2019 Aspen Lung Conference: Exploring new therapeutic pathways in pulmonary hypertension: metabolism, proliferation, and personalized medicine

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ABSTRACT The PH field has increasingly recognized that the pulmonary vascular pathology present in pulmonary hypertension (PH) has neoplastic-like features, including the identification of key shared pathophysiology commonalities and has now spawned clinical trials of chemotherapy agents in patients with PH. The 2019 Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference will explore the common mechanisms found in neoplasia and PH, with the overall goal of translating our understanding of cellular metabolism, proliferation and signaling into more effective therapies for patients with PH. The title of the conference is “Exploring new therapeutic pathways in pulmonary hypertension: metabolism, proliferation, and personalized medicine”. The four days of the conference will integrate basic, translational, and clinical approaches while focusing on the following themes in PH: Cellular Metabolism, Hypoxia Signaling, Aberrant Cellular Proliferation and Personalized Medicine. We have identified 12 speakers who are outstanding scientists in their fields, who will present State of the Art lectures on these topics. Each of these presentations will be 35 minutes in duration, followed by 25 minutes for discussion to ensure a lively interaction which is a hallmark of this conference. We have a particular emphasis on including female and ethnic minority State of the Art speakers (54% and 38% in the planned program, respectively). Inclusion of trainees and junior faculty is emphasized by having two 15-minute oral abstracts following each State of the Art speaker (24 total), that will be selected from submitted abstracts. There will be two evening poster sessions for further presentation opportunities by junior faculty and trainees. The final presentation is by a Conference Summarizer, who reviews the impact and common themes of the entire conference. The conference proceedings are subsequently published for widespread dissemination. Two travel grants are awarded to female and under-represented minority abstract applicants based on scientific excellence. The conference has the following objectives: 1) To provide an international forum for leading basic, translational, and clinical researchers to exchange ideas regarding fundamental concepts in the pathogenesis and treatment of PH. 2) To stimulate interactions between the fields of pulmonology, cardiology and oncology with the goal of identifying emerging, shared interests that will lead to more efficient and productive research. 3) To advance our understanding of clinical and molecular PH pathobiology in order to translate preclinical findings to more effective, personalized therapies. 4) To challenge and thereby stimulate the scientific interests of trainees, attracting a new generation of junior investigators into the field of PH pathobiology. In summary, the conference distinguishes itself from other conferences in the PH field by serving as a “think tank” to actively discuss the current state of the field and identify the future directions for basic, translation and clinical research in PH.