? ? The International Colloquium on Pulmonary and Airway Fibrosis to be held in Sea Trail, NC, on September 28 - October 1, 2008, will be the 15th in a series of meetings that have occurred biannually since 1980 in different venues alternating between North and Central America and Europe. Due to fast-moving changes and discoveries related to fibrotic lung disease, several topics (including origin and roles of mesenchymal cells, telomerase activity, microRNAs, genetic susceptibility and epigenetic regulation, novel genes, pleural fibrosis, clinical and therapeutic advances, etc.) clearly need a forum where scientists from different disciplines can interact and bring new basic findings to the translational area from where clinical trials can be initiated. This colloquium will offer a unique opportunity for scientists involved in fibrosis research to present their latest progress and to exchange ideas and new state-of-the-art technologies, thus bringing together a diverse group of scientists from several countries who usually do not meet at such a highly directed and focused conference. The Specific objectives of the conference are: 1) To bring together world authorities and young scientists, including junior investigators and pre- and post-doctoral fellows as well as physicians and clinical investigators, in the disciplines of lung and airway injury, repair and fibrosis, at the cellular and molecular levels, molecular biology of fibrogenic growth factors and their cognate receptors, intracellular signaling cascades, inflammatory mediators, epithelial- mesenchymal interactions, animal models, genetics of human populations and emerging therapeutic approaches. 2) To provide a forum for presentation of new research findings and technologies, exchange of ideas, and collaborations among basic scientists, translational and clinical researchers. 3) To assure adequate representation of women, minorities, and young investigators through planning and organization of the meeting. Fibrosis, which is excessive scarring, occurs in the lung and airways in several diseases, and can lead to compromised lung function, difficulty in breathing, and even death. There is very little known about the way that fibrosis occurs at a cell and molecular level, and there are no effective drugs or therapies to treat it. This proposed """"""""15th International Colloquium on Pulmonary and Airway Fibrosis"""""""" to occur in North Carolina in fall of 2008, will offer a unique opportunity for scientists involved in basic, translational and clinical research on fibrosis to present their latest progress and to exchange ideas and new state-of-the-art technologies, with the goal of developing new drugs and therapeutic strategies to treat patients with these diseases. ? ? ?
