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Stem Cells and Cancer

Gordon Research Conference

September 9 - 14, 2007
Chair Michael F. Clarke
Vice Chair Maarten Van Lohuizen

Conference Description

Cancers arise in tissues in which short-lived mature cells are constantly replenished by a rare population of stem cells. It is becoming apparent that tumors are caricatures of the organ in which they arise. The cancer cells in a tumor are arranged in a hierarchy and contain a minority population of cancer stem cells that drive tumor growth while the majority of the cancer cells are unable to do so. Normal stem cells and cancer stem cells maintain themselves through a process called self-renewal. The cancer stem cells are responsible for the growth and spread of tumors. Expansion of normal stem cells is under genetic constraints. Cancer stem cells have escaped these limitations on expansion resulting in expansion of the self-renewing cell populations. The goals of this meeting are to understand present the most current research into the cellular and molecular biology of cancer stem cells. Topics that will be explored in this meeting are the cancer stem cell niche, the cell of origin of cancer stem cells, the regulation of stem cell self-renewal in normal stem cells and cancer, and cancer stem cells as therapeutic targets.

Conference Program

SUNDAY
4:00 pm - 9:00 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
7:40 pm - 8:10 pmWelcome: Michael F. Clarke and Maarten van Lohuizen
8:10 pm - 9:10 pmRobert Weinberg (Daniel K. Ludwig and American Cancer Society / Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research)
"Understanding the Molecular Basis of Oncogenesis"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
MONDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
8:30 amGroup Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pmOncogenes and Self-Renewal
Discussion Leader: Gary Gilliland (Harvard University)
9:00 am - 9:50 am David T. Scadden (Harvard University)
"Stem Cells and Cell Cycle Regulators"
9:50 am - 10:00 am Discussion
10:00 am Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:20 am Connie Eaves (University of British Columbia, Terry Fox Labs)
"BCR-ABL in CML stem cells"
11:20 am - 11:30 am Discussion
11:30 am - 12:20 pm Stuart H. Orkin (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
"Stem Cell Self Renewal Networks"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmCancer Cell Invasion and Metastasis
Discussion Leader: Robert Weinberg (MIT, Whitehead Institute)
7:30 pm - 7:45 pm Loen M. Hansford (SickKids Hospital)
"The bone marrow is a naturally enriched source of tumor-initiating cells in the childhood cancer neuroblastoma"
7:45 pm - 7:50 pm Discussion
7:50 pm - 8:30 pm Stephen Weiss (University of Michigan Medical School)
"Molecular regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and invasion"
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:20 pm Amy Wagers (Harvard University)
"Identification and Characterization of Muscle Stem Cells"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
TUESDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmIdentification of Self renewing cells in solid organs
Discussion Leader: Connie Eaves (University of British Columbia)
9:00 am - 9:15 am Yanan Yang (University of Texas, MD Anderson)
9:15 am - 9:20 am Discussion
9:20 am - 10:10 am Nobuko Uchida (Stem Cells, Inc.)
"Functional studies of purified neural stem cells"
10:10 am - 10:20 am Discussion
10:20 am Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:20 am Jane Visvader (The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
"Identifcation and characterization of normal breast stem cells"
11:20 am - 11:30 am Discussion
11:30 am - 12:20 pm Maarten van Lohuizen (Netherlands Cancer Institute)
"Role of Polycomb in stem cell maintenance"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmCellular hierarchy of normal blood and leukemia cells
Discussion Leader: Stuart Orkin (Harvard University)
7:30 pm - 8:20 pm D. Gary Gilliland (Harvard Medical School)
"Cellular origin of self renewing leukemia cells"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:20 pm Catriona Jamieson (University of California, San Diego)
"Stem Cell Hierarchies in Myelodyspastic Diseases"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
WEDNESDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmLate Breaking Abstracts chosen from participants
Discussion Leader: Maarten Lohuizen (Netherlands Cancer Institute)
9:00 am - 9:25 am Catherine Yan (Harvard Med School)
"Chromosomal breaks and rejoining in the immune system in the absence of classical NHEJ"
9:25 am - 9:50 am Peter Lebowitz (GlaxoSmithKline)
"Identification of Therapeutics Targeting Cancer Stem Cells"
9:50 am - 10:00 am Discussion
10:00 am Coffee Break
10:30 am - 10:55 am Franziska Michor (Harvard University)
"Dynamics of chronic myeloid leukemia"
10:55 am - 11:20 am Marius Wernig (MIT, Whitehead Institute)
"Direct reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into pluripotent stem cells"
11:20 am - 11:30 am Discussion
11:30 am - 11:55 am Ravi Majeti (Stanford University)
"Identification of the hierarchy of human blood stem and proginitor cells"
11:55 am - 12:20 pm Bolaji Akala (Stanford University)
"Acquisition of Self Renewal by Progenitor Cells"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmTherapeutics Against Cancer Stem Cells - 1
Discussion Leader: Eric Lagasse (University of Pittsburgh)
7:30 pm - 8:20 pm Timothy Hoey (Oncomed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
"Targeting solid tumor stem cells"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:20 pm Jeremy Rich (Duke University)
"Therapies for Glioblastoma Stem Cells"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
THURSDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 amBusiness Meeting
(Nominations for the next Vice Chair; Fill out Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss future Site & Scheduling preferences; Election of the next Vice Chair)
9:00 am - 12:30 pmTherapeutics Against Cancer Stem Cells - 2
Discussion Leader: Napoleone Ferrara (Genentech)
9:00 am - 9:50 am Peter Dirks (University of Toronto)
"Identification of Therapeutics Targeting Glioblastoma Stem Cells"
9:50 am - 10:00 am Discussion
10:00 am Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:20 am A. Thomas Look (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
"Targeting Leukemia with Notch inhibitors"
11:20 am - 11:30 am Discussion
11:30 am - 12:20 pm Craig Jordan (University of Rochester Medical Center)
"Targeting AML stem cells"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmFinal Session: Stem Cells and Their Microenvironment
Discussion Leader: Michael F. Clarke (Stanford University)
7:30 pm - 8:20 pm Irving L. Weissman (Stanford University)
"Migration of Normal and malignant Stem Cells of the Blood and Brain"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:20 pm Patrick Brown (Stanford University School of Medicine)
"Molecular and functional analysis of tumor stroma"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
FRIDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 amDepart

Conference Links

Conference History
Additional Fee Info

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