Gordon Conference on Myogenesis: Advanced mechanisms of growth and repair

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ABSTRACT The field of skeletal muscle myogenesis has undergone a tremendous growth in the last several years, including some exciting new therapies in neuromuscular diseases. Very recently, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This is highly significant, as before this approval, skeletal muscle had been considered the last remaining druggable organ in the human body without a targeted therapy. With this breakthrough, other opportunities await for the treatment of muscular dystrophy and other skeletal muscle wasting conditions. Similar to Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the next breakthroughs will likely derive from fundamental discoveries in basic science. In skeletal myogenesis, this will come from expanding our knowledge base for how muscle cells develop during embryogenesis and postnatal growth, how muscle stem cells contribute to skeletal muscle repair, how muscle interacts with other cell types such as blood vessels and motor neurons in the muscle microenvironment, and how muscle stem cells and myofibers regulate their metabolism and cell survival. Basic research will lead to the identification of critical genes and signaling pathways in each of these areas, and ultimately to the design of new therapies. The international meeting on Myogenesis, a Gordon Research Conference (GRC) has historically been viewed as one of the preeminent skeletal muscle meetings, attracting speakers and attendants from around the world. The purpose of this R13 proposal is to seek partial support for the upcoming GRC conference on Myogenesis: Advanced Mechanisms of Growth and Repair, to be held at the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort Lucca, Italy, on June 11-16, 2017. The overall goal for this conference is to bring together diverse expertise, including leaders in our field, to educate and stimulate participation and discussion among all conference attendees. This goal will be accomplished by performing two specific aims. Aim 1 will convene invited speakers to the GRC to exchange new information on the underlying mechanisms of skeletal muscle homeostasis and turnover in development, disease, and aging. These topics will be communicated through nine scientific sessions focusing on embryonic and postnatal development, regeneration, cell fusion, muscle/stroma interactions, energy regulation, remodelling, transcription and epigenomics, and basic mechanisms in neuromuscular disorders. In addition, four evening poster sessions will stimulate interactions between all attendees will specifically providing a forum for junior scientists to present their work and receive feedback from other participants. Aim 2 will enrich the education of junior scientists through the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), a two-day graduate and postdoc only conference that takes place immediately preceding the GRC. The GRS will conduct four sessions of talks and two poster sessions by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. These activities represent a unique opportunity for the next generation of scientists to present their research on myogenesis, interact with their peers, and form new collaborations. Achieving these aims will place the field in a better position to accelerate the development of new therapies.