Latest Issues for Mesothelioma Research! IMIG Conference, Dec. 1-4, 2002, Perth, Australia
The world's top mesothelioma researchers will convene in Perth to discuss the latest developments on such topics as
- How does a mesothelial cell become cancerous?
- Role of Asbestos in MM pathogenesis
- Role of Chemotherapy in treating MM and cancer prevention strategies (Retinol)
- Surgical Options, Combination therapies, Vaccines, immunology and Palliative Care
- Diagnosis of MM by microarray, MM markers, staging and radical radiotherapy
- Gene Therapy, Bioinformatics, Gene mapping
Speakers include MARF members: Dr. Harvey Pass, Dr. Roy Smythe, Dr. Hedy Kindler, and former MARF science advisor Dan Sterman.
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SATURDAY NOVEMBER 30
6.00
Twilight Welcome Event, University Boatshed on the Swan river foreshore
SUNDAY DECEMBER 1
Bruce Robinson (host)
Courtney Broaddus (IMIG President)
Plenary Session 1 - How does a mesothelial cell become cancerous?
Aim: To overview the biology of normal and reactive mesothelial cells and the changes that lead to the development of the malignant state.
Chairs: Agnes Kane (USA) and Delia Nelson (Aust.)
Speakers include:
Steve Mutsaers (Australia) - "Mesothelial cell: Structure, function and repair"
Brooke Mossman (USA) - "Cell signalling by asbestos in mesothelioma"
Sakari Knuuitila (Finland) - "Screening for chromosomal imbalances and gene expression changes by array-based techniques in malignant mesothelioma"
Ken O'Byrne (UK) - "Vascularity and chronic inflammation in mesothelioma (provisional)"
+ 1 additional selected presentation
Aim: To review the role of asbestos and other potential agents in mesothelioma pathogenesis
Chairs: Harvey Pass and Nick De Klerk
Speakers include:
Nick De Klerk (Australia) - "Mesothelioma in Western Australia"
Geoffrey Berry (Australia) - "Mesothelioma incidence and biopersistence of fibres"
Luciano Mutti (Italy) - "A new model of virus-asbestos carcinogenesis of malignant mesothelioma: does it promise novel therapies?"
Harvey Pass (USA) - "SV40 and mesothelioma: Facts, Lies, and Implications"
+ 2 additional selected presentations
(selected mini-presentations with an open forum-style discussion of data and ideas)
Workshop #1.1: Biology (Pathogenesis/ Carcinogenesis/ Mesothelial function & repair )
Aim: To discuss the most likely explanations for the mechanisms underlying mesothelioma development
Chairs: Brooke Mossman and Steve Mutsaers
Workshop #1.2: Epidemiology/medico-legal
Aim: To discuss the relationship between different environmental factors leading to mesothelioma development and the implications of such observations
Chairs: Geoffrey Berry and Bill Musk
MONDAY DECEMBER 2
Aim: To evaluate the role of traditional and novel treatment regimens in mesothelioma
Chairs: Hedy Kindler and Michael Byrne
Speakers include:
Hedy Kindler (USA) - "phase three study Pemetrexed + Cisplatin vs Cisplatin in pts with Malignant Pleural mesothelioma"
Michael Byrne (Australia) - "Gemcitabine and cisplatin regimens in mesothelioma"
Paul Baas (Netherlands) - "Overview of The Netherlands Cancer Institute and mesothelioma studies"
AW Bill Musk (Australia) - "Vitamin A (Retinol) and cancer prevention in subjects with previous exposure to asbestos"
1 other selected presentation
New investigators presentations. New investigators award will be presented at the conference dinner.
(selected mini-presentations with an open forum-style discussion of data and ideas)
Workshop #2.1: How to make surgery maximally effective
Aim: To discuss the different surgical techniques available for mesothelioma, technical issues arising and the best ways to utilise such techniques.
Chairs: Valerie Rusch and David Waller
Workshop #2.2: Status of animal models & preclinical trials
Aim: To discuss the different animal models of mesothelioma that are available and the latest insights into new treatments and vaccines using such models.
Chairs: Dan Sterman and Richard Lake
Aim: To evaluate the role of surgery and novel surgical approaches in treating mesothelioma
Chairs: Valerie Rusch and David Waller
Speakers include:
Harvey Pass (USA) - "Surgery for Mesothelioma: Just Scratching the Surface?"
Valerie Rusch (USA) - " Surgery in mesothelioma"
Ron Smythe (USA) - "Surgery in mesothelioma"
David Waller (UK) - " "Surgery in mesothelioma"
+ 1 additional selected presentation
(selected mini-presentations with an open forum-style discussion of data and ideas)
Workshop #3.1: Chemotherapy/radiotherapy, palliative care.
