Cicatricial Alopecia Research Symposium 2011: Lipids, Inflammation & Stem Cells

由凯斯西储大学（CWRU）医学院（SOM）主办的瘢痕性脱发研究研讨会已成为介绍和讨论瘢痕性脱发研究和临床实践最新进展的主要论坛。参加这次会议的有对皮肤生物学和疾病感兴趣的最重要的国际科学家，以及更多的初级研究人员、博士后研究员、学生和来自工业界的科学家。2011年研讨会的重点是脂质、炎症和干细胞-影响瘢痕性脱发疾病发病机制的因素，这是CWRU SOM主办的第二届瘢痕性脱发研究研讨会。2005年10月17日，CWRU SOM在美国国立卫生研究院校园举办了非常成功的瘢痕性脱发研究研讨会，推动了在瘢痕性脱发基础研究和临床实践中实施新想法。出席会议的人数大约在80至100人之间，有相当多的国家和国际代表。在过去五年中产生的研究势头导致了本次研讨会的计划，该研讨会将汇集头发生物学家、干细胞生物学家、环境毒理学家、免疫学家、皮肤科医生和头发移植外科医生，共同追求对瘢痕性脱发的病因和发病机制有更深层次的了解。瘢痕性或瘢痕性脱发是一组炎症性疾病，其特征是毛囊皮脂腺单位的永久性破坏，导致不可逆转的脱发。除了永久性脱发外，患者还会受到误诊、治疗选择有限、受累不对称引起的心理压力以及严重的瘙痒和疼痛的困扰。这些疾病是一个特殊的挑战。他们是罕见的，被忽视和许多仍有待了解的病因和疾病的发病机制。它们位于不同科学学科（环境毒理学、免疫学、脂质代谢、毛发生物学和干细胞生物学）之间的界面，这些学科提供的见解结合在一起，使这种疾病成为研究以炎症攻击上皮干细胞群为特征的疾病的模型系统。研究这一被忽视的罕见疾病显然需要不同领域的思想领袖进行多学科讨论。2011年研讨会的计划重点强调了三个主要主题领域：1)炎症和针对毛囊的炎症细胞，2)核受体和脂质在皮肤和头发生物学中的作用，以及3)毛囊干细胞在头发生物学和瘢痕性脱发中的重要性和命运。每个主题将有两个会议-第一个会议侧重于脂质，炎症或干细胞的机制和基础研究，第二个会议侧重于这些主题在瘢痕性脱发的发病机制，早期诊断和新治疗中的应用。我们将在海报会议中突出提交的摘要，并提供充足的讨论时间，并选择最佳摘要进行口头陈述，以确保该计划反映了从提交申请到会议期间出现的令人兴奋的新主题。我们将专注于鉴别瘢痕性脱发的新转化机会和比较疗效研究。计划在第二天举行的瘢痕性脱发研讨会和分组会议“新的研究方向，新的替代标记物和治疗策略”可能会引起不同科学家和临床医生的兴趣，对人类健康和疾病具有普遍意义。我们的目标是：1)通过促进在该领域工作的科学家和临床医生以及其他科学领域的领导者之间的互动和讨论，确定瘢痕性脱发研究和临床实践中最重要的问题和机会；2)鼓励培养新的研究人员，特别是医学博士研究生、住院医师和博士后，包括少数民族成员。为了实现这些目标，2011年的研讨会将汇集国际骨干参与者，包括来自学术界、工业界、临床医生和基础研究人员、青年科学家和资深科学家、分子生物学家、免疫学家、病理学家和皮肤科医生，在一个有利于自由交流思想的氛围中。“青年研究者奖”将颁发给最有前途的研究生和博士后，我们将为优秀的少数民族申请者提供旅行奖学金。研讨会将促进实验室和临床研究人员之间的思想和信息交流，以加速将基础科学发现转化为临床应用。研究进展日新月异，任何人都很难跟上所有领域的所有发展。研讨会汇集了来自不同学科的专家，他们可以交谈、讨论并朝着一个共同的目标努力——了解并最终找到治疗瘢痕性脱发和其他炎症性皮肤病的方法。该提案的具体目标是筹集资金，以支持青年研究者奖、旅行、会议主席和特邀演讲者的注册。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Cicatricial Alopecia Research Symposium hosted by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine (SOM) has become the premier forum for presentation and discussion of the most recent advances in cicatricial alopecia research and clinical practice. This conference is attended by the foremost international scientists interested in cutaneous biology and disease, as well as by more junior investigators, postdoctoral fellows, students, and scientists from industry. The focus of the 2011 symposium is lipids, inflammation and stem cells - factors that impact disease pathogenesis in cicatricial alopecia and is the 2nd research symposium on cicatricial alopecia to be hosted by CWRU SOM. The very successful cicatricial alopecia research colloquium hosted by CWRU SOM on 17 October 2005 at the National Institutes of Health campus served as an impetus for implementing novel ideas in cicatricial alopecia basic research and clinical practice. The attendance varied between about 80 and 100 with substantial national and international representation. The research momentum generated in the last five years has led to the planning of the current symposium that will bring together hair biologists, stem cell biologists, environmental toxicologists, immunologists, dermatologists, and hair transplant surgeons in their common pursuit of a deeper understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of cicatricial alopecia. Cicatricial or scarring alopecia are a group of inflammatory disorders characterized by permanent destruction of the pilosebaceous units leading to irreversible hair loss. Apart from the permanent loss of hair, patients are plagued by misdiagnosis, limited treatment options, psychological stress induced by asymmetrical involvement and severe itching and pain. These disorders represent a particular challenge. They are rare, neglected and much remains to be learned about the etiology and disease pathogenesis. They lie at the interface between diverse scientific disciplines (environmental toxicology, immunology, lipid metabolism, hair biology, and stem cell biology) and the insight provided by these disciplines combine to make this disease a model system for the study of diseases characterized by inflammatory attack on epithelial stem cell populations. A multidisciplinary discussion from thought leaders in diverse fields is clearly needed to study this neglected group of rare diseases. The program for the 2011 symposium provides a strong emphasis on three major thematic areas 1) inflammation and inflammatory cells that target the hair follicle, 2) the role of nuclear receptors and lipids in skin and hair biology, and 3) importance and fate of hair follicle stem cells in hair biology and in cicatricial alopecia. Each of the themes will have two sessions - the first focused on mechanisms and basic research of lipids, inflammation or stem cells, and the second, focused