This conference grant application requests funding to support a comprehensive conference on """"""""Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC): From Genes to New Therapeutics"""""""" scheduled for September 23-25, 2007 in Annapolis, MD. The objectives of the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex conference are to: Bring together the TSC research community with other key researchers working on overlapping areas of interest Discuss the state of our current knowledge about the role of TSC signaling in the disease itself, and in other diseases to determine what can be learned from work in other research areas Discuss the research on the role of the TSC1/2 genes and their protein products in the mTOR signaling pathway Review our current knowledge of variation of the TSC1/2 genes and phenotype-genotype studies Discuss current research on the role of TSC signaling in hamartomas and cancer Discuss the role of TSC signaling in pulmonary (specifically lymphangioleiomyomatosis, or LAM) and renal diseases (specifically, polycystic kidney disease, or PKD) Discuss the role of TSC signaling in the stress response, nutrient sensing and insulin signaling Discuss the role of TSC signaling in brain development and epilepsy Review our understanding of the role(s) of the TSC genes in cognitive development and mental illness Present state of the art clinical research techniques being utilized in TSC Identify new areas for therapeutic development to treat manifestations of TSC The conference has been organized to focus on these objectives, and will feature plenary sessions on the following topics: Opening Session: Overviews of TSC Basic and Clinical Research Session I: Regulation of Growth and Neoplasia in TSC and LAM Session II: The Role of Angiogenesis and Hypoxia in TSC Session III: Epileptogenesis in TSC Session IV: Cognitive and Behavioral Phenotypes in TSC Session V: Clinical Manifestations and Therapeutic Opportunities in TSC Session VI: Conference Wrap-Up In addition, a poster session will provide an opportunity for additional conference participants to present their research findings, and breakout discussion groups will allow for discussion among the participants on each of the specific areas covered in the plenary sessions. Travel scholarships will be awarded to young investigators based on review of their submitted abstracts. Since the role of the TSC1/2 genes and their protein products in the mTOR signaling pathway was identified first in Drosophila and then confirmed in mammalian systems, research on TSC has exploded. This research was just emerging at the last comprehensive TSC conference in 2002, supported by the National Institutes of Health, and resulted in the current multicenter clinical trials for both TSC and lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). There are significant research opportunities to be discussed and addressed, and the planned conference will lead to new collaborations and new research avenues for TSC. This conference grant application requests funding to support a comprehensive research conference on """"""""Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC): From Genes to New Therapeutics"""""""" scheduled for September 23-25, 2007 in Annapolis, MD. Research on TSC and related manifestations of the disease will be discussed, including epilepsy, autism, tumor growth, cognitive and behavioral issues, and the development of new therapeutics. ? ? ?
