Systemic lupus is a heterogenous, and unpredictable disorder of the immune system with varied pathophysologic mechanisms that have been implicated, and protean clinical manifestations. Clinical and scientific advances, education, and treatment development for lupus are complicated challenges that require the building of support for international studies and international drug development. The Seventh International Congress on Lupus will be held in New York City on May 9-13, 2004. The theme of this meeting is Collaboration. ? ? The Specific Aims are: ? ? 1. To provide an intense, four day forum that will present more comprehensive, focused international lupus research than is found at any other kind of meeting, and to prescreen this material on a level ? consistent with the standards of the American College of Rheumatology. ? ? 2. To provide a learning environment that is intermediate in size between large, diffused society meetings, and small, topic-oriented regional/national meetings. This congress will be intimate enough to allow intensive collegial interchange, but large enough to provide opportunities for young investigators to present data and receive international recognition for their work. ? ? 3. To promote the sharing of data and the fostering of collaborations between international colleagues in the field of lupus, particularly some of the younger investigators who might not otherwise have this opportunity. ? ? 4. To build further on a precedent set by the NIAMS/OWH Research into Action meeting to seriously address and advance lay education about lupus and to extend this to an international audience. ? ? 5. To forge purposeful communication networks between potential human subject volunteers, the organizations and foundations who support them, and the research registries and pharmaceutical companies who depend on them in the development of better understanding, new diagnostic tests and novel therapies for lupus. ? ?
