Saturday, April 5, 2008 -- 2:00 - 4:00pm, Room 15B

Blood Vessel Club: 
Stem/Progenitor Cells - Contributions to Blood Vessel Assembly and Repair
(Co-sponsor: American Society for Investigative Pathology)
Chairs:      David Milstone, Harvard Medical School 
                 Joyce Bischoff, Children's Hospital, Boston

Invited Speakers:    Vivek Mittal, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories
                        Contribution of the pro-angiogenic cells to revascularization
                   Dmitry Traktuev , Indiana University School of Medicine
                        Human adipose stromal cells and blood-derived endothelial cells partner to conduct robust vasculogenesis in vivo
                  Juan Melero-Martin, Children's Hospital Boston
                        Engineering vascular networks in vivo with human postnatal progenitor cells

Plus seven blitzes -

Cells in peripheral blood can enter tissues to play regulatory and supporting roles in blood vessel assembly and repair as well as contribute directly to fixed vascular elements including endothelium and smooth muscle. Changes in circulating cell numbers and properties may thus alter physiologic and pathologic processes with significant vascular components including normal development, cancer, diabetic retinopathy, ischemic cardiomyopathy and wound healing. Clarifying the contributions of circulating regulatory cells, structural precursors, and their interactions with existing vascular elements will have far reaching implications for such therapeutic strategies. Blood Vessel Club 2008 will provide an interactive, informal setting to present and discuss the most recent results in this rapidly progressing field. To this end, the submission deadline is later, the format will include one or two "full length" and several shorter presentations from a variety of laboratories. Vigorous discussion and debate involving speakers and the audience will be emphasized.