Gordon Research Conferences on Mammary Gland Biology are planned for June 2007, June 2008, and June 2009 at Salve Regina University (2007 and 2009) and Il Ciocco, Italy (2008). These meetings encompass both normal mammary gland biology and breast cancer. These topics are currently the focus of intense investigation given the alarming rate of breast cancer in the United States and the western world. Furthermore, the benefits of breast feeding for both the infant and mother has become more apparent, and thus the biology of lactation is important to human health, and not just the dairy industry. The mammary gland biology field includes development, hormone action, intracellular signaling, lactation and secretion, involution and apoptosis, risk factors for breast cancer, experimental models of breast cancer, and translation of basic research to the clinic. Conference programs will include speakers that are at the leading edge of these specialized areas, and will be designed to foster interactions between investigators across different disciplines to enhance advances in all areas related to mammary gland biology. Because of recent advances in genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, the 2007 meeting will focus on integrating the development of the mammary gland with molecular physiology so functional outcomes can be appreciated in a larger context. Such an integrated approach is critical for developing new models of the mammary gland which expand upon a growing knowledge base of experimental models of normal function, and dysfunction including breast cancer. Topics for sessions include early development, stem cells in development and cancer, lactation, involution, tumor metabolism (the molecular basis underlying the Warburg effect), models of cancer, and translation of basic science advances to the clinic. The opening keynote address will focus on genes that regulate metastasis of breast cancer cells and imaging of this process in vivo. The closing address will develop a view of mammary gland physiology by integrating historical data with recent advances that probe the molecular basis for mammary gland development and function. The Mammary Gland Biology Gordon Conference is the premier conference in the field that stimulates cross-disciplinary interaction and supports career development of junior investigators and trainees.
