Funds are requested to enable scientists to participate in the Workshop on DNA Repair and Related DNA Transactions to be held at the Stanford Sierra Camp Conference Center, Fallen Leaf Lake, CA, Oct. 4 - Oct. 7, 2001. The selected speakers are current leaders in the fields of DNA repair and related cellular processes. Besides providing a forum for these experts to present their most recent results and ideas, the conference will facilitate wide-ranging interactions among all attendees through Plenary Discussion Sessions and focused discussion groups. Selected participants will be given the opportunity to highlight their research results in short presentations. To stimulate debate following the plenary talks. there will also be an opportunity for a limited number of poster presentations. The Conference's attendance is limited to 100 people. The participants will represent a well- balanced mix of individuals ranging from leaders in DNA repair, younger scientists new to the field, and experts in areas of research that link DNA repair to other cellular functions, e.g. replication, transcription and recombination. A concerted attempt will be made to include qualified minority scientists in the conference. The general focus of the Conference will reflect the explosive growth of the DNA repair field and the exciting, current data that emphasize the importance of DNA repair in human health, aging and carcinogenesis. The first session will feature a keynote address by Dr. Philip C. Hanawalt and a special lecture by Dr. Richard Setlow. The following plenary sessions and discussion groups will define areas in which exciting new information is emerging but in which experts may disagree. The session topics include: DNA repair enzyme structure, Recognition of damaged DNA and initiation of global genomic repair, Chromatin structure and localization of DNA repair, Inducible responses and cell cycle checkpoints, Base excision repair, Transcription-coupled repair. Overlap between DNA repair pathways, Transcription of damaged DNA, Translesion DNA synthesis, Recombination, signaling and other DNA transactions, DNA repair deficiency in human genetic disease, Repair gene polymorphisms, Role of endogenous DNA damage in human disease and aging, Genetic toxicology and cancer. The focused discussion groups will permit short presentations and exchange of ideas that will extend the themes introduced during plenary sessions. In summary, this Conference will examine DNA repair as a key component in the genomic surveillance that is so crucial to the overall integrity and function of cells and organisms. Recent discoveries have catapulted DNA repair into a pivotal position in fundamental research in the fields of oncology, aging, environmental health,and developmental biology. We hope to highlight the most promising and exciting avenues of research in robust discussions at this conference. The outcome and summary of the discussions are to be submitted to the journal, Cancer Research, for publication following the conference.
| Spivak, G; Lloyd, R S; Sweder, K S (2003) Workshop on DNA repair and related DNA transactions, a conference report. DNA Repair (Amst) 2:235-42 |
