International conference on Alpha1-Antitrypsin Deficiency and Other Conformational Diseases, June 27-30, 20000 Arlie Conference Center, Warrenton, Virginia The goal of this conference, organized by the Alpha One Foundation, Miami, FL, is to stimulate the multi-disciplinary understanding of inherited conformational disease, with an emphasis on alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) as one of the more thoroughly investigated conformational diseases. Several converging lines of evidence indicate that the inappropriate accumulation of aberrant proteins within specific cell types and tissues participate in the molecular pathogenesis of a diverse set of """"""""conformational diseases"""""""" that range from liver cirrhosis to neuro-degeneration. One such disorder is heritable alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency in which defective protein folding leads to the accumulation of a polymerized mutant allelic variant within the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes, resulting in pulmonary emphysema, and in some cases, liver cirrhosis, or panniculitis. Because protein folding and quality control processes are fundamental to normal cell physiology and disease pathogenesis, the characterization of protein folding and quality control processes is fully warranted. The proposed conference will bring together an international group of academic investigators and clinical scientists in a forum that will foster the exchange and discussion of recent cutting-edge scientific findings generated from the analysis of different aspects of conformational diseases. The immediate goal is to form new collaborations among basic scientists and clinical scientists to accelerate the translation of information from academic research to patient care.
