This proposal requests support for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Microns and Human Disease, organized by Eric N. Olson, Safari Kauppinen and Eva van Rooij, which will be held in Banff, Alberta, Canada from February 11 - 16, 2011. MicroRNAs have emerged as key regulators of numerous diseases including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders and vascular abnormalities. The Keystone Symposia meeting on MicroRNAs and Human Disease will focus on new discoveries surrounding the function and therapeutic opportunities of miRNAs in human disease. This meeting will bring together a broad range of scientific and clinical experts in a number of diseases. Because the meeting will be held concurrently with the Keystone Symposia meeting on MicroRNAs and Non-Coding RNAs and Cancer, this meeting will focus on diseases other than cancer, such as cardiovascular, muscle, infectious, and neurological diseases. Joint plenary sessions will focus on microRNA mechanisms of action and the identification of microRNA targets, as well as the latest advances on the roles of microRNAs in stem cells. The meetings will conclude with a combined session on recent advances in microRNA therapeutics.
In the last few years it has become increasingly clear that microRNAs (miRNAs) - small segments of RNA that each regulate hundreds of genes - fulfill important roles in a variety of disease states like cancer, central nervous system disorders, viral, muscle and cardiovascular disease. Due to the apparent roles of miRNAs in multiple disease states, there has been a tremendous increase in interest in miRNA function and the feasibility of using these disease regulators as therapeutic targets and diagnostic tools. Based on rapid developments in this field, this Keystone Symposia meeting on MicroRNAs and Human Disease will provide insight and clarity regarding recent discoveries as well as facilitate interactions among scientific leaders, students and trainees working in this field.
