The aim of this application is to obtain funding for travel, registration and accommodation of USA speakers actively participating in the 3rd International Conference on Tumor Microenvironment: Progression, Therapy and Prevention, October 12-16, 2004, Prague, Czech Republic. The Tumor Microenvironment Conferences provide an international platform for a multidisciplinary exchange of information and ideas dealing exclusively and specifically with the microenvironment of tumors. The 3rd Conference will provide a friendly forum that promotes a critical review of novel findings in cellular and molecular cancer biology and of innovative clinical studies. Different topics related to Tumor Microenvironment compose a coherent program with a tangible common denominator. Due to the multitude of microenvironmental factors, the conference will be of interest for a broad group of basic and clinical scientists with disparate research domains thereby enabling crossfertilization. The conference will significantly advance our understanding of how the microenvironment shapes the phenotype of tumors and how this knowledge might be used to control tumorigenesis and tumor progression. To achieve a mix of broad-interest developments and a more focused analysis of experimental and clinical results, the program will contain five elements: I. Special overview lectures; II. Plenary symposium sessions (1. Signaling and Control of Gene Expression in Cancer Cells: 2. The Microenvironment and Metastasis; 3. Interactions of Tumor Cells with Stroma, ECM & MMP; 4. Interactions of Tumor Cells with Endothelium (Angiogenesis and Extravasation); 5. Interactions of Tumor Cells with Cytokines and Chemokines; 6. Interactions of Tumor Cells with Lymphocytes, Monocytes & Antibodies; 7. Novel Gene and Immune Therapy Modalities Targeting Tumor-Microenvironment Interactions; 8. Inflammation and Cancer; 9. Clinical trials Targeting Microenvironmental Factors); III. Mini-symposia; IV. Display of posters and V. A poster session. NIH funds will assure a pivotal and highly influential conference. ? ? ?
