Pemphigus and pemphigoid are serious blistering diseases of the skin. Rapid advances are being made in understanding the pathogenesis of pemphigus and pemphigoid and developing novel approaches to these diseases. The first and second national conferences on pemphigus were held on the NIH campus in 2001 and 2005 and were very successful. We now propose a third conference -- """"""""Pemphigus &Pemphigoid: from the bench to the bedside"""""""". It will be sponsored by the International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation, and will bring together basic scientists and clinical investigators working on the mechanisms of, and novel therapeutic approaches to, human autoantibody mediated diseases in general and pemphigus and pemphigoid, in particular. The goal will be to identify areas of research opportunity that will most effectively promote our further understanding of the causes and the treatments of pemphigus and pemphigoid, and to cross-hybridize ideas on how to reach these goals among interested researchers.
The Specific Aims of this conference are to: 1) highlight recent advances in defining the pathogenesis of pemphigus and pemphigoid;2) discuss the feasibility of setting up cooperative multinational endeavors, so as to: i) define agreed upon algorithm to treat patients with pemphigus or pemphigoid;and ii) conduct multi-institutional randomized trials;and 3) respond to patient's requests and needs for better information and for more rapid progress in the treatment of these orphan diseases. There will be focused presentations of the clinical trial data in patients with pemphigus and pemphigoid by the leading investigators from all over the world. The scientific presentations will be followed by an extended group discussion of the most urgent, clinically relevant issues that hamper development of safer treatments, and specifically address obstacles to organizing multicenter trials for blistering diseases. We expect the conference will attract 140-160 scientists and clinicians dedicated to investigate and treat pemphigus and pemphigoid.
The major goal of the proposed conference, tentatively entitled Pemphigus &Pemphigoid: from the bench to the bedside planned to be held on November 5 and 6, 2010 in Bethesda, MD, is to provide experimental and clinical justification for novel treatments of pemphigus and pemphigoid. The theme of this meeting touches on a unique facet of public health interest, connecting the basic science efforts (the bench) to their clinical applications (the bedside). It will identify areas of research opportunity that will promote our understanding of the causes and the treatment of pemphigus and pemphigoid and permit physicians and scientists interested in these very serious but rare diseases, who are scattered around the globe, to meet face-to-face and facilitate interactions. It will generate consensus on the terminology and criteria that should be used to describe in a uniform manner severity of the diseases and their response to therapy, a consensus which must be reached to allow comparisons among newer therapies being developed. This meeting will have a dramatic impact on the development of coordinated efforts of the international group that drive the field of immunobullous dermatoses. It will also demonstrate to patients suffering from pemphigus and pemphigoid that the scientific community is engaged in addressing their problems, and that NIH desires rapid progress in developing new and more effective treatments for their diseases.
