PEMPHIGUS 2005-PROGRESS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Pemphigus is a serious blistering disease of the skin. It is a model auto-antibody mediated disease, caused by auto-antibodies against the keratinocyte adhesion molecules desmoglein 1 and 3. Rapid advances are being made understanding the pathogenesis of pemphigus and developing novel approaches to it. The first national conference on this disease was held on the NIH campus 4 years ago and was very successful. We now propose a follow-up conference-- "Pemphigus 2005 - Progress and Future Directions". It will bring together basic scientists and clinical investigators working on the mechanisms of, and novel therapeutic approaches to, human auto-antibody mediated diseases in general and pemphigus specifically. Up-to-date developments in our understanding of the causes and the treatment of pemphigus will be reviewed. The goal will be to identify are as of research opportunity that will most effectively promote our further understanding of the causes and the treatments of pemphigus, and to cross-hybridize ideas on how to reach these goals among interested researchers. The conference will be organized around two major themes, each of one day's duration: 1) Advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of pemphigus, and 2) advances in the treatment of this disease. Two workshops are planned to establish consensus among workers in the field on the diagnostic criteria for pemphigus and on the parameters used to evaluate the extent, activity, severity and response to therapy of this disease. There will be a poster session for advances that cannot be presented orally at the meeting. The conference is sponsored by two leading national lay organizations- one interested in pemphigus (International Pemphigus Foundation) the other more generally interested in autoimmune diseases (American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. We expect it will attract 100-150 scientists and clinicians dedicated to investigate and treating pemphigus.