This application seeks partial support for the upcoming Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) conference entitled, Skeletal muscle satellite and stem cells, that will be held on June 16-21, 2007 in Indian Wells, CA. The overall objective of this meeting is to highlight recent advances pertaining to the regulatory mechanisms of myogenic stem cell and progenitor cell populations (such as satellite cells) and their role in development, regeneration, aging and myopathic states. This will be the fifth conference focused on satellite cells/stem cells and muscle regeneration. The increased participation from the first to the fourth meetings has demonstrated the need for a conference dedicated to satellite and stem cells. It is clear from the successes of the previous four meetings that this topic is of high interest and this meeting represents the only conference that directly addresses muscle satellite and stem cell populations. The biennial timing of this multidisciplinary conference has facilitated the presentation of new unpublished data that has generated considerable discussion and promoted collaborative interactions. This forum will focus on the identification of the progenitor/stem cell populations that are resident in adult skeletal muscle with a particular focus on their participation in development, hypertrophy, regeneration, aging and disease. Discussion will be directed toward platforms for cell based therapies. The sessions of this conference include: the developmental origins of satellite cells, satellite cell heterogeneity, satellite cell quiescence and activation, the molecular control of myogenic lineage progression, the muscle stem cell niche, satellite cell self-renewal, pluripotentiality of muscle stem cells, muscle progenitor cell differentiation and fusion, cellular therapies in disease and atrophy, the aging of muscle stem cells, and muscle progenitors in growth and hypertrophy. In addition, there will be a stem cell therapy workshop. Importantly, the participants of this conference will represent interdisciplinary groups that will provide a comprehensive analysis and integration of recent discoveries for the field. The conference will further promote collaborative interactions in an attempt to promote future advancements and translational initiatives directed toward the treatment and cure of patients with myopathic diseases. ? ? The overall purpose of a meeting on skeletal muscle satellite and stem cells is to bring together investigators in diverse areas of muscle biology and investigators outside the field to discuss the current research in the field and to consider the potential to translate scientific progress into clinical treatments. The field of muscle stem cell therapy, using stem cells derived from adult tissue, is at the forefront of this area of regenerative medicine. ? ? We fully anticipate that progress in this field will pave the way for stem cell therapies for a variety of degenerative, inflammatory, and age-related disorders. ? ? ?
