This application requests partial funding for the Reproductive Tract Biology Gordon Conference to be held June 6-11, 2004. Please note that due to the scientific content of the meeting we request the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as the primary sponsor of the meeting. We also request joint sponsorship by the Office of Women's Health, the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The number of requested sponsors reflects the unusual nature of this conference, which focuses on the biology, and the pathology of the organs and organ systems of the male and female reproductive tracts, rather than on specific molecules or processes and on breast cancer. Therefore, this meeting attracts participants from a wide variety of fields and backgrounds ranging from basic science to clinical practice. Accordingly, the principal goal of this conference is to stimulate cross-disciplinary exchange and integration of information concerning the reproductive tract and mechanisms associated with normal and pathological processes in the mammary gland.
Three specific aims will allow us to accomplish this goal: First, the scientific content of the meeting will be at the highest level. To achieve this standard of excellence, we are inviting speakers who are internationally recognized experts at the forefront of their fields. There is an interesting blend of established investigators who have been leaders in their respective areas for many years and equally renowned researchers in other fields whose phenotypic analyses of transgenic mice have uncovered unexpected and novel actions of these molecules in the reproductive tract. In addition, cutting edge science on the effects of cloning on embryo development and the applications of genomics and proteonomics to reproductive biology will also be highlighted. Second, there is a strong emphasis on research that is highly relevant to important clinical questions and has potential for translation into medical practice. For example, one entire session focuses on mechanisms of hormonal signaling in the context of the mammary gland with a special emphasis on aberrations that lead to breast cancer and another on clinical manifestations that affect reproductive outcomes. Third, there is a strong emphasis on the inclusion of students and junior colleagues because the future of any field depends on the next generation of investigators. In summary, we have planned an exciting meeting that is in accord with the rich traditions of the Reproductive Tract Biology Gordon Conference, which has been in existence for 34 years. The continued ability to meet with the Mammalian Gametogenesis and Embryogenesis Conference at the same site will further enhance the quality of this meeting, which has consistently been highly rated by the attendees.
