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| 2009 Annual Meeting | |
Program ScheduleWednesday, May 27
Scientific Symposium 100 Co-Chairs Speakers Robert Shaw Henry Hebel Carlos E. Ibanez, PhD Daniel Giroux Paul W. Shabram Scientific Symposium 101 Chair Speakers Fulvio Mavilio, PhD Bobby Gaspar, MD, PhD Nathalie Cartier-Lacave, MD Lunch Break Scientific Symposium 110 Chair Speakers Neil Senzer, MD Michael Jensen, MD Jack A. Roth, MD Scientific Symposium 111 Co-Chairs Speakers Changting Haudenschild, MD Panel Scientific Symposium 112 Chair Speakers Britta Wahren, MD, PhD Panel Scientific Symposium 113 Co-Chair Speakers Barbara Sosnowski, PhD Estuardo Aguilar-Cordova, PhD Alain Rolland, PharmD, PhD Break Education Sessions Education Session 120 Recent advances in the study of “whole systems” by array technology has lead to the development of powerful research tools that are yielding opportunities to understand complex biological systems from both a cellular and molecular perspective. In two back-to-back sessions recent advances in these technologies and the application of several different types of “omics” will be discussed as they relate to both understanding disease biology and gene transfer vector development. Topics to be covered include: Chair Speakers Kelly Frazer, PhD Louise Laurent, MD, PhD Education Session 121 Gene therapeutic applications to the central nervous system (CNS) have met with impediments to efficient gene delivery such as spread of the vector to regions containing the target cells, host immunity to the vector and the therapeutic gene and sufficient expression within the target cell. The three speakers in this session will address different aspects of these issues and discuss potential strategies to overcome such barriers. Talks will focus on the issue of overcoming the host innate and memory immune response to CNS gene delivery, the issue of using CNS stem cells to overcome impediments of efficient CNS gene delivery, and the use of novel delivery systems to enhance vector delivery and spread within target sites in the CNS. Chair Speakers Brian K. Kaspar, PhD Krys Bankiewicz, MD, PhD Education Session 122 Regulatory RNAs are small RNAs that control RNA expression by targeting transcripts for cleavage or translational repression. Found across plants, animals, and viruses, these genetic rheostats play critical roles in a wide spectrum of activities ranging from normal development to disease states such as cancer and heart disease. In this session, we will define and discuss the various classes of regulatory RNAs, outline their linkage to various human disease, and conclude by discussing their potential application as therapeutics for various human maladies. Chair Speakers Jurgen Soutschek, PhD Anton P. McCaffrey, PhD Education Session 123 The emerging field review session, “Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells and Reprogramming of Somatic Stem Cells,” will cover three topics:
Chair Speakers Ilyas Singec, MD, PhD Jeffrey H. Fair, MD Education Session 124 Cells of the immune system have receptors and cytoplasmic sensors for molecular structures and nucleic acids of invading pathogens such as bacteria or viruses. The resulting signaling process can initiate a rapid innate immune response characterized by release of proinflammatory cytokines, type I interferon, and inflammation. Following gene transfer, the consequence of innate immunity can be local or systemic immunotoxicity, tissue damage, and induction of an antigenspecific adaptive immune response against the transgene product and/or the vector. Incredible progress has been made in recent year in uncovering the mechanisms that lead to innate immunity. The session will discuss innate immune responses against bacterial pathogens, therapeutic RNA molecules, and adenoviral vectors. Chair Speakers Ian MacLachlan, PhD Dmitry M. Shayakhmetov, PhD Break Education Session 130 Recent advances in the study of “whole systems” by array technology has lead to the development of powerful research tools that are yielding opportunities to understand complex biological systems from both a cellular and molecular perspective. In two back-to-back sessions recent advances in these technologies and the application of several different types of “omics” will be discussed as they relate to both understanding disease biology and gene transfer vector development. Topics to be covered include: Chair Speakers David Relman, MD Nicholas Schork, PhD Education Session 131 Safe and efficient delivery of cellular and molecular therapeutics is required for successful treatment of liver diseases. This session will review the most promising viral and non-viral vectors for delivery of DNA and regulatory RNAs to the cell. The mechanism of delivery and the pharmaceutical and immunological barriers to delivering these nucleic acids will be presented, as well as the therapeutic niches that each vector can fill. The session will also review the various types of stem cells that are being developed for therapeutic treatment of liver disease and the steps that are required to successfully translate these to the clinic. Chair Speakers Dexi Liu, PhD Markus Grompe, MD Education Session 132 Uncontrolled insertion of foreign DNA into the human genome may have deleterious consequences, and is a serious safety concern for gene therapy applications. New molecular tools are being developed to target transgene integration to specific sites in the genome, and increase the frequency of homologous recombination with the purpose of achieving gene correction or replacement in the original genomic environment. These advances include viral and non-viral delivery of integrases, transposases and Zinc-finger nucleases, and will be discussed in the context of developing better and safer gene transfer technology. Chair Speakers Andre Lieber, MD, PhD R. Scott McIvor, PhD Education Session 133 Detailed knowledge of the events that occur during stem cell differentiation could help answer fundamental questions about cancer stem cells. We discuss several standard stem cell model systems and will illuminate major parallels and differences between normal and malignant stem cells. Chair Speakers David A. Williams, MD Thomas Zwaka, MD Education Session 134 Innate immunity can control many virus infections even in the absence of adaptive immunity. Several classes of pattern-recognition receptors, including Toll-like receptors and cytoplasmic receptors, recognize distinct microbial components and directly activate immune cells. However, viruses can still replicate and cause disease in vivo, because they have strategies for at least partially circumventing the innate immune response, including the interferon systems. This session introduces topical examples of these strategies, and discusses how innate immunity mechanisms influence the success of gene transfer protocols, and of oncolytic therapies based on replicating viral vectors. Chair Speakers Yiping Yang, MD, PhD Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, PhD Exhibit Hall Social
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