Overview
35 Convent Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892
Room 620/630/640
Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are life-threatening immune-mediated chronic diseases characterized by systemic inflammation, immune dysregulation, damage to target organs, and tissue fibrosis. Despite substantial advances in understanding disease biology over the last two decades, there has been little progress in discovering effective therapies, while prevention and cure remain elusive.
To identify new ways to address these challenges, intramural NIH research programs of the NCI and NIAMS are organizing a one and half-day workshop focusing on: Immunotherapies and cellular therapies toward restoring immune homeostasis and mitigating the often debilitating fibrosis that accompanies cGVHD and SSc. The meeting will be in person and held on April 30-May 1, 2024, at the NIH Bethesda campus, Bethesda Maryland. Participation in this one-and-a-half-day workshop is open access through a live video platform and will be available to registered individuals. The meeting will include dedicated sessions with Q&A and topic-focused discussion panels.
The workshop will discuss current concepts in the basic science of fibrosis, identify commonalities and distinctions between cGVHD and SSc, and provide updates and future directions in the latest therapeutic advances including their rationale and interface with precision medicine. This is a unique opportunity to understand better mechanisms that contribute to both cGVHD and SSc, the biology of and therapeutic approaches to preventing and treating fibrosis, and to develop and foster collaborations across the fields, including exploring in vivo models of human disease. An emphasis will be placed on basic and translational science focus with reference to and in the context of the latest clinical trials research.
We believe that there are lessons to be learned by engaging investigators from these two fields that may lead to studies of pathogenesis and outcomes that have some similarities but also disease-specific differences. We expect lively discussions that will help energize the field, foster dialogue, and guide future efforts.
Workshop Co-Chairs:
Steven Pavletic, Center for Cancer Research, NCI
John Varga, University of Michigan
Bruce Blazar, University of Minnesota
In collaboration with:
National Scleroderma Foundation
Meredith Cowden GVHD Foundation
Scleroderma Research Foundation
GVHD Alliance
Planning Committee Members:
John O'Shea, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH
Robert Colbert, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH
Edward Cowen, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH
Daniel Kastner, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH
Pravitt Gourh, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH
Registration Deadline: April 22, 2024