2nd TMJ Bioengineering Conference

描述（申请人提供）：颞下颌关节（TMJ）是人体最复杂的关节之一。尽管有大量的患者和与大量TMJ疾病相关的显著发病率，但人们对TMJ的了解不如对身体其他主要关节的了解。所有其他关节都在骨科的保护伞下，但与骨科社区不同的是，TMJ研究社区没有组织生物工程师，科学家和临床医生之间开放交流的论坛。2006年，nidcr主办的TMJ生物工程会议取得了成功，该会议开始在以前不同的子社区之间建立联系，并在最近的《生物医学工程年鉴》上发表了一篇文章。作为后续行动，我们建议继续向前发展的势头，自然地发展到定于2009年5月27日至30日在纽约举行的第二届TMJ生物工程会议。提议的会议直接讨论了最近（2007年9月）明确的NIDCR概念“利用炎症重建口腔和颅面组织”，会议集中在重建和炎症上，并且TMJ生物工程代表了口腔和颅面重建的重要组成部分。会议的总体目标是组织一个专门致力于TMJ的科学会议，以推进TMJ研究领域，并加强临床医生，科学家和生物工程师在这一追求中的连续性。这一总体目标将通过以下具体目标来实现：1)为NIDCR TMJD项目提供关于将推动该领域发展的新颖科学方法和关键研究课题的建议；2)为当前的治疗和科学知识建立基准；3)引入与TMJ研究相关领域专家的外部观点。拟议会议的一个切实成果将是确定和确定研究优先事项，并将直接传达给NIDCR（目标1）。通过将TMJ研究和临床治疗方面的专家（目标2）与高度相关领域的专家（目标3）聚集在一起，提议的会议将努力集思广益，以满足研究需求和解决方案，以理解病理学（如疼痛和炎症），提高诊断（如成像和生物力学），并制定新的治疗策略（如组织工程）。总共有30位受邀演讲者将在3个主要会议上发言，与前一届会议相比，会议的改进之处将是纳入抽象意见书，以使科学内容和讨论的范围多样化，以产生兴趣，并提高出席率。第一次会议通过出版物向生物工程界传播重点研究方向，而目前提议的第二届TMJ生物工程会议将通过向NIDCR提供建议来完成这个循环，NIDCR将为TMJ研究领域确定适当的资助机制，并创建pa和/或rfa来推动和实现确定的高优先级研究领域。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most complex articulations in the body. Despite the tremendous patient population and the significant morbidity related to a plethora of TMJ disorders, the TMJ is not nearly as well understood as other major joints of the body. All other joints fall under the umbrella of orthopaedics, but unlike the orthopaedic community, there has been no organized forum for open exchange between bioengineers, scientists and clinicians in the TMJ research community. As a follow-up to the success of the 1st NIDCR-sponsored TMJ Bioengineering Conference in 2006, which began building these ties among the previously disparate sub-communities and resulted in a recent publication in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering, we are proposing to continue the forward momentum with a natural evolution to the 2nd TMJ Bioengineering Conference, scheduled for May 27-30, 2009 in New York City. The proposed conference speaks directly to the recently (September 2007) cleared NIDCR concept for "harnessing inflammation for reconstruction of oral and craniofacial tissues," with sessions focused on both reconstruction and inflammation, and with TMJ bioengineering representing a crucial contingent of oral and craniofacial reconstruction. The overall meeting objective is to organize a scientific conference exclusively dedicated to the TMJ, to advance the field of TMJ research and strengthen the continuity among clinicians, scientists and bioengineers in this pursuit. This overall objective will be addressed by the following specific objectives: 1) to provide recommendations to the NIDCR TMJD Program on novel scientific approaches and critical research topics that will advance the field, 2) to establish a benchmark for current treatments and scientific knowledge, and 3) to bring outside perspective from experts in areas pertinent to TMJ research. A tangible outcome of the proposed meeting will be the identification and establishment of research priorities that will be communicated directly to the NIDCR (Objective 1). By bringing experts in TMJ research and clinical treatment (Objective 2) together with experts in highly relevant fields (Objective 3), the proposed conference endeavors to brainstorm new ideas for research needs and solutions for understanding pathology (e.g., pain and inflammation), for improving diagnosis (e.g., imaging and biomechanics), and for developing new treatment strategies (e.g., tissue engineering). In total, 30 invited speakers will present over the course of 3 major sessions, and an improvement over the previous conference will be the incorporation of abstract submissions to diversify the scope of scientific content and discussion, to generate interest, and to boost attendance. Whereas the first conference disseminated focused research directions to the bioengineering community via publication, the currently proposed 2nd TMJ Bioengineering Conference will serve to close the loop by offering recommendations to the NIDCR, which is in a position to identify appropriate funding mechanisms for the area of TMJ research, and to create the PAs and/or RFAs to drive and enable identified high priority research areas. Project Narrative: Disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), commonly known as the jaw joint, affect more than 10 million Americans, causing agonizing pain and difficulty in simple activities such as eating, talking, and yawning. The purpose of this conference is to develop identify areas of research need and formally present these high priority needs as a formal recommendation to the NIDCR for future program priorities. The ultimate goal is to advance the field of TMJ research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ disorders.