LAMposium 2003: The 2003 International LAM Research Conference will focus on the molecular mechanisms of smooth muscle proliferation and cystic lung destruction that occur in the fatal lung disease of women, Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). This is the sixth annual Cincinnati LAM conference, which has evolved from a dedicated family/patient conference to include state of the art Basic Science and Clinical Science meetings on LAM by expert investigators. The Basic Science sessions will highlight research on the cellular and genetic basis of smooth muscle proliferation in LAM, and will focus on the role of exogenous growth factors, sex hormones, genetic mutations, intracellular signaling mechanisms and changes in transcriptional regulation in LAM. Additional sessions will explore the link between smooth muscle infiltration of the lungs and the cystic remodeling of pulmonary parenchyma, including the elaboration of metalloproteinases and connective tissue matrix by LAM cells. Concurrent clinical sessions will explore difficult management issues in LAM including hormonal therapy, air travel, pregnancy, lung transplantation and pleural complications. The Clinical and Basic Science tracks have been coordinated to allow all participants to attend keynote sessions and to traffic freely between sessions. A Patient-oriented seminar will address key clinical issues for one hundred LAM families who are expected to attend, and will culminate in a summary of the Clinical and Basic Science sessions and a roundtable discussion on the last day of the conference. Each session will be chaired by an expert in the field and will have invited speakers and speakers chosen from the pool of submitted abstracts. There has been a conscious effort to attract established investigators from related disciplines who can complement the expertise of the current pool of LAM investigators. Discussion facilitated by a discussion leader will be an important component of all sessions. Outstanding junior investigators will be awarded travel grants and will be given the opportunity to present their research in platform and poster formats. The goal of this conference is to provide a forum for leading experts to discuss the molecular and cellular basis of LAM, and the clinical management of LAM, to present cutting edge research, integrate concepts, and identify creative and innovative research directions.
