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Mammary Gland Biology

Gordon Research Conference

The Mammary Gland in Normal Development and Progression to Cancer

May 29 - June 3, 2016
Chair Geoffrey J. Lindeman
Vice Chairs Heide L. Ford and Michael T. Lewis
Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco
Via Giovanni Pascoli
Lucca (Barga), Lucca, Italy
 Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The Mammary Gland Biology Gordon Research Conference will bring together a diverse range of researchers interested in the molecular, cellular and physiological basis for normal mammary gland development and elucidating perturbations that give rise to breast cancer.

The 2016 conference will focus on outstanding questions and recent discoveries related to stem cell biology and the mammary niche, pubertal development, pregnancy, lactation and mammary gland involution. The role of hormones in breast cancer risk, treatment and prevention will be addressed, as well as mammary models addressing tumor heterogeneity, domancy and metastasis. The role of tumor suppressors (such as BRCA1) and regulatory signals from the stroma/immune cells will also be covered. Experts in these fields will be invited to share their most recent findings and discuss emerging challenges. Short talks highlighting outstanding work by young investigators and trainees will be selected from the submitted abstracts. An informal workshop on the physiology of normal mammary gland development and lactation (led by Prof. Russ Hovey, UC Davis) will also be held during free time.

The meeting, held in an outstanding location, has a longstanding tradition of excellent interactions across all levels of seniority, from world-renowned investigators to the newest student. It provides unique opportunities for engagement between experts and junior scientists to learn about breaking concepts and specialized techniques in these research areas. The conference is renowned for its collegial and friendly tone, lively poster sessions and opportunities for extended discussions during free time.

This conference is also designed to promote the careers of young scientists, and includes "Lunch with the Expert" that provide mentoring and perspective. Opportunities to attend will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis via sign-up at the time of GRC registration. Each trainee is free to attend as many of the lunches as they would like.

