The scientific program encompasses 2 full days (Friday and Saturday) and is designed to maximize participant interactions by avoiding simultaneous sessions and having an attendance of ~200 individuals. The intent is to have full participation in each scientific session.

Format:

Four symposia, each with a complementary poster session, will be held during the meeting. Each symposium will last 2 hours. The first hour presents 2 keynote lectures, each lasting 25 minutes. The second hour will consist of 4 oral presentations (selected from submitted abstracts), each 10 minutes long. Each presentation will be followed by 5 minutes for questions and discussion providing a total of 30 minutes of total discussion in each session. A thematic 1.5 hour poster session follows each symposium. Two-hour lunch periods ensure time for relaxing, meeting and having informal discussions with keynote speakers. Lunches and coffee breaks will be deli-style for mobility and convenience. Posters will be on display throughout the meeting to maximize discussions. Dinners are off-site.

Speakers, topics, and problems to be addressed:

The 4 themes of the meeting are summarized below along with keynote lectures and abstract topics. The final program will be adjusted accordingly.

1. Plasticity: The microvasculature adapts its structure readily to optimize functional efficiency and the underlying mechanisms of adaptation can be altered in disease states. This symposium will explore mechanisms governing endothelial cell dynamics and vascular development in health and how these processes are adversely affected in disease.
   • Keynote Lectures: Dr. Sessa will discuss roles of transcriptional regulation of gene expression and post-translational regulation of protein function in light of endothelial cell adaptations during vascular remodeling in health and disease. Dr. Dickinson will discuss cell signaling events elicited by blood flow that are required for normal blood vessel development in mammalian embryos in light of animal (mouse) strains with aberrant vessel remodeling.
   • Abstract topics: Adaptations to exercise/inactivity; adhesion junctions; angiogenesis; development/aging; extracellular matrix/metalloproteinases; fetal programming; morphogenesis; guidance cues; regression and remodeling; tissue injury/repair; stem cells.
2. Inflammation: Inflammatory responses reflect the immune system exerting protective mechanisms in the microcirculation of affected tissues. In turn, subverting the immune system underlies the development and progression of cancer. This symposium will explore complementary responses and roles of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels during inflammation and cancer metastasis.
   • Keynote Lectures: Dr. Granger will discuss microvascular responses to cardiovascular risk factors in light of underlying inflammatory mechanisms and their pathophysiological consequences. Dr. Skobe will discuss molecular mechanisms of lymphangiogenesis and the active role of lymphatic vasculature in cancer metastasis.
   • Abstract topics: Adhesion molecules; diabetes/metabolic syndrome/obesity/dyslipidemia; extracellular matrix; free radicals; hypertension; insulin resistance; fluid/electrolyte transport/balance; ischemia-reperfusion; leukocyte–platelet–endothelial activation; lymphatic function; lymphangiogenesis; permeability & exchange; proteinase activation.
3. Cell Signaling: Signaling initiated through mechanical forces and mediated by molecular interactions is integral to microcirculatory structure and function. This symposium will address the role of the nucleus in cellular signal transduction and explore molecular signaling dynamics regulating vessel growth.
   • Keynote Lectures: Dr. Dahl will discuss and illustrate with mathematical modeling the role of the nucleus and its deformation in mechanotransduction during shear stress and how changes in the molecular regulation of structural proteins alter nuclear stiffness in disorders of aging affecting vascular biology. Dr. Iruela-Arispe will discuss molecular mechanisms that govern angiogenesis and how these processes can be corrupted in pathologies characterized by abnormal endothelial and smooth muscle cell growth.
   • Abstract topics: Calcium dynamics; cytoskeleton; genetic approaches; glycocalyx; hemoglobin; ion channels; junctional regulation; mechanotransduction; membranes and compartments; nitric oxide-nitrosylation; pericyte biology; receptors, pharmacology and therapeutics; reactive gaseous species; rheology; vesicular trafficking.
4. Intercellular Communication: Blood flow control requires appropriate organization of microvascular network structure and function. This symposium addresses the nature of intercellular signaling in resistance networks and its disorganization in tumors.
   • Keynote Lectures: Dr. Welsh will discuss how specific structural, electrical and gap junctional properties enable electrical signals to conduct differentially among smooth muscle and endothelial cells in light of blood flow control. Dr. Fukumura will address how the abnormal organization of the structure and function of tumor microcirculation and its microenvironment underlies compromised delivery and efficacy of therapeutics.
   • Abstract topics: Blood flow regulation; cell-cell interactions in the vessel wall; conducted responses; gap junctions/tight junctions; in vivo indicators and intravital imaging; neural control; smooth muscle–endothelium; stem cells; tissue-vessel interactions; tumor vascular biology; venular function.