Modeling Cell-Cell Interactions Governing Tissue Repair and Disease

The Tissue Niches and Resident Stem Cells in Adult Epithelia GRC will include work from the epidermis and its appendages, intestine, lung, mammary gland, cornea and retina, epithelial transition zones, oral and craniofacial complex, and other emerging epithelial tissues, in all model organisms. The mechanisms by which adult epithelia are maintained by interactions between diverse cell types continues throughout life, begins to decline in aged tissues, and may be altered in disease states. Epithelial progenitor cells interact with stromal cells, endothelial cells, neighboring epithelia, the extracellular matrix, and others. New developments can increase an understanding of the details of these interactions by cell culture and in vivo modeling. The 2018 conference agenda is organized so that each session focuses on a topic in niche biology rather than on the tissue of interest; this design increases opportunities for scientists working on different tissues to interact and inform each others' research. Topics include immune cell interactions, epigenetic regulation, disease modeling, engineering niches, and aging among others. An associated GRS will take place in the 2 days prior to this GRC. The GRS is designed to provide a venue for postdoctoral trainees and graduate students to openly present their research to their peers, to learn how to productively communicate research ideas, and to promote a dynamic and interactive scientific community. The topics for the GRS sessions will focus on key challenges in stem cell biology and how newly developed technologies are contributing to this dynamic field.