2008 Conference on Cell Replacement in the Inner Ear

描述（由申请人提供）：要求部分支持为期3天的国际会议，讨论新兴领域细胞替代的基础研究，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。此次会议将是继10多年前在美国举行的第3次以内耳再生为主题的会议。这次会议非常及时，而且在包括内耳在内的几个感觉再生生物学领域取得了重大进展。提议的会议有三个总体目的：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内耳再生未来方向的优先顺序；3)加强美国和国际研究人员之间的合作，这对于加速该领域的进展至关重要。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。该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，以展示有关听觉、前庭和侧线系统中再生重要步骤的调节机制的发现，包括祖细胞增殖、细胞分化和功能成熟。会议被组织成特定的会议/主题领域，以帮助指导和集中教育经验。在每次会议上，来自其他领域的科学家将分享他们对基本再生机制的最新发现。随后，内耳再生的研究人员将介绍他们最近的工作。充足的时间将分配给研究人员讨论他们的工作，并比较和对比内部和跨系统的数据。主要重点将放在讨论当前可用的细胞、分子和遗传水平的工具，以解决内耳和其他系统中的特定科学问题。额外的重点将放在考虑影响潜在的临床应用，以实现哺乳动物细胞再生。公共卫生相关性声明

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.