Cell Competition in Development and Disease

Organizer(s): Margaret A. Goodell, Laura A. Johnston and Thomas P. Zwaka

Supported by the Directors' Fund

Summary of Meeting:

Cell competition represents a radical departure from the established view that embryonic development is simply a matter of following a preprogrammed set of rules. Instead, it is a highly conserved process that promotes the context dependent elimination of less fit cells and stimulates growth of more fit cells during growth and homeostasis. Although it has long been known that the basis of competition is the ability of growing cells to monitor fitness of their neighbors, and can be induced via differences in protein production capacity, Myc levels and apico-basal cell polarity, only recently have signaling and effector mechanisms been identified. This conference aims to bring together, for the first time, researchers, from diverse fields, who study competitive and cooperative interactions between cells. It will cover recent findings on quality control systems, developing tissues, stem cell populations, and tumorigenesis, as well as address important evolutionary aspects of competitive and cooperative behavior in diverse model systems. New technologies have uncovered the prevalence of cell competition in humans, with surprising outcomes and implications for human disease. As the first broad meeting of this sort, we expect to define critical questions shared by the diverse investigators and shape this emerging area. Given the wide range of developmental and homeostatic systems that are controlled by cell competition, understanding the mechanisms and consequences of competitive interactions may permit the manipulation of these processes for therapeutic purposes.

Scholarship Deadline: October 24 2018

Discounted Abstract Deadline: October 24 2018

Abstract Deadline: December 7 2018

Discounted Registration Deadline: January 8 2019

We gratefully acknowledge the generous grant for this conference provided by:

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Grant No. 1R13HD097895-01
Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by 1R13HD097895-01 from the National Institutes of Health. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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