Funds are requested to support the participation of graduate stud3nts and postdoctoral fellows in a conference on """"""""NF-kappaB Regulation and Function: From Basic Research to Drug Development"""""""". Transcription factor NF-kappaB is a central regulator of innate and adaptive immune responses. In fact, NF-kappaB and the signal transduction pathway that controls its activation are evolutionary are evolutionary conserved and play similar functions in triggering of immature immune responses to microbial and viral pathogens in both Drosophila and mammals. Aberrations in regulation and functions of NF-kappaB are believed to be involved in a large number of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative disease. In addition, NF- kappaB was recently found to be a major factor in protection of cells against apoptosis and its constitutive activation is involved in resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation. In the past several years our basic understanding of NF-kappaB, its function and regulation have increased tremendously. The purpose of this unique meeting is to seize this opportunity and summarize all the recent progress in our basic understanding and apply this knowledge to those areas which still pose major open questions, such as the involvement of NF-kappaB in knowledge to those areas which still pose major open questions, such as the involvement of NF-kappaB in various disease processes and the possibility to interfere with disease development through manipulation of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway. This meeting will therefore offer a unique opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to acquaint themselves with all of the recent progress in the NF-kappaB field and apply this newly gained knowledge in their own research on mechanisms on disease development and therapeutic intervention. During a highly intensive 4-day program, pre- and post-doctoral students will have the opportunity ti directly interact with all of the leaders in this rapidly expanding field. The ability to attend and participate in this meeting is highly important in the professional development of students who are directly and peripherally involved in this area of research.
