Support is requested to provide partial sponsorship of the 15th International RUNX Workshop in September of 2008. This meeting will be co-organized by Lucio Castilla (University of Massachusetts Medical School) and J. Peter Gergen (Stony Brook University). The goals of this meeting are to share and discuss unpublished studies on the regulation and function of the RUNX transcription factors, and stimulate progress in the understanding of their role as master regulators of multiple processes in development, differentiation and cancer. Due to the wide spectrum of RUNX function, the Workshop has a strong history of bringing together scientists who work in diverse systems and from multiple fields, including developmental biology, virology, genetics, structural biology, and cancer biology. This unique group includes those who first identified the RUNX factors, defined their function and structure, and characterized the resulting leukemia fusion proteins. The Workshop will emphasize the molecular mechanisms directing RUNX function in stem cells, cell fate decisions, and cancer development. Previous RUNX Workshops have greatly accelerated the pace of discovery and enhanced our understanding of RUNX function in development and disease. The 15th International RUNX Workshop is intended to maintain this tradition, thereby serving to enhance future efforts in cancer research and treatment. ? ? ?
