Support is requested for a conference on recent advances in our understanding of the molecular basis of cancer, which will be held in Taos, New Mexico from March 15-21, 1999. Despite the prevalence of this terrible disease and the public's well justified concern about support for a cure, regimens for treating cancer patients are still most frequently of the """"""""slash, burn and poison"""""""" variety. It is well recognized that only through basic research will novel effective treatments be developed and translated into the clinic. It is thus important to gather together a diverse collection of investigators who study basic cell mechanisms related to cancer. The intention of this meeting is to learn about recent findings in a set of related (and relevant) fields including cell cycle, DNA replication and repair, transcription, translation and apoptosis. New developments in these areas combined with recent breakthroughs in cancer genetics and tumor biology will bring the audience up to date in key areas related to basic cancer research. Finally, recent progress in key translational research programs will be presented. A previous version of this meeting, """"""""Tumor Suppressor Genes"""""""" held in Taos in February, 1994, attracted a large and diverse audience and was considered an outstanding success. The time is now ripe for a new Keystone symposium to update and expand on the key areas that were previously covered. It is expected that this meeting will attract a combination of active scientists (graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, PI's and scientists from industry) who will benefit greatly from being exposed to recent and exciting developments presented by leading scientists.
