This R13 application requests funds to partially support an annual interdisciplinary scientific symposium (""""""""Annual Gene Therapy Symposium for Lung & Blood Diseases"""""""") on essential topics associated with gene therapy for the treatment of congenital lung and blood diseases. The goal of this two-day fall symposium will be to bring together junior and senior investigators, and students and postdoctoral fellows that study gene transfer strategies, the pathophysiology of pediatric congenital disorders, and developmental anatomy/ontogeny for the understanding and treatment of human disease.
Our aim i s to provide an integrated and interactive forum for the presentation of new data and novel hypotheses for gene therapy applications. The annual symposium will be organized such that investigators in gene therapy and those focusing on studies related to lung and blood diseases who do not currently have an opportunity to interact will be present to discuss and identify crucial issues for study. The first day of the symposium will focus on the most current and timely topics in gene therapy. The second day will be dedicated to the theme of the meeting, with keynote and dinner speakers selected based on their areas of expertise. The theme of the 1st Annual Symposium will be stem cells, with subsequent years focusing on the fetus and newborn, in vivo imaging, animal models, and gene expression profiling. A competitive process will be established to provide stipends to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Students selected will present their research findings in an informal setting of a poster session. Minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities will be sought and strongly encouraged to apply. The symposium will be held at the Primate Center at the University of California at Davis. Funding is requested for planning and organizing the meeting, and travel and housing costs for speakers and those graduate students and postdoctoral fellows selected for stipends. Matching funds will be provided by the Institution to cover other costs. It is anticipated that approximately 100 individuals will attend in the first year, and that this number may increase in subsequent years. The Organizing/Scientific Committee will consist of members from research disciplines that represent the integrated/educational concept of the Symposium.
