The Third International Research Workshop on Alopecia Areata will bring together investigators working in this field. The purpose of this conference is to review the current state of knowledge and foster international collaborations for further research on this disease. The hypothesis is that Alopecia Areata may be a genetically determined, organ specific autoimmune disease directed against the hair follicle and mediated by T cells. Keynote speakers have therefore been selected to review the areas of Molecular Mimecry and The Genetics of the Mouse Lupus Model. Funding is requested to help defray the costs of the invited speakers and the trainee awards to enable young investigators or trainees to present their work at this meeting. The Research conference will be focused on the following latest developments in the pathogenesis of Alopecia Areata. First, the status of mouse and animal models and the recent findings concerning the immunogenetics of AA will be reviewed in the morning session. The afternoon session will be directed towards the genetics of AA and the role of cytokines in this disease. The recent discovery of the human """"""""hairless"""""""" gene and of Hox gene families in hair development will be presented. The evening session will be a poster discussion session in which new work will be presented.
