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ABOUT THE MEETING What is the International Conference on Unstable
Microsatellites & Human Disease? This
series of meetings were initiated as the brainchild of Drs. Jack Griffith,
Robert D. Wells and David L. Nelson only six years after the first unstable
trinucleotide repeats were found to be disease-causing mutations of Kennedys
disease, fragile X mental retardation, and myotonic dystrophy. At the time of
the first meeting it had become apparent that repeat instability was likely
to be a very important form of mutation. This meeting has occurred about
every two years since 1997 and the organizers torch has been passed between
Investigators from different countries. The 1st round of the Conference was
held in Santa Fe (1997), the 2nd in North Carolina (1999), and the 3rd was in
The Netherlands (2001). The 4th iteration was in the scenic Rocky Mountains
of Banff, Canada (2004). The 5th iteration was in beautiful and historical
city of Granada, Spain (2006). The 6th
iteration will be hosted in 2009 in the tropical rainforests of Guanacaste,
Costa Rica. Drs. Christopher Pearson,
Laura Ranum, Sergei Mirkini and Fernando Morales are the organizers of the
6th meeting. The attendance of this meeting has increased steadily and we
expect 150-200 scientists to attend. Scientific Focus of the Meeting The
meeting will continue to focus upon the most recent advances in understanding
repeat instability of nucleic acids and proteins and their relationship to
human diseases, inherited and other. Since 1991, when this type of mutation
was first associated with disease there have been at least 40 different
hereditary diseases found to be caused by this form of mutation as well as
numerous diseases that are associated with genetic instabilities.
Furthermore, genome-wide and locus- or gene-specific repeat instability is
now a well-documented hallmark of both carcinogenesis and aging. Repeat instability
is used not only for genetic mapping but also for forensic and evolutionary
sciences. Each of these important areas will also be encompassed in the
meeting focus. Goals of the Meeting The
goals of the meeting will continue to focus upon the most recent advances in
understanding repeat instability of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and proteins
and their relationship to human diseases, inherited and other (see below).
This meeting has a proven track record of rapidly sharing new information,
stimulating scientific exchange, collaborations and has served as an
excellent venue for training of young scientists (graduate students,
post-doctoral fellows and PIs). The multi-disciplinary nature of the research
field requires the gathering of clinicians, diagnosticians, pathologists,
geneticists and molecular biologists. This is the premier meeting on these
mutations and diseases, works that have been presented as podium or poster
presentations have been published in the best journals, including Science, Nature, Nature Genetics, Cell, Molecular
Cell, Neuron, American Journal of Human Genetics, Human Molecular Genetics,
Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Journal of Biological Chemistry. Agenda The
Agenda of our planned meeting will generally follow that of previous
meetings. As with previous iterations of this conference we plan on inviting
20-25 Speakers, and producing a comprehensive meeting book containing
abstracts for each seminar and poster that will be presented. In addition, as
with previous meetings, a percentage of the platform seminars will be
selected from submitted abstracts with a focus upon submissions by trainees
(graduate students and post-doctoral fellows). Furthermore we plan to have
two days allowing for the presentation of 30 posters. MEETING REPORTS Repeat meeting’s repeat performance Origins of instability Dynamic
mutations on the move in Banff
PREVIOUS UMHD CONFERENCE
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