Preclinical Modeling, Engineering and Therapeutics for Glandular Diseases

January 26 - 31, 2025

Chairs

and

Vice Chairs

and

Four Points Sheraton / Holiday Inn Express

1050 Schooner Drive

Ventura, California, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The Salivary Glands and Exocrine Biology GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on “Salivary Glands and Exocrine Biology” will continue the sequence of multi-disciplinary conferences providing a forum for presentation of cutting-edge unpublished discoveries in the field of exocrine tissue biology. Sessions include discussions on (pre)-clinical therapeutics and trials, the oral-gut connection, exocrine tissue biology and engineering, aging, cancer, and autoimmune disease, as well as the latest advanced technology-integrated strategies, including AI. Invited speakers for the GRC include eminent scientists from academia, industry, and government from across the globe. The conference will serve as a venue to promote the work of young scientists through oral and poster presentations.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Salivary Glands and Exocrine Biology" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Tissue Repair and Neoplasia Discussion Leaders: and
7:40 pm - 7:50 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:50 pm - 8:05 pm	"From One Niche to Another: Human Stem/Progenitor Cells for Salivary Gland Regeneration"
8:05 pm - 8:10 pm	Discussion
8:10 pm - 9:10 pm	"Back to the Future: Links Between Tissue Repair, Reprogramming to an Embryonic-Like State, and Cancer"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Ex-Vivo Development and Re-Engineering of Tissues Discussion Leaders: and
9:00 am - 9:20 am	"Cell Plasticity and Tissue Remodeling in Exocrine Glands"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	"Biofabrication and Today’s Regenerative Engineering"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:20 am	"Cleaning up the Neighborhood: Remediating Fibrosis to Facilitate Regeneration"
10:20 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:20 am	"Progenitor Niches in the Developing Pancreas: Regulation of Cell Fate and Beyond"
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:40 am	"A Human iPSC-Derived Salivary Gland Organoid Model for Diabetic Salivary Gland Dysfunction"
11:40 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 11:55 am	"Early Epithelial-Mesenchymal Interactions Controlling Development of the Salivary Gland Mesenchyme"
11:55 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	"Outspread Limits Myosin II Activity to Control Epithelial Tube Architecture"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"Break Free From Locked Fate: Targeted Regeneration of Radiation Damaged Salivary Epithelium"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	The GRC Power Hour™ The GRC Power Hour™ is designed to address the interests and needs of all scientists and the challenges they face in their careers. Specifically, the program promotes meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages about barriers to career advancement and strategies to support the professional growth of all members of the community. The GRC Power Hour™ is open to all conference participants. Organizer:
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Cancer and Radiation Impact in Exocrine Tissues Discussion Leaders: and
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	"CRTCal Links Between Development and Salivary Tumor Progression"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm	"PKCδ and Radioprotection: The Role of the Mitochondria in DNA Damage and Repair"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm	"Pre-Clinical Models for the Determination of Chemoresistance in Salivary Gland Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm	Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:20 pm	"The Role of Macrophages in Murine Radiation Induced Salivary Gland Damage"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Saliva, the Oral Microbiota and Taste Discussion Leaders: and
9:00 am - 9:25 am	"How Bugs Stick to Spit: Glycan Recognition at the Saliva-Microbiome Interface"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 10:00 am	"Leveraging Metaproteomics to Investigate Saliva and the Oral Microbiome"
10:00 am - 10:10 am	Discussion
10:10 am - 10:40 am	Coffee Break
10:40 am - 11:05 am	"Salivary Proteins Alter Both Oral and Post-Oral Responding to Taste Stimuli"
11:05 am - 11:15 am	Discussion
11:15 am - 11:25 am	"A Cross-Sectional Observational Study of Sicca Patients with Salivary Autoantibodies Defines a Potential New Phenotype of Sjögren’s Disease"
11:25 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:40 am	"Evaluation of Oral Care Method using MA-T Technology for the Oral Microbiota of High-Risk Patients"
11:40 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 11:55 am	"Understanding the Role of Myoepithelial Cells in Salivary Gland Regeneration"
