Ephrins and Cancer

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The emerging understanding of the function of ephrins and their ligands raises the prospect of new insights to developmental and cancer biology. Recently, for cancers of the colon, prostate, stomach, esophagus, lung, breast, neuroblastoma, brain tumor, and melanoma, ephrin aberrations are reported, and linked to transformation or progression of malignant behaviors. The varied domains of expertise in biology and pathology, as well as molecular, genetics, genomics, and experimental Pharmaceuticals being applied to understand the role and utility of ephrins as mediators of normal cell function or as targets to treat cancer argue for a central coordinated gathering of researchers from these disparate disciplines and fields to share information, to develop synergistic collaborations, and to identify gaps and bridges to accelerated progress. A sustained, multi-year, annual meeting is esteemed to be an optimal strategy by which to affect building broader connectivity, more comprehensive appreciation for the different aspects of the field, and to demonstrate enhanced productivity in the biology, pathology, and pharmacology of ephrins. The aims of the annual "Ephrins and Cancer" meetings are: 1) to host a multidisciplinary meeting that brings the leading thinkers of ephrin biology to a focused gathering for updates on the science; 2) to target strategic invitees to fill "gaps" in aspects of ephrin biology related to cancer processes; 3) to promote synergistic collaborations through exposure, profiling, and demonstration of unique research strengths emerging in the ephrin field; 4) to publish proceedings from the meetings as a means of apprising the general cancer biology audience of advances in this arena; and 5) to promote engagement by underrepresented minorities or individuals from underprivileged backgrounds in health science research.