The 2011 Gordon Conference on Stem cells and Cancer will present cutting-edge research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling self-renewal and differentiation of both normal and cancer stem cells. Cumulative evidence indicates that cancer stem cells are responsible for the growth and spread of tumors. Expansion of normal stem cells is under tight genetic and epigenetic control. Cancer stem cells have escaped these limitations resulting in expansion of the self-renewing cell populations. The goals of this meeting are to present the most current research into the cellular and molecular biology of normal and cancer stem cells. Topics that will be explored in this meeting are cancer stem cell microenvironmental interactions, self-renewal regulation in normal and malignant stem cells, cellular reprogramming mechanisms, new markers for stem cells and cancer stem cells and cancer stem cells as therapeutic targets. The conference will bring together key investigators at the forefront of stem cell research and will provide opportunities for postdocs and graduate students to present their work in poster sessions and in a selected set of short talks. There will be ample opportunity for discussions and informal interactions to help promote cross-disciplinary interactions and foster collaborations between stem cell researchers world-wide.

Conference Organizers: Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD and Andreas Trumpp, PhD