on the application of these themes to the pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and novel treatments for cicatricial alopecia. We will highlight submitted abstracts in a poster session with ample time for discussion and the best abstracts will be selected for oral presentation to ensure that the program reflects exciting new topics that emerge between submission of this application and the meeting. We will focus on identifying novel translational opportunities and comparative efficacy studies for cicatricial alopecia. The Cicatricial Alopecia Workshop and Breakout sessions on "New Research Directions, Novel Surrogate Markers & Therapeutic Strategies" planned for the second day are likely to be of interest to a diverse group of scientists and clinicians and of general significance to human health and disease. We aim to: 1) define the most important problems and opportunities in cicatricial alopecia research and clinical practice by facilitating interactions and discussion among scientists and clinicians working in this area as well as leaders in other scientific areas; 2) encourage the development of new investigators, particularly M.D. and Ph.D. students, residents and post-doctoral fellows including members of racial/ethnic minority groups. To accomplish these aims, the 2011 symposium will bring together an international cadre of participants including scientists from the academia, industry, clinicians and basic researchers, young scientists and senior scientists, molecular biologists, immunologists, pathologists and dermatologists in an atmosphere conducive to the free exchange of ideas. "Young Investigator Awards" will be given to the most promising graduate student and postdoctoral fellows and we will offer travel scholarships to outstanding minority applicants. The symposium will facilitate the exchange of ideas and information between laboratory and clinical researchers to accelerate the translation of basic scientific discoveries into clinical applications. Advances in research are rapidly evolving and it is difficult for anyone to keep abreast of all the developments in all fields. A symposium brings together experts from different disciplines that can talk, discuss and work towards a common goal - understanding and eventually finding a cure for cicatricial alopecia and other inflammatory skin diseases. The specific goals of this proposal are to generate funds to support Young Investigator Awards, and the travel, registration for session chairs and invited speakers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The Cicatricial Alopecia Research Symposium, to be held October 27-28, 2011 at Bethesda, Maryland will focus on presenting novel information at the frontiers of lipids, inflammation and stem cell research that can shed new light on the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis for cicatricial or scarring alopecia. The symposium, hosted by Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, will define the most important problems in the diagnosis and treatment of disease and determine how the latest research insights can be translated into potential new therapeutic strategies with the goal of further improving patient care. We will aim to facilitate interactions and discussion between scientists from industry and academia, health professionals, residents, students and postdoctoral fellows. We anticipate that this symposium will again foster extensive discussion and debate and will significantly steer the directions taken in basic and clinical research in inflammatory dermatoses. Our overall goal is to integrate cicatricial alopecia-centric investigations with emerging research areas in order to stimulate progress at the forefront of cutaneous biology, and to promote the development of novel therapeutic approaches for diseases characterized by inflammatory attack on epithelial stem cell populations. Enthusiasm is already high among potential participants. The topics are programmatically relevant to several NIH institutes, including NIAMS, NIAID, NIEHS and the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR). A symposium brings together experts from different disciplines that can talk, discuss and work towards a common goal - understanding and eventually finding a cure for cicatricial alopecia and other inflammatory skin diseases. The time is ripe for bringing national/international attention to this clinically challenging and biologically fascinating group of hair diseases.