COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY CONFERENCE MECHANISMS AND MODELS OF CANCER August 12 - 16, 2014 Recent years have produced transformative discoveries revealing the mechanisms behind the development and progression of cancer and the implementation of targeted cancer therapies in the clinic based on these discoveries. Collectively these advances are improving both the quality of life and overall survival of cancer patients. There have been stunning technological developments that we now have at our disposal with which to interrogate the cancer genome and epigenome, and examine tumor stem cells, heterogeneity and the emergence of metastasis. We can turn oncogenes and tumor suppressor on an off at will in vivo to determine their function, examine the three-dimensional structure of oncogenic proteins and develop small molecule inhibitors or antagonistic antibodies, and can visualize the metabolic pathways cancer cells engage. Dissemination and use of these technologies, models and mechanism-based approaches in this fast-moving field is greatly facilitated by meetings that bring investigators together to present and openly discuss their latest unpublished research findings. We also need to train the next generation leaders in the field, and an essential part of that is this fantastic opportunity for young investigators, such as graduate students and postdocs, to present their work and interact one-on-one with senior investigators. This Mechanisms and Models for Cancer meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is one of the best vehicles for materializing the next intellectual leaps in cancer research and propelling the field into the futue to the benefit of cancer patients. The precise scope of the individual sessions will be decided on the basis of the openly submitted abstracts. Each session will be chaired by two established scientists in the field including the organizers, who will establish the format of each session based on the submitted abstracts. The chairs will introduce and give an overview of the topics in their sessions. Particular attention will be given to encouraging the active participation of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and new investigators, as well as the attendance of leading scientists in the field. Two leading experts in diverse areas of cancer genetics will deliver keynote addresses during the conference. It is anticipated that the meeting will provide unique opportunities for the exchange of data and ideas by both junior and senior investigators in different areas of research as they apply to cancer genetics and tumor suppressor genes. Given the success of past meetings held at CSHL on this topic between 1996 and 2012, we anticipate the attendance of about 400 scientists from laboratories around the world.
COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY CONFERENCE MECHANISMS AND MODELS OF CANCER August 12 - 16, 2014 Cancer is a deadly disease that will afflict one out of every two to three people in the developed world in their lifetime. In recent years, great progress has been made in understanding how cancer develops and progresses. Sophisticated and elegant models now exist for many types of cancer, and we understand in great detail the molecular and cellular changes that promote cancer. Collectively these advances are improving both the quality of life and overall survival of cancer patients. However despite these advances, huge challenges still remain. Dramatic responses to the new, targeted therapies are often only transient, necessitating that we investigate combination therapy and mechanisms of resistance. To stimulate innovation and cross-disciplinary interactions related to improving our understanding of cancer, we propose to convene a group of outstanding basic and clinical researchers studying the development and progression of cancer in a variety of model systems, in an international meeting entitled Mechanisms and Models of Cancer at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in August 2014.
