2016 Annual Meeting of the Pan-American Society for Pigment Cell Research

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Pan-American Society for Pigment Cell Research (PASPCR) is preparing to hold the 20th Annual PASPCR Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland on October 5-8, 2016, spearheaded by PASPCR President-Elect Thomas J. Hornyak, M.D., Ph.D. The University of Maryland School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore will be the applicant organization. The meeting will be held nearby on the Baltimore Inner Harbor at the Royal Sonesta Inner Harbor, which has extensive experience sponsoring medical and scientific events for local institutions including the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The 2016 PASPCR Meeting theme, “Seeing the Light: Pigment Cells, Their Responses, and the Generation of Diversity” will focus upon the biology and biochemistry of pigment cells across the phylogenetic spectrum, emphasizing their normal and abnormal responses to environmental stimuli and external signals in normal and disease processes. Ample opportunity will be available for young investigators, including graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, to present their recent advances in pigment cell biology. A unique feature of the meeting is the emphasis on mentoring, with the opportunity for trainees and young investigators to learn from more experienced investigators in academia, government, and industry in both structured and one-on-one forums. The scientific organizing committee has identified selected basic and clinical scientists from the United States and Europe to participate in the conference as invited speakers. These individuals represent a diverse spectrum of experience and interests and have been chosen because of their expertise that is aligned with the overall theme and goals of the meeting. The ultimate goal of the PASPCR 2016 Annual Meeting is to stimulate interdisciplinary discussions between clinicians, basic researchers, and pigment cell researchers, leading to new collaborations and insights that will advance the field. Although members of PASPCR are well- represented at other traditional discipline-oriented conferences, this forum is unique in that it brings together investigators from different disciplines, ranging from chemistry, genetics, developmental biology, and the clinic, in an intimate setting in order to spawn new scientific interactions and collaborations. The overall objective of PASPCR 2016 is to increase our knowledge of the normal and abnormal chemistry and biology of the melanocyte, its role in the generation of species and individual diversity, and its contribution to health and disease. The specific aims of the PASPCR 2016 Annual Meeting are: (1) To highlight recent advances in melanin structure and analysis, in the pigment cell response to light and other environmental stimuli, and in genome-level understanding of melanocyte function and transformation using relevant animal models and human tissue. (2) To bring together melanin chemists and photobiologists, pigment cell geneticists, and clinical scientists with strong interests in how abnormal melanocyte function contributes to benign and malignant disease in a way that will lead to advances in the science of photoprotection, fundamental genetics and developmental biology, health disparities in pigmentary disease such as vitiligo, and the determinants of melanocyte transformation. (3) To provide mentorship, in word and example, to young investigators who are developing careers in the fields of pigment cell chemistry and biology, with a specific focus on identifying and overcoming career barriers in these fields to women and underrepresented minorities.