Proteolytic regulation, in general, and plasminogen activation in particular, are rapidly advancing fields at the interface of scientific research, clinical medicine, and biotechnology. The XIIth International Workshop on the Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plasminogen Activation will meet in Cold Spring Harbor, New York from March 31 - April 4, 2009. This biennial meeting has become a major forum for the free exchange of information beyond that achieved by publication and presentation at more formal meetings. The Workshop is unique in that the scientific program is entirely abstract-driven. Thus, all of the presentations are selected from submitted abstracts. In addition, emphasis is placed upon involving young investigators and trainees to participate in each session. Abstracts will be scored according to scientific merit, and then organized into a final program of short talks and posters. The program will accommodate approximately 50 short (10-15 min) oral presentations. Junior investigators are expected to constitute 30-40% of attendees. Both chairpersons and nearly half of the projected discussion leaders are women. Topics to be discussed will include the structure and function of plasminogen activators and related proteins, and the newly discovered roles of the plasminogen activation system in cardiovascular biology, neurobiology, tumor biology, tissue remodeling and repair, infection, and host defense. In addition, we will add new sessions designed to consider the plasmin/plasminogen activator-matrix metalloproteinase interface. Also new will be sessions devoted to the growing list of recently discovered serine proteases and membraneassociated proteases. Finally, the program will encompass one session each on high throughput genomic and proteomic tools for protease biology and on protease targeting for therapeutic purposes. The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Conference Facility provides proximity to the New York airports, state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities, comfortable housing, and outstanding meal services. Because of the abstract-driven nature of this meeting, the material presented is largely unpublished, and therefore overlaps minimally with other related meetings.
Proteases, which are enzymes that modify the structure and function of other proteins, belong to a number of distinct families or classes. One such group are the plasminogen activators, which generate the active protease, plasmin, the major clot dissolving enzyme in humans. Recent data, however, indicate that plasmin has much broader activity that extends beyond the blood vessels to the central nervous system, the immune system, and even cancer biology. In addition, it is now apparent that a number of newly discovered plasmin-like proteases are relevant to human health and disease, and that plasmin and its family members interact in a critical manner with a second large class of proteases, the matrix metalloproteinases. This conference will explore the latest information relevant to plasminogen activators and their enlarging role in human biology.
