LAMposium

We hope you're making plans to join us for the 2010 LAM International Research Conference! This meeting will bring together researchers from diverse disciplines to discuss the pathophysiologic basis of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare lung disease that affects young women. The conference will integrate the ideas of established LAM clinicians and investigators with other top scientists who have parallel interests in fields that are relevant to LAM, including molecular genetics, cellular signaling, pathology, smooth muscle biology, lung remodeling and cell biology. Our objectives are to identify the most critical new research directions, to discuss what is known, and to move the field forward.

Cosponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) every year since 1998, the conference includes a basic/clinical science conference, a concurrent patient conference, and a Breath of Hope Gala that raises funds for LAM research. We are expecting approximately two hundred LAM patients and family members and over one hundred physicians and scientists. Scientific symposia will run from 7:30AM-5:00PM both Friday and Saturday, with a session on Sunday morning from 8:30AM-11:00AM to discuss future directions for LAM research.

Scientific Conference Overview

Conference Program
Dr. Elizabeth Henske will chair the Basic Science Track and Dr. Lisa Young will chair the Clinical Science Track. The format for the scientific track of the upcoming 2010 conference will be similar to that of the 2009 conference, with an expanded focus on molecular imaging, role of estrogen action in LAM pathogenesis, biomarker development, mechanisms of lung destruction, and signaling pathways that are promising as therapeutic targets. Confirmed speakers to date include Drs. David Mankoff, Bruce Kristal, Michael Welsh, Kazunori Tobino, Geraldine Finlay, Eric White, Caroline Owen, Danielle Morse, Akiko Hata, Franco Bonetti, Brendan Manning, Channing Der, Arnold Kristof, Vera Krymskaya, David Kwiatkowski, Kun-Liang Guan, Carlyne Cool, Denise Adams, Joel Moss, Bruce Korf, and George Retsch-Bogart. This year, the LAM Research Conference will also be a forum to discuss progress on the "ATS Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of LAM" with both patients and clinicians. Click here for a tentative schedule.

Poster Session
The new format for last year's Poster Session was well-received. Attendees will once again enjoy wine and cheese during a lively poster discussion facilitated by Drs. Greg Downey and Kuniaki Seyama. Prizes of up to $300 will be awarded to the three posters judged to be the most exciting.

Registration Fees
The cost of registration for the LAM Scientific Conference is $375 for medical professionals and $275 for trainees, graduate students, medical students and residents. Registration includes all meals from Friday morning through Sunday breakfast, including the Saturday evening Breath of Hope Gala. Registration, lodging and economy travel expenses will be covered for all invited speakers and members of The LAM Foundation Scientific Board, provided that airline reservations are made three weeks in advance and include a Saturday night stay. LAM Foundation grant recipients who attend the meeting as speakers, chairs or general attendees are asked to use travel monies already provided in their grants to cover registration, lodging and travel expenses, per the terms in their original grant agreements.

Call for Abstracts
You are invited to submit an abstract for The LAM Foundation's 2010 International Research Conference. Studies on the basic, clinical, and psychosocial aspects of tuberous sclerosis and lymphangioleiomyomatosis are welcomed. If you are interested in submitting your work, please complete and return the Call for Abstracts form prior to the deadline on Monday, February 1, 2010. All abstract submissions should be emailed to Paul Yoder at pyoder@thelamfoundation.org. Abstracts will be reviewed by the conference organizers and members of the Scientific Advisory Board. Platform and poster presentations will be selected from submitted abstracts based on scientific merit and thematic considerations.
Notification of acceptance and selection for presentation in poster or platform format will be issued to the first author via email no later than Friday, February 26, 2010. This will provide time for presenters to register for the conference before the March 22nd deadline and allow travel awardees to make airline reservations 3 weeks in advance.
Click here for the Call for Abstracts application form.

