? This proposal requests support for a scientific meeting titled """"""""Cicatricial Alopecia Colloquium."""""""" Most of the primary cicatricial alopecias have neither a known etiology nor a consistent clinical/pathological picture. Treatment options for the various types of primary cicatricial alopecias are limited and not uniformly effective in halting further hair loss, and do not reverse the process. The primary scarring alopecias have so far been a group of """"""""orphan diseases"""""""" and are thus a fertile area of research. Recent advances in genetic and molecular biology as well as identification of genes and signaling pathways that operate in normal hair follicle growth and cycling make this an opportune time to generate new hypotheses and research interests in the field of cicatricial alopecia. ? ? The broad aim of the colloquium is to stimulate research interest and research in the field of cicatricial alopecia. As part of the meeting, both clinical and basic science aspects of cicatricial alopecia will be addressed, with an emphasis on basic science and mechanisms of disease. Our expectation is that this meeting will provide the scientific community within and outside Dermatology a unique opportunity to better understand the molecular events underlying pathogenic states in the hair follicle and to stimulate future research that will lead to the development of new, effective therapies. Specific goals of the meeting is to provide a forum for: 1) Updating attendees on clinic pathologic aspects of cicatricial alopecia, as well as reviewing animal models; 2) Presenting the latest advances in hair biology, both structural and physiologic; 3) Discussing possible mechanisms leading to hair follicle destruction in cicatricial alopecia; and 4) Enabling participants to contribute to and plan for collaborative research projects. ? ? ?