This GRC will be preceded by the next in a series of highly successful Mammary Gland Gordon Research Seminars; graduate students and junior post-docs are encouraged to apply for both meetings.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Mammary Gland Biology" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
4:00 pm - 8:00 pmArrival and Check-in
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pmWelcome / Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff
7:40 pm - 9:30 pmKeynote Session: The Mammary Gland Genome in Development and Cancer
Discussion Leader: Geoffrey Lindeman (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute / Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia)
7:40 pm - 7:55 pmOpening Remarks
7:55 pm - 8:05 pmIntroduction by Discussion Leader
8:05 pm - 9:05 pmCharles Perou (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA)
"The Mammary Gland Genome in Development and Cancer"
9:05 pm - 9:25 pmDiscussion
9:25 pm - 9:30 pmGeneral Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmMaking a Mammary Gland - Stem Cells and Development
Discussion Leader: Silvia Fre (Institut Curie, France)
9:00 am - 9:10 amIntroduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 amGeoffrey Wahl (The Salk Institute, USA)
"Insights into Breast Cancer Gained from a Developmental Approach"
9:35 am - 9:50 amDiscussion
9:50 am - 10:15 amJane Visvader (The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australia)
"Exploiting the Epithelial Hierarchy to Understand Breast Cancer"
10:15 am - 10:25 amDiscussion
10:25 am - 10:55 amCoffee Break
10:55 am - 11:20 amLindsay Hinck (University of California, Santa Cruz, USA)
"The Role of SLIT/ROBO Signaling in Mammary Stem Cell Self-Renewal"
11:20 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 11:55 amRenee Van Amerongen (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
"Dissecting the Role of Wnt Signalling in Mammary Gland Development and Breast Cancer"
11:55 am - 12:05 pmDiscussion
12:05 pm - 12:20 pmSelected from Poster Abstracts: Veronica Rodilla (Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Spain)
"Lineage Tracing in the Developing Mouse Mammary Gland Reveals that Notch1 Is Essential for Cell Fate Commitment"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pmFree Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pmRegulators of Functional Maturation and Regression in the Mammary Gland
Discussion Leader: Kay-Uwe Wagner (University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA)
6:00 pm - 6:15 pmIntroduction by Discussion Leader
6:15 pm - 6:40 pmChristine Watson (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)
"The Role of Stat3 in Cell Fate Decisions in the Mammary Gland"
6:40 pm - 6:55 pmDiscussion
6:55 pm - 7:20 pmChristina Scheel (Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany)
"Modeling Epithelial Plasticity in Human Mammary Gland Regeneration and Tumor Progression"
7:20 pm - 7:35 pmDiscussion
7:35 pm - 7:50 pmSelected from Poster Abstracts: Anne Rios (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australia)
"Essential Role for a Novel Population of Binucleated Mammary Epithelial Cells in Lactation"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pmDinner
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
8:30 amGroup Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pmHormonal Cues and Connections: Clues for Treatment and Prevention
Discussion Leader: Cathrin Brisken (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
9:00 am - 9:10 amIntroduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 amWayne Tilley (University of Adelaide / Hanson Institute, Australia)
"Steroid Receptor Cross Talk in Breast Cancer: Molecular Insights and Therapeutic Implications"
9:35 am - 9:50 amDiscussion
9:50 am - 10:15 amRobert Clarke (University of Manchester, United Kingdom)
"Signalling and Cellular Phenotypes in ER+ Breast Cancer After Endocrine Therapies"
10:15 am - 10:30 amDiscussion
10:30 am - 11:00 amCoffee Break
11:00 am - 11:25 amSteffi Oesterreich (University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, USA)
"Estrogen Receptor Mutations in Endocrine Resistant Breast Cancer Metastases"
11:25 am - 11:40 amDiscussion
11:40 am - 11:55 amSelected from Poster Abstracts: Jennifer Richer (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA)
"Androgen Receptor (AR) Supports a Tumor Initiating Population in AR+ Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)"
11:55 am - 12:05 pmDiscussion
12:05 pm - 12:20 pmSelected from Poster Abstracts: Georgios Sflomos (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
"A Preclinical Model for ERα Positive Breast Cancer Reveals the Mammary Epithelial Microenvironment as a Determinant of the Luminal Phenotype and Hormone Response"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pmFree Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pmBRCA1 and Beyond – Two Decades On
Discussion Leader: Connie Eaves (British Columbia Cancer Agency, Canada)
6:00 pm - 6:15 pmIntroduction by Discussion Leader
6:15 pm - 6:40 pmJos Jonkers (Netherlands Cancer Institute, The Netherlands)
