The International Society of Differentiation (ISD) was founded at the First International Conference on Differentiation held in Nice in 1971. The purpose of the ISD is to encourage and develop research and communication in the fields of oncology and cell, developmental, and molecular biology through major international conferences and its principal publication, Differentiation. Membership in the Society is open to researchers in these fields with a professional degree or its equivalent in experience and to students enrolled in a graduate program leading to an advanced degree. ? ? ISD is one of a few truly international societies that are at the forefront of modern biology. Its mission reflects that of the NIH: """"""""To acquire [and impart] new knowledge and foster communication that will lead to better health for everyone."""""""" To accomplish its mission, the Society holds major international conferences which feature outstanding scientists of international repute as keynote and symposia speakers, and draw prominent scientists and researchers as well as students from around the world, all of whom come together in an interactive and collegial atmosphere. ? ? The 13th ISD conference will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii from September 5 to 9, 2004. Many outstanding international scientists will attend this conference, and young American investigators will therefore have the opportunity to share ideas, to learn new science, and to develop collaborations. ? ? The Conference program comprises the Jean Brachet Distinguished Lecture (named for the first president of the ISD) - given by Dr. Robert Horvitz (MIT), the President's lecture and two additional keynote lectures (given by Dr. Helen Blau (Stanford), Dr. Carla Shatz (Harvard), and Dr. Nicole Le Douarin (CNRS, France), respectively), major symposia on 1) Cloning, 2) Stem Cells and Tissue Regeneration, 3) Cardiovascular Genetics and Angiogenesis, 4) New Technologies/Drug Discovery, 5) Signaling in Differentiation, 6) Telomerase and Aging, 7) Epigenetic Regulation, and 8) Differentiation and Cancer. Each symposium will be run by a chair and will include three invited speakers. There will be four poster sessions and six minisymposia. Distinguished scientists in the appropriate field will chair the minisymposia, and the speakers will be chosen from the abstracts submitted to the Conference, with preference given to young investigators. A primary objective of this Conference is to encourage the attendance of promising young American scientists by offering special scholarships to postdoctoral fellows and students who will present posters and speak in the minisymposia. The program and proceedings of the Conference will be subsidized and published by Differentiation. ? ?
