 young investigators and 2 keynote speakers.