Epithelial mesenchymal interactions in lung development and fibrosis

We are requesting funds in partial support of the 1st Fusion Conference on Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in lung development and fibrosis, to be held February 17-20th 2019 at Melia Nassau Beach, Nassau, Bahamas. There is growing appreciation that processes and pathways critical for normal lung development are important for postnatal tissue homeostasis and are dysregulated in lung disease. Principal objectives of this Fusion Conference are 1. Provide an international forum to promote interaction between established and young scientists working in the broad fields of lung development, injury and repair, but with a focus on epithelial mesenchymal interactions that direct lung development, postnatal tissue homeostasis and disease, 2. To provide a forum for networking and career advancement for students, postdoctoral trainees, and faculty at all levels from early stage to established senior investigators, and 3. To encourage creative and multidisciplinary research aimed at understanding mechanisms of normal tissue development and postnatal homeostasis, providing new insights into disease mechanisms and the development of novel interventions that target lung disease. To achieve these objectives, we have organized a program with six scientific sessions including (1) Keynote and emerging topics, (2) Fgf signaling in lung development and fibrosis, (3) Aging and lung fibrosis, (4) Lung stem/progenitor cells and their regulation in health and disease, (5) Organoid cultures to model lung development and disease, and (6) Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in lung development and fibrosis. Each of these sessions will be chaired by an expert in the field in addition to the inclusion of three panelists to promote vibrant discussion of critical issues in the field and opportunities for further investigation. Besides presentations by invited speakers, shorter presentations will be given by junior, new investigators based on submitted abstracts. The meeting will also include two poster viewing sessions; all posters will be displayed continuously throughout the meeting but attended viewing will be divided into two approximately equal groups to further enhance informal interactions and sharing of ideas among participants.