15th International Workshop on Ataxia-Telangiectasia and ATM to be held in India

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Funds are requested for partial support towards the 15th International Workshop on Ataxia- Telangiectasia and ATM, (ATW2012) which wil be held at the India Habitat Center, Delhi, India (http://www.indiahabitat.org/) on February 07-11, 2012. "As outgoing Chair (Richard Gatti), I am fulfilling my last duty, that of reporting on a recent tri to India to evaluate the feasibility and advisability of holding the next A-T Workshop (ATW2012) in New Delhi, India, under the direction of Tej Pandita. The official target date is February 7-11, 2012. During my short visit to Delhi, we looked at several very acceptable sites with which each of you would be quite pleased (Appendix 1)". We expect to have approximately 60 speakers; half being selected by the Organizing Committee, while the other half will come from abstracts submitted in response to an AT/ATM-focused list of topics posted on the conference website. The remaining abstracts will be presented as posters, 150 of which can be accommodated. Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a complex autosomal recessive disorder that is characterized by a progressive cerebellar ataxia, telangiectasia, immunodeficiency, genomic instability, ionizing radiation sensitivity, and a markedly increased incidence of cancer. In addition, ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) was recently shown to have a role in viral integration which may provide a new therapeutic target for controlling important viral infections, such as HIV and influenza. The objectives of the meeting to be held in India are to bring together basic and clinical researchers, especially younger investigators, working on various aspects of the clinical and cellular phenotypes of ATM/atm-deficient models, the role of ATM in neural differentiation and development, immunology and the ATM role in the DNA damage response. The local organizing committee constituted of eminent group of scientists with their office in Delhi will make all the necessary arrangements for the success of the proposed meeting (see letter of commitment: Appendix 2). By providing a comprehensive and stimulating atmosphere, the ATW2012 Workshop organizers will promote scientific interactions, discussions and cross-disciplinary research collaborations among scientists from different continents and increase awareness in the Asian continent about the ATM disease, treatment, possibilities for A-T patients and the cellular/molecular basis underlying ATM related pathologies. Specific areas of focus of the meeting will include the role of ATM in the nervous system, mechanisms of neurodegeneration, the role of DNA signaling proteins in neuropathology as well as breast and other human cancers, and the development of new drugs that could correct the effects of specific types of ATM mutations that cause A-T. This will be the first A-T Workshop that provides a forum to discuss the near term potential for applying the results from basic ATM studies to possible A-T clinical treatment trials and, in the future, other neurological diseases.