Conference Abstract
R13 conference support is requested for the inaugural meeting of the American Initiative in Mast Cell Diseases
(AIM), whose mission is to advance the research, education, and treatment of systemic mastocytosis (SM) and
related mast cell diseases. Two related conferences, to be held May 1-5, 2019, are planned: 1) an investigator
conference to establish a Pan-American network of physicians and scientists with expertise in mast cell
diseases (to be held at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California); and 2) a patient and
caregiver conference, organized by the patient advocacy group, The Mastocytosis Society, Inc. (TMS) (to be
held nearby). The investigator conference will invite 30 speakers, and at least 10 physicians-in-training, who
are the next generation of physician-scientists specializing in mast cell diseases. The overarching goal of this
premiere AIM investigator meeting is to establish a forum and network where basic, translational, and clinical
researchers can establish collaborations that support the development of new diagnostic methods, better
understanding of the biology of mast cells in human health and disease, and the testing of novel therapies.
Currently, the evaluation and treatment of patients with mast cell diseases is undertaken by a cadre of
subspecialists-- hematopathologists, allergists/immunologists, dermatologists, gastroenterologists, and
hematologists/ oncologists. Recognizing the need to host a conference that assembles such multidisciplinary
specialists, the AIM Steering Committee has designed an interactive program that brings together junior and
established investigators with basic, clinical, and translational research interests. The program will include
sessions on: (1) the biology of mast cells, including pre-clinical modeling of mastocytosis and identification of
therapeutic targets; (2) new data on the classification, pathology, and molecular biology of mastocytosis; 3)
biologic and clinical features of mast cell activation syndromes; 4) clinical heterogeneity of mast cell disorders,
with a focus on pediatrics, cutaneous, bone and gastrointestinal disease; and 5) novel treatment directions,
including clinical trials of the new potent and selective KIT D816V inhibitors. This inaugural AIM conference will
be opened by keynote lecturer Dr. Frank Austen, a seminal researcher in the field and a special lecture will be
given by Professor Peter Valent, founder of the European Competence Network on Mastocytosis (ECNM),
which will provide a roadmap to inform AIM’s future initiatives. In order to encourage career development and
interest in the field, we will hold a poster-board walk with trainees and junior investigators, and high-ranking
abstracts will be awarded an oral presentation. Travel grants for trainees, including under-represented
minorities, as well as for physicians and/or trainees from Central American, South American and Canadian
regions, will be awarded. The scientific exchanges between conference attendees, and the education and
advocacy provided by physicians and TMS members to patients and their caregivers in the lead-up meeting,
should provide an innovative framework for future meetings of AIM, which are planned on a biennial basis.