? ? The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (Salisbury Cove, ME) and The Jackson Laboratory (Bar ? Harbor, ME) propose a five-year conference series, The Mount Desert Island Stem Cell Symposium, to ? be held annually at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, 2007 to 2011. The Mount Desert ? Island Stem Cell Symposium will focus on recent advances in stem cell research-such as the ? development of new model systems, novel ways to establish embryonic stem cell lines, and the ? differentiation of stem cells into new cell types. The conference series will engage the research ? strengths of MDIBL and TJL by emphasizing comparative stem cell research in human, mouse, fish, ? and invertebrates, a programmatic approach unique to this meeting. The Organizing Committee for this ? conference series, comprised of national leaders in biomedical and stem cell research, will develop the ? program of each symposium to address topical issues important to the stem cell research community. ? The specific aims of the 2007 symposium are: 1) Share and discuss current knowledge and recent ? discoveries in the molecular genetics of ES and adult stem cells; 2) Share and discuss the recent ? research on stem cells in lung, breast, blood, and neural cancers; 3) Examine developmental dynamics ? of organ systems in model organisms including mouse, fly, and fish; and 4) Discuss the recent research ? on stem cells in neuromuscular, renal, and cardiac disease, in addition to the role of stem cells in ? immune responses and transplant rejection. Scientific sessions will include platform presentations, a ? poster session, and a keynote address open to the general public. ? ? ?