4th International Epithelial Meschymal Transition Meeting

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Partial support is requested for the 4th International Meeting on Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). EMT is a basic cellular process utilized to form three dimensional structures from an epithelial sheet. It is normally found in development as a process involved in gastrulation, neural crest formation, heart valve formation, coronary vessel formation and palate fusion, pancreatic islet development and other developmental processes. Postnatally, EMT is a normal component of wound healing and reoccurs in the pathologies of organ fibrosis (heart, liver, and kidney) and cancer metastasis. This meeting is designed to bring together developmental biologists with pathologists and oncologists to compare the common and disparate elements of EMT in the variety of places that it occurs. Participants will discuss signal transduction, gene regulation, cell-cell and cell-ECM adhesion, changes in cytoskeletal organization and novel aspects of EMT regulation. The schedule is comprised of a core of established investigators in the field and a large number of speakers to be selected from abstracts. Selection of speakers from abstracts will provide a cutting edge feel to the program. The objective of the meeting is to build an integration of data and techniques across the three disciplines. Funds are requested to support meeting operation as well as travel support for minority and female speakers and a reduction in registration costs for student participants. (End of Abstract)