ASGT was founded in 1996 to provide a forum for the exchange of scientific, clinical and regulatory expertise in gene therapy. The next meeting will be held June 2-6, 2004, in Minneapolis, MN. Young scientists perceive gene therapy as a future area of expansion in science and medicine and are anxious to become involved. They make up 1/3 of ASGT's membership. Funds are requested from NIH for Travel Awards and Excellence in Research Awards to help students and post-doctoral fellows attend this meeting, to complement their training. This is the only large meeting focusing on this newly emerging field, yet it's small enough (3,000) to provide interaction among investigators at all levels. Besides Plenary Lectures and Scientific Symposia covering many related scientific disciplines (cancer, stem cells, infectious disease, vaccine development, diseases of all tissues, immunology, vector design and production), the meeting incorporates a broad based educational component. This component consists of lectures and discussions devoted to implementation and monitoring of clinical trials, ethical issues in trial design and production and quality control of vectors, liaisons with industry, and regulatory standards. NIH and FDA experts have active roles in this educational component. """"""""Meet-the-Expert"""""""" sessions provide opportunities for direct interaction between scientists-in-training and experts. Besides poster sessions, a large part of the meeting is devoted to oral abstracts presentations, scheduled so as not to compete with symposia and workshops, enabling young investigators to have their voice. Abstracts by trainees are selected for special recognition and presentation at the Presidential Symposium. These activities are complemented by Corporate Symposia, focusing on industrial-academic liaisons in vector and therapeutic development. This emphasis on education and the opportunities for trainees who participate in this meeting makes it an exciting training modality. The annual ASGT meeting is the premier meeting in the field of gene therapy and serves as a rich source of information for the future generation of gene therapists.
