? ? The 2008 LAM Foundation International Research Conference will focus on the molecular mechanisms of smooth muscle proliferation and cystic lung destruction that occur in the fatal lung disease of women, Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). This is the ninth annual Cincinnati LAM conference, which has evolved from a family/patient conference to a state of the art scientific meeting for LAM and tuberous sclerosis. The basic science sessions will highlight research on the cellular and genetic basis of smooth muscle proliferation in LAM, and will focus on the role of growth factors, sex hormones, genetic mutations, intracellular signaling mechanisms and changes in transcriptional regulation. Additional sessions will explore the link between smooth muscle infiltration of the lungs and the cystic remodeling of pulmonary parenchyma, including the the roles of lymphangiogenesis, elaboration of metalloproteinases and connective tissue matrix by LAM cells. Concurrent clinical sessions will explore difficult management issues in LAM, including hormonal therapy, air travel, pregnancy, lung transplantation and pleural complications. The Basic and Clinical Science tracks have been coordinated to allow all participants to attend keynote sessions and to traffic freely between sessions. A patient- oriented seminar will address key clinical issues for one hundred LAM patients and 100 LAM family members who are expected to attend, and will culminate in a summary of scientific sessions by the Basic and Clinical Track Chairs. A roundtable discussion on the last day of the conference will identify critical research directions and begin the planning for the 2009 conference. Each session will be chaired by an expert in the field and will feature both invited speakers and platform presentations chosen from the pool of submitted abstracts. There has been a conscious effort to attract established investigators from related disciplines who can complement the expertise of the current pool of LAM investigators. Discussion facilitated by conference chairs will be an important component of all sessions. Outstanding junior investigators will be awarded travel grants and will be given the opportunity to present their research in platform and poster formats. The goal of this conference is to provide a forum for leading experts to discuss the molecular and cellular basis of LAM, review the clinical management of LAM, to integrate concepts and to identify creative and innovative future research directions. This proposal will provide partial support for the 2008 LAM Research Conference (April 4-6, Cincinnati, OH), which is the primary forum for LAM research. The basic and clinical science chairs this year are Drs. George Thomas and Dr. Raymond Yeung. The primary objectives for the conference are to 1) to review research developments in LAM, 2) to attract new investigators to LAM research, 3) to identify promising new LAM research directions, and 4) to attempt to reach consensus on difficult clinical issues. (End of Abstract) ? ? ?