11:55 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	"Novel Trigeminal Sensory Innervation of the Submandibular Gland: Trpv1+ Neurons Detect Changes in Ductal pH"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"Purinergic Receptors as Therapeutic Targets for Salivary Gland Dysfunction"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Exocrine Glands of Eye and Airways Discussion Leaders: and
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	"Effects of Age and Stress on Meibomian Gland Growth and Differentiation"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm	"Sebaceous Glands During Homeostasis and Regeneration"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm	"Dynamics of the Airway Immune Niche and its Role in Regulating Gland Development"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm	Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm	"Aging Mouse Lacrimal Glands: Uncovering Shared Features and Individual Heterogeneity"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	"Epithelial and Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells in Normal and Inflamed Human Lacrimal Glands"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Pre-Clinical Therapy Discussion Leaders: and
9:00 am - 9:20 am	"Innovative Treatments for Hyposalivation: A Multifaceted Approach to Restoring Saliva Production"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	"Sowing Seeds in Arid Lands: Challenges in Cell-Based Therapies for Radiation-Induced Xerostomia"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:20 am	"Tissue-Resident Salivary Gland Macrophages Prime Epithelial Progenitor Cells to Regenerate Tissue"
10:20 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:20 am	"Generation of Salivary Gland Organoids from Pluripotent Stem Cells"
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:40 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
11:40 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 11:55 am	"Dissection of Salivary Glands by Autoantibody Profile in Sjögren's Syndrome Reveals Common and Distinct T-Cell Subsets and Fibroblast-Mediated Inflammation"
11:55 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	"Spatial Mapping and 3D Bioprinted Tumoroids to Uncover Molecular Targets in Salivary Gland Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma in Southeast Asia"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"Identifying Acinar Cell Fate Modulators for Regenerating Salivary Glands in Sjögren’s Disease"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Exocrine Tissue-Related Aging, Metabolism, and Senescence Discussion Leaders: and
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	"Exploring the Immune Cell Landscape and Sex Differences in Aging Salivary Glands"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm	"Lipid Dysregulation in the Aged Lacrimal Gland"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm	"Environmental Changes associated with Radiation-Induced Salivary Gland Dysfunction"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm	Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:20 pm	"Metmorfin for Diabetes in Sjögren's Disease"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Clinical Trials and Autoimmune Diseases Discussion Leaders: and
9:00 am - 9:20 am	"Genetics and Genomics of Sjögren’s Disease"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	"Sjögren’s Disease Endotypes: Towards Precision Medicine"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am	Coffee Break
10:30 am - 10:50 am	"Calcium Channels Mediate Salivary Gland Function Locally and Systemically"
10:50 am - 11:00 am	Discussion
11:00 am - 11:20 am	"Transplantation of Autologous Stem Cells for Post-Radiotherapy Regeneration of the Submandibular Gland (RESTART): Preliminary Phase I/II Study Results"
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:45 am	"Efficacy of Low-Dose IL-2 Therapy in Stratified Subgroups of Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Patients"
11:45 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:05 pm	"Long Covid in Patients with Sjögren’s Disease"
12:05 pm - 12:10 pm	Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:25 pm	"Results of a Phase 1, Open-Label, Dose-Escalation Study of Gene Therapy with AAV2-hAQP1 as Treatment for Grade 2 and 3 Radiation-Induced Late Xerostomia and Parotid Gland Hypofunction"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: The Impact of Cellular Aging on Chronic Disease Discussion Leaders: and
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 7:55 pm	"Senescence of Salivary Gland Progenitor Cells in Sjögren’s Disease"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:50 pm	"Cellular Senescence and Senolytics: The Path to Translation"
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm	Discussion
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of Dental & Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R13DE034589. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health

Conference Links

Conference History Salivary Glands and Exocrine Biology (GRS)