Sunday, July 31, 2016

FASEB – The Lung Epithelium in Health and Disease – July 31 - August 5 2016, Saxtons River, VT

 

Conference Summary

This SRC presents emerging areas of scientific interest in lung epithelial biology in development, homeostasis, and disease. It again addresses critical issues on lung epithelial biology such as stem cells and regenerative medicine, while expanding sessions to encompass themes such as single cell analytical approaches, cell-cell communication within the epithelial compartments as well as between epithelia and stroma, and immune interactions—current subjects of high interest to the lung community with many great advances pending. It will provide opportunities not only for scientists working on lung epithelial biology, but also synergize interactions among attendees in all these fields.

This conference will (1) highlight the latest developments in epithelial barrier maintenance and its disruption during acute lung injury; (2) promote the understanding the impact of the cystic fibrosis gene on host defense to pulmonary infections; (3) connect new insights in the fields of ER stress and cell senescence to the vulnerable pulmonary epithelium of individuals at risk for pulmonary fibrosis; (4) dissect the biological distinctions between epithelial proliferation as a repair mechanism and tumorigenesis; (5) present the impact of the newest tools in single cell analysis on understanding lung development, repair, and disease; and (6) characterize epithelial-mesenchymal interrelationships that maintain lung homeostasis and orchestrate repair and regeneration. The entire program has been designed to achieve a better understanding of the key clinical research issues and how they relate to basic mechanistic investigation.