A SYMPOSIUM ON USHER SYNDROME AND RELATED DISORDERS - DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A Symposium on Usher Syndrome and Related Disorders - Abstract: This is a request for funds to support keynote research lectures, interdisciplinary lecture sessions, and presentations from postdoctoral and predoctoral students involved in research into Usher syndrome and other causes of combined neurosensory loss. This will be the first scientific conference on Usher syndrome and allied disorders. It will be multidisciplinary involving geneticists, molecular biologists, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists, audiologists, and psychologists. A major objective of the meeting is to encourage collaborations between the basic and clinical scientists. Thus, its organization will emphasize the translation of molecular genetics to improved diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. The meeting will run over three days: the first day will be devoted to the molecular biology of the Usher syndrome; the second to clinical and phenotypic aspects of the disorder; and the third to treatment and rehabilitation. A second objective of the meeting is to encourage new researchers in the field of multiple sensory loss. Students will be encouraged to submit abstracts, the best will of which be selected for platform presentations. A third aim of the meeting will be to disseminate information about Usher syndrome to interested scientists. The presentations and abstracts will be published in a special issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics. Usher syndrome and other related types of deaf/blindness are an important but often forgotten public health problem. There has never been a research meeting that focuses on dual sensory losses. This meeting will bring together scientists to discuss recent progress in the field specifically focusing on issues of molecular biology and genetics, clinical symptoms, and treatment and rehabilitation.
