Vascular Biology Gordon Research Conference

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的几年中，我们对血管细胞生物学的了解急剧增加。特别是，我们对调节血管形成和形态发生早期阶段的基本过程和基因的理解取得了显着进展，并且已经确定了许多基因和基因产物在这一过程中起关键作用。此外，也许更重要的是，我们对各种疾病的正常控制过程是如何被破坏的理解取得了重大进展，并确定了许多新的潜在治疗方法。的确，干细胞和基因治疗结合使用的令人兴奋的进展为治愈或预防许多主要疾病的不良后果带来了希望，这些疾病包括高血压、冠状动脉疾病、关节炎、视网膜病变和血栓性疾病。然而，正如任何学科通常的情况一样，我们获得的新知识提出了许多新的问题和挑战，并给我们留下了深刻的印象，即我们研究的系统远比最初想象的要复杂得多。本申请是为了部分支持第八届血管生物学戈登研究会议，该会议将汇集学术和制药行业的研究人员、博士后研究员和研究生，对血管生物学领域的重大科学发现和挑战进行为期5天的激烈讨论。会议将于2003年1月26日至31日在加利福尼亚州文图拉的西海岸戈登研究会议地点举行。会议的主要主题包括：血管发育/血管生成；血管形态发生/模式；血管细胞诱导的器官发生；细胞-基质相互作用和新血管形成；平滑肌和内皮细胞的分化、生长和基因表达机制；机械刺激对血管细胞信号传导的影响干细胞的潜在治疗用途；血管重建;血管病理生理学。我们开发了一个项目，其中包括该领域的许多主要研究人员以及许多后起之秀。我们相信，这次会议将促进来自不同学科的科学家之间的互动和合作，并为激烈、坦率和开放的讨论提供一个环境，这将导致血管细胞生物学中新的可测试的假设和看法，并促进我们对大量血管疾病和潜在治疗干预措施的理解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our knowledge of vascular cell biology has dramatically increased over the past several years. In particular, there have been remarkable advances in our understanding of fundamental processes and genes that regulate the early stages of blood vessel formation and morphogenesis, and many genes and gene products have been identified that play a key role in this process. In addition, and perhaps of even greater significance, there have been major advances in our understanding of how normal control processes are disrupted in various diseases, and identification of many new potential therapies. Indeed, exciting developments involving combinatorial use of stem cells and gene therapy offer the hope of ways to cure or prevent the adverse consequences of many of our major diseases including hypertension, coronary artery disease, arthritis, retinopathies, and thrombotic disorders. However, as is usually the case with any discipline, the new knowledge that we have gained has raised many new questions and challenges, and has impressed upon us that the systems we study are far more complex than originally imagined. This application is a request funds to partially support the 8th Vascular Biology Gordon Research Conference which will bring together academic and pharmaceutical industry investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students for 5 days of intense discussion of the major scientific discoveries and challenges in the vascular biology field. The conference will be held at the west coast Gordon Research Conference Site in Ventura California on January 26-31, 2003. The major themes for the conference include: vascular development/angiogenesis; blood vessel morphogenesis/patterning; vascular cell induced organogenesis; cell-matrix interactions and neovessel formation; mechanisms of smooth muscle and endothelial cell specification, differentiation, growth, and gene expression; vascular cell signaling in response to mechanical stimuli; potential therapeutic uses of stem cells; vascular remodeling; and vascular patho-physiology. We have developed a program that includes many of the leading investigators in the field as well as many rising stars. We are confident that the meeting will foster interactions and collaborations among scientists from diverse disciplines, as well as provide an environment for intense, frank, and open discussions that will lead to new testable hypotheses and perceptions in vascular cell biology and advance our understanding of a wide plethora of vascular diseases and potential therapeutic interventions.