Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Nuclear Receptors: Full Throttle, organized by Carol A. Lange, Jennifer K. Richer and Karen E. Knudsen. The meeting will be held in Snowbird, Utah from January 10-15, 2016. Nuclear receptors (NRs) represent a large superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factor sensors for a diverse set of fat-soluble hormones, vitamins and dietary lipids. NRs orchestrate genetic response programs critical for normal homeostasis, and are required for reproduction, development, metabolism and immune function. For this reason, NRs have been investigated for over 30 years as promising targets for drugs to treat a broad spectrum of diseases including cancer, diabetes and other endocrine or metabolic disorders, obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, inflammation and cholestasis. Research on NRs has led to numerous successful therapies for deadly diseases that have improved both longevity and quality of life. However, significant hurdles remain that involve further detailed understanding of the major gene regulatory networks regulated by NRs, how these differ in normal relative to pre-disease and disease states, and the complex problems associated with targeting tissue-specific effects (to reduce side effects) and circumventing mechanisms of resistance. Thus, further insight into the full range of NR functions and interactions with co-regulatory molecules and signaling pathways is necessary for combinatorial approaches involving NRs in health and disease, and development of next-generation therapies. This meeting will bring together a diverse array of our leading scientists, including senior and junior investigators and their trainees, from academic, clinical and pharmaceutical settings, to showcase the latest science, highlight the use of innovative and emerging technologies, explore new directions, and develop collaborative and synergistic efforts in the exciting field of NR biology.
Developing a means to prevent and treat hormone-dependent cancers is of critical importance, given the significant impact these malignancies have on human health. Two of the hormone-dependent cancers, breast and prostate cancer, are the second leading cause of cancer death in U.S. women and men, respectively, and there is still no durable means to treat advanced disease. Emerging data suggests that steroid hormone receptors (SR) also significantly contribute to lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death. This Keystone Symposia meeting will discuss new advances associated with the mechanisms underlying disease development, progression and treatment resistance across the disciplines, and will provide a unique format for cross-fertilization of ideas and identification of novel concepts for preventing and managing hormone- dependent malignancies.
