2011 Cilia, Mucus & Mucociliary Interactions Gordon Research Conference

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal seeks partial support for a conference on "Cilia, Mucus and Mucociliary interactions" to be held in Ventura, CA from February 13 to 18, 2011. This is an approved Gordon Research Conference (GRC) following successful GRC-sponsored conferences of the same title held in February 2005, 2007, and 2009. This conference is unique in its focus on cilia, mucus and mucociliary interactions. These fields represent specialized scientific disciplines that are highly relevant to each other, yet are rarely combined into a single scientific conference. The scientific importance of these interconnections with respect to biology, physiology, function and disease has been increasingly recognized in recent years. The past decade has seen major advances in the basic understanding of ciliary development, properties and function; epithelial cell differentiation; mucin regulation, production and secretion; and mucus functions and interactions that have increased possibilities for therapeutic intervention at the molecular level. The exchange of ideas at this conference is a driving force for this field that impacts primarily on diseases of the respiratory tract, e.g. primary ciliary dyskinesia, cystic fibrosis, bronchitis and bronchorrhea, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis. This GRC conference is a forum where basic and clinical researchers from diverse disciplines meet, interact, and bring new basic findings to the translational stage. The general organization is based on the established and very successful GRC formula. The objectives of this conference are: 1) To bring together world authorities and young scientists in the disciplines of fundamental process in cilia and mucus including ciliary assembly and function, epithelial cell development and differentiation, mucus/mucin function in fluids and mucosal gels, principles of mucociliary adhesion and transport, and related pathologic processes in diseases; 2) To provide a forum for presentation of new research findings and technologies, exchange of ideas, and the stimulation of new collaborations among basic, translational, and clinical researchers; 3) To integrate new knowledge by bringing together investigators using a diverse range of approaches including structural and mathematical modeling, bioengineering, imaging and computational genetics; and 4) To assure strong representation of women, minorities, and young investigators (junior faculty, fellows, predoctoral and post-doctoral students) through sound planning and organization of the meeting. The conference opens with presentations of Prospects and Themes for cilia, mucus, and mucociliary interactions. It continues with sessions on Development of ciliary and mucous components; Signaling and transcriptional control; Fundamental processes in mucus and cilia; Genetic approaches to understanding mucociliary diseases; Diseases of cilia, mucus, and mucociliary interactions; Structure-function relationships in cilia and mucus; Mucociliary interactions; and Life at the interface: cilia and fluid interactions. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The mucociliary system is one of the primary defense mechanisms of mammalian respiratory tracts, as mucus traps air-borne pathogens and toxins and the coordinated beating of cilia in the underlying fluid layer drives the mucus layer upward so that it can be swallowed. However, abnormalities in either quantity or physicochemical properties of the mucus produced by cells of the respiratory tract, or genetic defects in ciliary assembly or structure, leads to airway obstruction by mucus and resultant respiratory tract diseases. This conference brings together experts on cilia, mucus, and mucociliary interactions to update progress in these areas and stimulate new approaches to better understanding their impact on health and diseases.