2007 ENDOTHELIAL PHENOTYPES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCE - DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The 2008 Endothelial Cell Phenotypes in Health and Disease Gordon Research Conference will be held August 3-8, 2008 at the University of New England, Biddeford, Maine. The overall goal of this "Endothelial Phenotypes in Health and Disease" Gordon Research Conference is to bring together scientists from diverse fields who share a common interest in understanding the role of endothelial cell phenotypes in health and disease. The topics covered provide a convergent interaction for investigators from such diverse fields as vascular biology, hematology (hemostasis, endothelial precursor cells, circulating endothelial cells, sickle cell disease), sepsis (innate immunity), oncology (tumor endothelium), pulmonary (pulmonary hypertension, acute lung injury), obstetrics (placenta), nephrology (hemolytic uremic syndrome), neurology (blood brain barrier), gastroenterology (liver circulation, veno-occlusive disease), developmental biology, and nonlinear dynamics/mathematics. At the present time, there is no other well-established venue for this sort of cross-disciplinary interaction between these various groups. The endothelial cells (EC) that line the interconnected vascular network supplying every organ are highly specialized and heterogeneous in structure and function. The EC network establishes and maintains a dynamic dialogue with the underlying tissues it supplies, integrating the mobile intravascular compartment within specialized vascular structures that define organ function in health, and that mediate critical aspects of pathological disease processes, ranging from inflammation to atherosclerosis to fibrosis. Thus, the integrated structure and function of endothelial cells extends far beyond the traditional organ focused disciplines of cardiology, hematology and pulmonary medicine. The endothelium, in traversing each and every organ, establishes a dialogue that is unique to the underlying tissue. The endothelial-tissue interface plays an important role not only in maintaining health of the organism, but also in dictating the focal nature of vascular disease states. Viewed from this perspective, the endothelium transects across a spectrum of clinical disciplines. While twenty years ago, one was hard pressed to identify a single disease in which the endothelium played a prominent role, today, it may be argued that virtually every disease involves the endothelium, either as a primary determinant of disease or as a victim of collateral damage. Until the formation of this Gordon Conference in 2004, the field had no formal venue for interdisciplinary interactions. The inaugural "Endothelial Phenotypes in Health and Disease" conference was held at Proctor Academy, NH August 22-27, 2004. The second session was held at the University of New England, ME on August 3-8, 2006. Both were resounding successes, as viewed by attendance and participant reviews following the conferences. The overall goal of the third conference, like its predecessors, is to bring together scientists from diverse fields to define the role of endothelial cell phenotypes in health and disease, in order to advance the field, and to create therapeutic hypotheses that can be tested with emerging therapeutic modalities. The fields include developmental biology, immunology, non-linear dynamics, genomics, proteomics, hematology, oncology, pulmonary, cardiology, ophthalmology, dermatology, placental biology, gastroenterology, neuroscience, nephrology, transplant biology, stem cell biology and diabetes. This integrative effort promises to advance human health and to serve the objectives of the NHLBI. (End of Abstract) Public Health Relevance: This Public Health Relevance is not available.