"Genetic Determinants of Therapy Response and Resistance in Mouse Models of BRCA-Deficient Breast Cancer"
6:40 pm - 6:55 pmDiscussion
6:55 pm - 7:20 pmMatthew Smalley (European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, United Kingdom)
"Lyn Kinase and Brca1: Key Partners in Cell Survival"
7:20 pm - 7:35 pmDiscussion
7:35 pm - 7:50 pmSelected from Poster Abstracts: Alex Swarbrick (Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Australia)
"New Insights into the Transcriptional Networks Governing Mammary Stem Cell Homeostasis and Basal-Like Breast Cancer Aetiology"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pmDinner
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmNormal Development Gone Awry - Mouse Mammary Tumor Models
Discussion Leader: Michael Lewis (Baylor College of Medicine, USA)
9:00 am - 9:10 amIntroduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 amMohamed Bentires-Alj (Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Switzerland)
"Breast Tumor Heterogeneity: Source of Fitness, Hurdle for Therapy"
9:35 am - 9:50 amDiscussion
9:50 am - 10:15 amChristopher Ormandy (Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Australia)
"Elf5, a Developmental Regulator that Provides a Path for Breast Cancer Progression"
10:15 am - 10:30 amDiscussion
10:30 am - 11:00 amCoffee Break
11:00 am - 11:25 amBarry Gusterson (Glasgow University, United Kingdom)
"A Critical Analysis of GEM Models of Human Breast Cancer - A Human Pathologist's View"
11:25 am - 11:40 amDiscussion
11:40 am - 11:55 amSelected from Poster Abstracts: Susan Farabaugh (University of Pittsburgh, USA)
"Oncogene Induced Changes in Mammary Differentiation and Cell Fate in Breast Tumorigenesis"
11:55 am - 12:05 pmDiscussion
12:05 pm - 12:20 pmSelected from Poster Abstracts: Sjors Kas (Netherlands Cancer Institute, The Netherlands)
"In Vivo Insertional Mutagenesis to Discover Novel Tumor Promoting Genes of Invasive Lobular Carcinoma"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pmFree Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pmMammary Tumor Heterogeneity, Dormancy and Metastasis
Discussion Leader: Maria Vivanco (CIC bioGUNE, Spain)
6:00 pm - 6:15 pmIntroduction by Discussion Leader
6:15 pm - 6:40 pmSalvatore Pece (IEO - European Institute of Oncology, Italy)
"Connecting the Machineries of Cell Fate Determination and Tumor Suppression in Mammary Cancer Stem Cells"
6:40 pm - 6:55 pmDiscussion
6:55 pm - 7:20 pmPeter Eirew (BC Cancer Agency, Canada)
"Intratumoural Genomic Heterogeneity and Clonal Dynamics in Breast Cancer Xenograft Models"
7:20 pm - 7:35 pmDiscussion
7:35 pm - 7:50 pmSelected from Poster Abstracts: Alyssa Johnston (Baylor College of Medicine, USA)
"Neuroleptics and Breast Cancer Risk"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pmDinner
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 amBusiness Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
9:00 am - 12:30 pmGrowth and Inhibitory Signals – Epithelial and Stromal Cues
Discussion Leader: Heide Ford (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA)
9:00 am - 9:10 amIntroduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 amMarja Mikkola (University of Helsinki, Finland)
"Embryonic Mammary Gland Branching Morphogenesis"
9:35 am - 9:50 amDiscussion
9:50 am - 10:15 amMartin Eilers (Biozentrum der Universitat Wurzburg, Germany)
"Myc as a Key Driver of Mitrochondrial Dynamics in Mammary Epithelium and Cancer"
10:15 am - 10:30 amDiscussion
10:30 am - 11:00 amCoffee Break
11:00 am - 11:25 amMary Helen Barcellos-Hoff (University of California, San Francisco, USA)
"Systemic Biology Mediates Breast Cancer Intrinsic Subtype"
11:25 am - 11:40 amDiscussion
11:40 am - 11:55 amSelected from Poster Abstracts: Peter Kabos (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA)
"Cancer Associated Fibroblasts Regulate Estrogen Receptor Expression, Treatment Response and Metastatic Potential of Luminal Breast Cancer Cells"
11:55 am - 12:05 pmDiscussion
12:05 pm - 12:20 pmSelected from Poster Abstracts: Spencer Watson (Oregon Health and Science University, USA)
"Phenotypic Subtypes of HER2+ Breast Cancer Rescued from Lapatinib by Discrete Microenvironment Factors"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pmFree Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pmKeynote Session: Modeling Mammary Gland Development and Cancer
Discussion Leader: Nancy Hynes (Friedrich Miescher Institute, Switzerland)
6:00 pm - 6:10 pmIntroduction by Discussion Leader
6:10 pm - 7:10 pmLothar Hennighausen (National Institutes of Health, USA)
"La Bellezza del Genoma Mammario"
7:10 pm - 7:30 pmDiscussion
7:30 pm - 7:50 pmGeneral Discussion
7:50 pm - 8:00 pmClosing Remarks
8:00 pmDinner
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 amDeparture

Contributors

Conference Links

Conference History Mammary Gland Biology (GRS)
Additional Fee Info

Cell Contact and Adhesion
June 8 - 13, 2025
Epithelial Stem Cells and Niches
August 11 - 16, 2024
Hormone-Dependent Cancers
August 10 - 15, 2025
Mammary Gland Biology (GRS)
June 7 - 8, 2025
Stem Cells and Cancer
March 30 - April 4, 2025


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