Kidneys Fail:Translating basic mechanisms into therapies

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The present application requests funds to support travel awards for senior postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty to attend the conference, "Why Kidneys Fail: Translating Basic Mechanisms of Disease Progression into Novel Therapies." The conference will be held November 8-9, 2005, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA, as part of the annual American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Renal Week 2005. Although fibrosis is a topic of significant interest in renal and chronic progressive disease fields, it has been the subject of surprisingly few meetings over the past few years. Major advances have occurred, and it would be timely to examine the progress that has been made outside of kidney research, as well as to introduce members of the community who are working on different aspects of this problem to the insights that have been obtained. Thus, the program will include investigators from other areas and those pursuing novel approaches in the kidney. In addition, a component of the meeting will bring translational and clinical investigators together to determine what progress has been made in identifying markers of progression, relating these to new basic mechanisms. Given the current milieu of academia, it is often difficult for investigators to attend multiple meetings; holding this in-depth meeting in conjunction with the annual ASN meeting will offer the opportunity for others working in areas related to progressive kidney disease to enjoy the benefits of both this conference and the ASN meeting without adding a second trip. The program is divided into 4 sessions: (1) Non-renal models of organ fibrosis, (2) Molecular mechanisms of matrix remodeling, (3) Mechanisms of cell injury and recovery, and (4) Developing new therapeutics for progressive renal disease. The program includes two receptions and a common lunch, along with coffee breaks, to encourage interaction among the invited speakers and meeting participants. Our past experience is that these more social events are an important part of encouraging collaboration within and between the renal and non-renal communities.