February 8 - 12, 2006
Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine
La Jolla, California
CONFERENCE CHAIRPERSONS:
Rik Derynck, University of California, San Francisco, CA
Joan Massagué, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Anita B. Roberts, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
The crucial roles of TGF-β as growth inhibitor, immunosuppressant, cell matrix remodeling factor and blood vessel forming agent, have crucial implications for the development of cancer and other diseases. Since the 2003 AACR Special Conference on TGF-β, major strides have been made not only in further delineating the basic signaling pathways, transcriptional programs and physiological roles of TGF-β, but also in ascertaining how specific perturbations of these mechanisms lead to disease. Inactivating mutations and other alterations allow tumor cells to evade the growth inhibitory actions of TGF-β. In so doing, tumor cells become free to utilize TGF-β for the evasion of immune surveillance, and for invasive behavior and metastatic growth.
This conference gathered over 250 leaders and newcomers in the field and was devoted to exploring the latest developments in (1) TGF-β as a tumor suppressor and a tumor progression factor; (2) the impact of TGF-β on tumor cells and their microenvironment; (3) the cytostatic, immunosuppressive, invasive and metastatic mechanisms of TGF-β; (4) TGF-β in inflammation, fibrosis and angiogenesis; (5) TGF-β in bone, vascular and neural homeostasis; and, (6) the promise and challenges of novel anti-TGF-β therapies. Researchers from over 20 countries submitted 125 abstracts of their latest work in the field, with several of the highly-rated abstracts presented as short talks throughout the conference.
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Please visit the AACR Meeting Calendar for a complete list of upcoming programs.