Aim: To discuss the new chemotherapeutic approaches for mesothelioma, ways in which these can be optimised, combination therapies involving radiotherapy and the latest in palliative care.
Chairs: Per-Fredrik Ekholdt and Paul Baas
Workshop #3.2: Pathology/ immunology/ inflammation
Aim: To review information on how the host responds to mesothelioma and the impact of this response in regard to diagnosis, clinical management and development of new therapies.
Chairs: Marie-Claude Jaurand and Darrel Whitaker
TUESDAY DECEMBER 3
Aim: To identify novel approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma and evaluation of disease outcome
Chairs: Stephen Albelda and Craig Stevens
Speakers include:
Richard Lake (Australia) - "Diagnosis of MM by microarray"
Bruce Robinson (Australia) - "Serum mesothelin as a sensitive marker for mesothelioma"
Craig Stevens (USA) - "Radical radiotherapy and mesothelioma"
Gunnar Hillerdal (Sweden) - "Malignant pleural mesothelioma: Difficulties in staging and evaluating responses with CT scan"
Paul Bass (Netherlands) - "Photodynamic Diagnosis (PDD) using 5-ALA in malignant mesothelioma: preliminary results"
+ 2 other selected presentations
Aim: This joint workshop, which brings together summaries of the information and ideas generated in each of the previous workshops. It will provide an overview and an opportunity for discussion and debate and it should be a stimulating highlight of the meeting.
Chairs: Courtney Broaddus, Harvey Pass and Bruce Robinson
Aim: To review the success of gene therapy and other novel approaches to treating mesothelioma
Chairs: Stephen Albelda and Bruce Robinson
Speakers include:
Dan Sterman and Stephen Albelda (USA) - "Adenoviral-based gene therapy for mesothelioma: The long and winding road"
Bruce Robinson (Australia) - "Immuno-gene therapy: advantages and limitations"
Stephen Wilton (Australia) - "Application of gene therapy in disease"
+ 1 other selected presentation
Aim: To discuss how tumour cells overcome normal apoptotic signals
Chairs: Arun Dhamarajan and Andreas Strasser
Speakers include:
Arun Dhamarajan (Australia) - "Overview on apoptosis"
Andreas Strasser (Australia) - "BH3-only members of the Bcl-2 family are critical inducers of programmed cell death"
Courtney Broaddus (USA) - "Apoptosis and mesothelioma"
Aim: To compare data from microarrays on gene chips and glass slides and determine which is more accurate
Chairs: Arun Dhamarajan and Andreas Strasser
Speaker:
Terry Speed (Australia) - "Comparing the short and long oligo microarray platforms"
+ discussion (Note that other microarray talks are on Wed 4th)
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4
Aim: To highlight recent advances in high throughput technology and to showcase their application to discovery in cancer research
Chair: Nigel Swanson and Marc Wilkins
Speakers include:
Jeff Thornton (Sequonome, USA) - "SNPS, pathogen typing and methylation studies using Sequonome technology
Lillian Bloch (Affymetrix, USA) - "Advancing Cancer Research with Affymetrix GeneChip Technology -
Understanding Pediatric ALL relapse and drug resistance"
Marc Wilkins (Proteome Systems, Australia) - "Emerging technologies in proteomics"
Peter Kesners (Bruker, Australia) - "Applied Fragment
Generation in Proteomics with a TOF/TOF Mass Spectrometer"
Aim: To Identify key genes and proteins in the pathogenesis of malignant disease
Chairs: Richard Lake and Roger Reddel
Speakers:
Roger Reddel - "Telomere maintenance in mesotheliomas"
Ian Dunham - "Studying the human genome through the microcosm of chromosome 22"
Aim: To review how genomic technologies will lead to a more accurate prediction of patient response to therapy
Chair: Nik Zeps and Michael Byrne
Speakers include:
David Bowtell (Australia) - "Application of cancer genomics to cancer management
Stan Krajewski (USA) - "Tissue MicroArrays (TMAs) as a technology application for the human
Proteome project: examples from the colon and prostate cancer study"
Stephen Albelda (USA) - "Gene Expression Mapping of Malignant Mesothelioma"
Michael Byrne (Australia) - "From the clinicians perspective"
Panel discussion
Aim: To discuss the uses and limitations of new technologies in cancer biology and where the development of these technologies will lead us in the future.
Chair: Bruce Robinson and Peter Leedman
*** POSTED NOVEMBER 6, 2002 ***