Travel Awards
A limited number of travel grants for postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty-level investigators who submit meritorious abstracts will be awarded, based on the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Board. Travel Awards of up to $700 in the US and $950 internationally will be granted for registration/meals, three nights of lodging, and travel, as long as flight reservations include a Saturday night stay. LAM Foundation grant recipients who attend the meeting as speakers, chairs or general attendees are asked to use travel monies already provided in their grants to cover registration, lodging and travel expenses, per the terms in their original grant agreements.

Please continue to visit our website for additional information on the meeting as it develops.

We are confident that this will be a most inspiring and productive LAM meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!

IMPORTANT DEADLINES:

Abstract Submission
Monday, February 1, 2010

Notification of Acceptance
Friday, February 26, 2010

Conference Registration
Monday, March 22, 2010

EMAIL ABSTRACTS TO:
Paul Yoder
pyoder@thelamfoundation.org

Patient Conference Overview

LAMposium is inspiring to patients and their family and friends. It offers helpful information for both newly diagnosed and longtime patients. We encourage you to make plans to join us and share in the camaraderie, the sense of sisterhood and hope that is LAMposium!

The patient conference will run concurrently with the scientific track and will offer educational sessions on various topics geared for patients and their family and friends. Some of the scheduled topics include; LAM 101 - The Basics, Pneumothorax & Pleurodesis, The Basics & Benefits of Pulmonary Rehab, Lung Transplantation, Living Post Transplant, Alternative Medicine, Nutrition & Diet, Soy and it's Affect on LAM, Pain Management and also Roundtable Discussions.

The Foundation is excited to offer, for the first time, a session held specifically for children. Presenter Mike Sude is the Clinical Director at the Syracuse Jewish Family Service, a family therapist, and also the son of LAM patient Barbara Laurenzi. This Saturday morning session is designed to help children learn how to cope with having a mom who is living with a chronic illness and will be followed by various fun activities for children of all ages.

Click here for the Tentative Patient Schedule.

The LAM Foundation 2009 International Research Conference

The purpose of the LAM Foundation International Research Conference is to advance LAM research, improve LAM clinical practices, and provide education, support, and inspiration to patients, physicians, and investigators alike. The broad objectives for the 2009 Conference were: 1) to review research developments in LAM, 2) to attract new investigators to LAM research, 3) to identify the most critical new LAM research directions, and 4) to discuss what is known and to move the field forward.

This meeting integrated the ideas of established LAM clinicians and investigators with other top scientists who have parallel interests in fields that are relevant to LAM, including molecular genetics, cellular signaling, pathology, smooth muscle biology, lung remodeling and cell biology. The advances in our understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of the disease have been remarkable, and we are aligned to continue to address this problem in an aggressive, cooperative, and intelligent manner.

The concurrent Patient conference offered sessions facilitated by an expert in their field. Session topics included: LAM 101, Exercising Dos and Don'ts, Relieving Stress, Lung Transplantation, Pain Management, and MILES Trial - Making the Right Choice.

Click here for the scientific schedule.
Click here for the LAM patient schedule.

Abstracts

Click here to view: Friday Abstracts - Sessions I & II
Click here to view: Saturday Abstracts - Session III & IV
Click here to view: Poster Abstracts

The LAM Foundation 2008 International Research Conference
Friday, April 4 - Sunday, April 6, 2008
The Westin Cincinnati, Downtown Cincinnati

Click here to listen to patient presentations from the conference.

Click here for the scientific schedule.

Click here for the LAM patient schedule.

Click here for Abstracts.

Click here for attractions in Cincinnati.

The LAM Foundation 2007 International Research Conference
Friday, April 20 - Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Hilton Netherlands, Downtown Cincinnati

Click here for 2007 LAM abstracts

Click here to view photos taken at LAMposium 2007!

Patients, Patients and Friends
Click here for 2007 patient/family schedule
Click here for to view and download the patient presentations

Physicians and Researchers
Click here for 2007 LAM Scientific Schedule