This R13 application seeks support for the Fourth International Symposium on Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Disease (ALPD) and Cirrhosis that will be held in Hurghada, Egypt. The prior three Symposia were highly successful and generated a wealth of new collaborations that led to major advances in the field, and we fully anticipate that this program will have a similar, synergizing effect. This meeting will be co-hosted by the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Cairo University. Topics will include mechanisms of liver fibrosis, hepatic and pancreatic necrosis, apoptosis and regeneration, novel research on treatment of ALPD, interactions of alcohol and hepatitis C virus resulting in liver damage and cirrhosis. In addition, we will have four special lectures to be delivered by authorities in the field of liver and pancreatic diseases. The target audience is both established and junior investigators, as well as graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who work in the field of ALPD from all over the world, especially the Middle East and Africa. The overall aims of this meeting are to: 1) promote international collaboration between different countries with different populations of diverse genetic and social background who suffer from alcoholic liver and pancreatic diseases;2) share the resources available in various countries, thus adding synergy and unique ideas together;and 3) encourage young investigators to interact at an international level. By incorporating speakers from outside disciplines, as well as those utilizing novel models of alcoholic liver disease, we are confident that the meeting will create unique opportunities for scientific growth and collaboration, ultimately advancing the field. Written summary materials will be generated by the organizers immediately after the meeting for submission to a peer reviewed journal to disseminate the contents of the meeting as broadly as possible.
This application seeks support for organizing the fourth international Symposium on Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Disease and Cirrhosis, to bring together scientists interested in the damaging effects of alcohol on the liver and pancreas. By providing a forum for experts from many disciplines to discuss the problems related to alcohol abuse and share their latest data, new scientific questions and new directions in the field are likely to emerge. Ultimately, these will lead to scientific breakthroughs that will define new treatments for these serious illnesses caused by alcohol.
