Workshop: Vascular Matrix Biology and Bioengineering

March 16-19, 2009
Telus Conference Centre
Whistler, British Columbia

Organized by: Cecilia Giachelli, University of Washington
Michelle Bendeck, University of Toronto
Elaine C. Davis, McGill University
Themis R. Kyriakides, Yale University

The aims of this one of a kind Vascular Matrix Biology and Bioengineering Workshop are to provide a forum for basic and clinical researchers in vascular matrix biology, regenerative medicine and bioengineering to share their recent and novel science and to promote communication and exchange of ideas and concepts between traditional vascular matrix biologists, cardiovascular regenerative medicine researchers and cardiovascular tissue engineers.  The workshop will be interdisciplinary, allowing researchers in biology and engineering to come together with a common focus to address important issues in cardiovascular disease and regeneration.   This workshop represents a unique opportunity for leading researchers in these disciplines to interact.  We anticipate that fostering this interaction will result in significant knowledge transfer and translation to design new experiments and develop practical treatments and therapies for cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular tissue engineering.  Furthermore, the involvement of trainees will help to ensure that the next generation of scientists will be fully aware of and conversant in these research areas.

Our program is characterized by the presentation of cutting edge research in areas like vascular matrix remodeling and repair, matrix genetics and development, stem cell biology, vascular scaffolds, engineering biomaterials, tissue engineering, angiogenesis, mechanobiology, regenerative matrices and matrix calcification.  In addition, vascular matrix is studied in various systems and organisms, in a developmental, disease and age-related manner.  Thus, this conference will bring together scientists that use cell culture systems with those who use whole organism systems such as the mouse, and some who study human genetic mutations in matrix proteins which are correlated with the development of vascular disease.  It aims to provide exchange of ideas about vascular ECM in cellular, developmental as well as physiological and pathological contexts. As such, this workshop will be of interest to translational scientists, pharmaceutical/ biotechnological scientists, and bioengineers with an interest in the cardiovascular system.  Typically, investigators in these areas attend different meetings and belong to distinct societies, such that exchange of vascular matrix knowledge vital to both groups has been virtually nonexistent.  We believe that this workshop provides a much needed forum for this dialog, and will benefit all disciplines and allow innovative insights to be exchanged, and new ideas and directions to be developed.

In addition to increased communication, a major outcome that we hope to achieve is increased collaboration between researchers.  This will lead to new grant proposals and to the development of new research tools and eventually new therapeutic strategies.  One good example of this is the rapid development of advances in nanotechnology.  Biologists are starting to work with bioengineers in a variety of areas, including: creating new polymers for drug delivery and tissue regeneration in the cardiovascular system; developing high efficiency systems to grow and differentiate stem cells used for cardiovascular repair; and development of microfluidic and “lab on a chip” systems to accomplish high throughput molecular analysis, saving time, materials and reagent costs.  The latter application is particularly exciting, as these microfluidic chip systems allow the patterning of features to mimic vascular networks, and vascular cells can be grown on the chips allowing the study of interactions between molecules and cells in precisely controlled environments. These systems will allow investigators in cardiovascular research to identify potential new therapeutic molecules (for example small molecule antagonists) that are not necessarily on the agenda for the major pharmaceutical companies.   There are also possibilities for the commercialization of these tools, as they are likely to be of use to many researchers.  We have seen some of these new collaborations develop between investigators as the result of our 2007 VMBB workshop and we are confident that our future workshops will continue to foster this productive environment.