Symposium:
The
Enigma Variations: The Many Faces of the Myofibroblast in Fibrotic Disease
Sponsored by: Respiration
Section
Track: Tissue Remodeling and Repair
Date:
Monday, April 28, 2014
Time:
3:15 PM – 5:15 PM
Location:
Room 28B, San Diego Convention
Center
Chaired by:
Rachel C. Chambers
Paul F. Mercer
There is currently a paucity of
pharmacological interventions for fibrotic disorders of the lung, which account
for significant levels of mortality akin to many forms of cancer. The
development of pulmonary fibrosis is thought be driven by a dysregulated wound
healing response, through continual local injury or impaired control
mechanisms. Uncontrolled or sustained activation of mesenchymal cell
populations leads to differentiation of fibroblasts into contractile
myofibroblasts, excessive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins, gross
tissue distortion and eventually can lead to complete loss of organ function.
Despite being widely accepted as the central effector cell in fibrosis
affecting all organs, our understanding of the myofibroblast and its
contribution to fibrotic pathology has only begun to develop relatively
recently. Critical questions including the origin of the myofibroblast,
understanding fibroblast heterogeneity and in addition to how the myofibroblast
responds and contributes to the fibrotic milieu, all remain largely unresolved.
This symposium is aimed at basic
and translational scientists engaged in understanding fibrotic cell biology on
the lung and prosecuting therapeutic targets in this area. It will bring
together world class researchers focussing on a range of aspects of
myofibroblast biology including progenitor tracing, the response of
myofibroblasts to environmental ques, and myofibroblast metabolism during
disease. The aim of the symposium will be to establish critical pathways in
myofibroblast biology pertinent to lung fibrosis by drawing on world class
researchers, investigating myofibroblast
cell biology in a variety of settings. The attendee will come away with an understanding
of the processes central to myofibroblast cell biology in fibrosis and will
have a good grasp of the key questions which still require resolution in this
field. It is hoped that this arena could
serve as a seed for potential cross collaboration between researchers
interested in fibrotic cell biology in a range of different organ systems.
3:15 PM
Who are you and where do you come from? The origin of
the myofibroblast.
Jeremy Duffield.
Univ. of
Washington
3:45 PM
The stressed out myofibroblast: thriving under
tension.
Boris Hinz.
Univ. of
Toronto
4:15 PM
PI3 kinase: An oncogenic target in fibrosis.
Paul F
Mercer. Univ. College London
4:45 PM
Where do we go from here? Emerging myofibroblast
targets in lung fibrosis.
Patricia
J. Sime.
Univ. of
Rochester Med. Ctr.
