In the past few years, the NIH has placed increasing emphasis on improving our understanding of beta-cell biology as a necessary step towards developing a definitive therapy for diabetes. In particular, NIDDK is promoting collaborative inter-institutional efforts in this area as evidenced by the upcoming formation of a national beta-cell consortium. To further facilitate progress and cooperation in the area of beta-cell biology, the idea of starting a Western Region Islet Study Group (WRISG) was proposed in the summer of 2000 to bring together 60-100 participants at an annual meeting to meet and exchange ideas. A strong emphasis on the participation of young investigators at the graduate and postgraduate level was proposed. An organizing committee was chosen of established researchers in basic islet and diabetes research from 6 geographically dispersed centers namely Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, and a membership database compiled centrally. The inaugural meeting of the group was held September 28th - 30 th 2001 at the Marconi conference center near San Francisco and was attended by 72 islet researchers from the western U.S. and Canada. The second meeting was held at the Victoria Conference Center in Victoria B.C. from Nov 1-3rd, 2002 and was attended by 86 researchers. Both meetings were a remarkable success, and provided an excellent program of presentations primarily by students and fellows as well as ample time for interaction among, attendees. The 3rd annual meeting of the Western Region Islet Study group is planned for September 19th - September 21st, 2003 at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle, Washington. We anticipate a continuing increase in participation as evidenced by the first two meetings. As with our last meeting, six topic areas will be covered: ? Embryological development of the endocrine pancreas. ? Postnatal islet development - ductal cells, progenitor cells, islet neogenesis. ? Islet beta cell survival and apoptosis. ? Regulation of proinsulin synthesis and insulin secretion. ? Islet cell biology - granule biogenesis, granule transport, exocytosis, islet cell contact. ? The islet in type-1 & -2 diabetes - pathology and novel therapeutic approaches. The meeting will center around 6 scientific sessions of 2 hours covering the above topic areas. Oral presentations of 20-minute duration will be delivered from abstract submissions reviewed and selected by the organizing committee (see below). A strong bias will be made towards young investigators in the selection process but consideration will be also given to favor women, underrepresented minorities and individuals with disabilities. Outside of the main program there will be one invited lecture and informal discussion groups. Facilities will be provided for job seminars if requested and a bulletin board for positions vacant and wanted will be displayed. The primary goal of the meeting is to bring together as many of the young investigators in the islet research field within the region and to foster communication and collaboration between these individuals and their supporting group. The meeting will be more than just a conference focused on a topical area of great scientific and social importance. It will be an important step in catalyzing further development in the field and unifying researchers for the task ahead: to involve the next generation of research consortia and strong liaison between academia and industry.
