2008 Conference on Cell Replacement in the Inner Ear

描述(由申请者提供)：为一个为期3天的关于新兴细胞替代领域基础研究的国际会议申请部分支持，特别强调内耳。会议将于2008年6月12日至15日在马里兰州贝塞斯达举行。这次会议将是第三次在美国举行的关于内耳再生主题的大型会议，上一次是在10多年前。这次会议是非常及时和合理的，因为在包括内耳在内的感觉再生生物学的几个领域取得了实质性进展。拟议中的会议有三个一般目的：1)为再生生物学的重点教育提供机会；2)促进对当前科学数据的讨论和确定未来内耳再生方向的优先顺序；3)加强美国和国际研究人员之间的合作，这被认为对加快该领域的进步至关重要。最近的发现证实了通过替换内耳中缺失或受损的细胞(感觉和非感觉)来恢复听力和平衡的潜力。拟议中的会议将为来自不同背景和教育水平的研究人员提供一个论坛，介绍有关调节听觉、前庭和侧线系统中的祖细胞增殖、细胞分化和功能成熟等重要再生步骤的机制的研究结果。会议被组织成特定的会议/主题区域，以帮助指导和集中教育经验。在每一次会议上，来自对基本再生机制有重要见解的其他领域的科学家将分享他们的最新发现。随后，内耳再生的研究人员将介绍他们最近的工作。将分配充足的时间让研究人员讨论他们的工作，并比较和对比系统内和系统间的数据。主要的重点将放在讨论目前在细胞、分子和遗传水平上可用的工具，以解决内耳和其他系统中的特定科学问题。其他重点将放在影响实现哺乳动物细胞再生的潜在临床应用的考虑上。公共卫生相关声明 内耳感觉障碍频繁发生，影响世界各地和各行各业的人们。仅在美国，就有3000万人听力受损，9500万人一生中至少会向医生抱怨一次头晕。听力和平衡问题的治疗、康复和康复的费用导致了相当大的社会负担。听力和平衡障碍的主要原因是内耳感觉上皮细胞不可逆转地丧失感觉毛细胞；然而，内耳的其他疾病，包括血管纹的变化，也会导致听力障碍。目前听力损失的治疗方法包括通过助听器放大声音或直接刺激耳蜗神经，绕过受损的感觉上皮。目前还没有已知的治疗方法来治疗前庭功能丧失。感觉上皮和其他受影响的细胞类型的修复有望改善损伤后听觉和前庭处理的恢复。会议的目标是促进来自世界各地对再生生物学感兴趣的研究人员之间的研究信息、想法、工具和技术的交流。会议将讨论最新的基础科学发现，并将突出未来研究的重要方向。这种交换将活跃和关注内耳听力再生的研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Partial support is requested for a 3-day international conference on fundamental research in the emerging field of cell replacement, with special emphasis on the inner ear. The conference will be held in Bethesda, MD from June 12-15 in 2008. The conference will be the third major conference on the topic of inner ear regeneration held in the U.S., the last one being over 10 years ago. This meeting is very timely and justified by substantial advances in several areas of sensory regenerative biology, including in the inner ear. The proposed meeting has three general purposes: 1) to provide opportunities for focused education in regenerative biology, 2) to promote discussion of current scientific data and prioritization of future directions for inner ear regeneration, and 3) to enhance collaborations between U.S. and international investigators, which are recognized as vital to accelerating progress in the field. Recent discoveries have affirmed the potential for restoration of hearing and balance through replacing missing or damaged cells (sensory and non-sensory) in the inner ear. The proposed meeting will provide a forum for researchers from a variety of backgrounds and educational levels to present findings pertaining to mechanisms regulating important steps of regeneration, including progenitor cell proliferation, cellular differentiation, and functional maturation, in the auditory, vestibular, and lateral line systems. The meeting is organized into specific sessions/topic areas that help to direct and focus the educational experience. In each session, scientists from other fields with significant insight into fundamental regenerative mechanisms will share their latest findings. Subsequently, investigators in inner ear regeneration will present their recent work. Ample time will be allotted for researchers to discuss their work and to compare and contrast data within and across systems. Major emphasis will be placed on the discussion of current tools available at the cellular, molecular, and genetic levels for approaching specific scientific questions in the inner ear and in other systems. Additional emphasis will be placed on considerations that impact potential clinical applications to achieve cellular regeneration in mammals. Public Health Relevance Statement Sensory disorders of the inner ear occur frequently, affecting people world-wide and in all walks of life. In the United States alone, 30 million people have hearing loss, and 95 million people will complain to their doctors of dizziness at least once in their lifetime. The cost of treatment, habilitation, and rehabilitation of hearing and balance problems results in a substantial societal burden. The main cause of hearing and balance disorders is the irreversible loss of sensory hair cells in inner ear sensory epithelia; however, other ailments of the inner ear, including changes in the stria vascularis, also lead to hearing deficits. Current treatments for hearing loss involve sound amplification via hearing aids or direct stimulation of the cochlear nerve, bypassing the damaged sensory epithelium. There are no known treatments for loss of vestibular function. Restoration of the sensory epithelium and the other affected cell types promises to provide improved return of auditory and vestibular processing following damage. The goal of the conference is to foster the exchange of research information, ideas, tools, and technologies among investigators from across the world who share an interest in regenerative biology. The meeting will discuss recent basic science discoveries and will highlight important directions for future research. This interchange should invigorate and focus research in inner ear hearing regeneration.