Molecular Mechanisms of Fibrosis: From Bench to Bedside

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is to request support for a Keystone Symposium entitled "Molecular Mechanisms of Fibrosis: From Bench to Bedside", which will be held in Tahoe City, California from March 11-15, 2007. Fibrosis affects nearly all tissues and organ systems. Diseases in which fibrosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality include the interstitial lung diseases, liver cirrhosis, kidney disease, heart disease, and systemic sclerosis, among others. Fibrotic tissue remodeling can also influence cancer metastasis and accelerate chronic graft rejection in transplant recipients. Current treatments for fibrotic disorders target the inflammatory cascade, but they have been widely unsuccessful, largely because the mechanisms that are involved in fibrogenesis are believed to be distinct from those involved in inflammation. Because mechanistic studies are difficult to carry out in humans, numerous experimental models have been developed over the past few years to dissect the immunological and molecular mechanisms of fibrosis. The first of new therapies based on these models are just beginning to approach clinical testing. The goal of this meeting is to bring together academic researchers, clinicians, and members of the pharmaceutical industry to discuss the most recent advances in the field and to identify common mechanistic themes of tissue fibrogenesis in various tissue systems. By bringing together a diverse group of researchers, the meeting will provide a more integrated perspective from basic disease mechanisms through to the more pragmatic challenges of clinical trial design in chronic progressive disease.