Worm-Fly-Vertebrate-Human Clearance and Failure

Apoptosis plays a key role in the morphogenesis during development and in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis in adults. Its mechanisms have been intensely studied, and early stages of apoptosis are about to be fully understood. The fate of later stage apoptotic cells remain to be characterized.

The 2009 GRC on Apoptotic Cell Recognition & Clearance will present up-to-date research on the molecular, cellular and immunological aspects of the clearance of dying cells. It will feature a wide range of topics, like tissue homeostasis, stress-response, inflammation, and immunology and will focus on the importance of the clearance of apoptotic cells when investigating development, morphogenesis, tolerance, autoimmunity, and immune privilege. The invited speakers represent a variety of scientific disciplines, including developmental research, genetics, signaling, immunology, medicine, and cell biology. Data on various multicellular organisms from worm to human will be presented. The conference will provide a platform for investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will welcome junior scientists and graduate students presenting their work in poster format to exchange ideas and hypotheses with leaders in the field. We encourage all poster presenters to give short on-spot talks during extended poster sessions. Some of the posters will also be selected for talks in the main auditory.

The conference provides a forum for:

• sharing the latest knowledge on fundamental issues how phagocytic cells recognize apoptotic cells and how pathways for the induction of phagocytosis are activated;
• clarifying implications of apoptotic cell clearance in morphogenesis and homeostasis;
• understanding recent progress in clinical applications;
• evaluating topics outside the main issues of this conference;
• exchanging questions/answers, opinions, ideas and data from ongoing experiments to create collaborations.

The collegial atmosphere of this conference, with opportunities for informal gatherings, promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented.