Neuroimmunophysiology in the Gastrointestinal Tract

描述(申请人提供)：本申请申请资助将于2008年9月18-21日在加拿大艾伯塔省班夫举行的胃肠道神经免疫生理学会议的部分资金。会议的总体目标是强调有助于正常肠道稳态的调控系统之间存在的复杂相互关系，以及偏离正常标准可能导致各种胃肠道疾病状态的方式。上一次关于这一主题的会议是在1992年举行的，当时对胃肠道生物学综合调节的调查还处于初级阶段，并被认为是建立了这一胃肠道研究领域的功臣。计划中的会议将重点讨论自那次会议以来取得的无数进展，以及在一定程度上受到前一次会议推动的全新调查领域。四个半天的科学会议将围绕以下主题举行：(1)胃肠道上皮细胞：与外部世界的接口；(2)肠道神经系统；(3)粘膜调节机制；(4)疾病模型和翻译研究。还将举办一次招贴会，专门旨在促进受训人员的参与。受邀的发言者和会议主席是一个国际团体，其中23人来自北美所有地区，7人来自欧洲。组织者还特别努力邀请妇女、少数族裔和年轻调查人员作为演讲嘉宾。申请的PI是一名女性，另外八名发言者也是女性；有一名少数族裔发言人和八名有资格成为年轻调查人员的人。寻求的资金将部分支付受邀演讲者和年轻调查人员的费用，他们将展示海报。其他资金将从行业、加拿大组织和私人基金会寻求。我们预计，这次会议将在促进这一领域的研究方面发挥独特的作用，使基础和临床研究人员之间能够进行有意义的交流，并将激励初级研究人员的职业生涯。我们对胃肠功能综合调节的关注应该能够开发新的策略来了解、治疗并最终治愈各种消化系统疾病状态。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests funding in partial support of a conference entitled Neuroimmunophysiology in the Gastrointestinal Tract to be held September 18- 21, 2008 in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The overarching goal of the conference is to emphasize the complex interrelationships that exist among and between the regulatory systems that contribute to normal intestinal homeostasis, and the ways in which deviations from the norm can lead to a variety of gastrointestinal disease states. A previous conference on this topic was held in 1992 when investigations into the integrated regulation of gastrointestinal biology were in their infancy, and has been credited with establishing this field of GI research. The planned meeting will focus on the myriad advances since that time and wholly new areas of investigation that were spurred, in part, by the previous meeting. Four half day scientific sessions will be held on the following topics: (1) GI epithelium: interface with the outside world; (2) The enteric nervous system; (3) Mucosal regulatory mechanisms; and (4) Models of disease and translational research. There will also be a poster session aimed particularly at promoting the involvement of trainees. The invited speakers and session chairs are an international group, with 23 from all areas of North America and seven from Europe. The organizers have also made a special effort to invite women, minorities and young investigators as speakers. The PI of the application is a woman as are eight additional speakers; there is one racial minority speaker and eight who qualify as young investigators. Funds are sought to partially defray expenses of invited speakers and young investigators who will present posters. Other funding will be sought from industry, Canadian organizations, and private foundations. We anticipate that the conference will play a unique role in furthering research in this area, will enable meaningful interchanges between basic and clinical investigators, and will inspire the careers of junior investigators. Our focus on the integrated regulation of gastrointestinal function should enable the development of new strategies to understand, treat and ultimately cure a variety of digestive disease states.