Message from the Program Chair
Charles A. Parkos, MD, PhD

The next Annual Meeting of the American Society for Investigative Pathology will be held in San Diego, CA at the San Diego Convention Center on April 5-9, 2008, in conjunction with Experimental Biology 2008.  The ASIP is pleased to announce that the annual meeting will again be integrated with that of the American Association of Neuropathologists (AANP) and the North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO). The scientific meeting will include a diverse and exciting program focused on symposia, workshops, special sessions, and a full-day, focused “mini-conference”.  The two societies have been working closely with ASIP to devise a program with broad appeal.  Additional sessions have been developed in conjunction with guest societies including the American Society for Matrix Biology, the Association for Pathology Informatics, the  American College of Veterinary Pathologists, the Pulmonary Pathology Society, the International Society for Analytical and Molecular Morphology, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories, the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology, and the Italian Pathology Society. Furthermore, there is a research symposium jointly sponsored with The American Physiological Society. 

Preceding the program on Friday will be an AANP satellite course on molecular embryology and malformations. The first day of the meeting will be marked by symposia centered on Neurogenetics and Developmental Disorders, Pulmonary Fibrosis and Immunity: From Bench to Bedside.  Both events will feature invited talks by leaders in the field including Nobel Laureate Dr. Peter Doherty. A keynote address by Dr. Carlo Croce on microRNA and Cancer will be a highlight of the first day of the meeting.  On Sunday through Tuesday, a number of symposia will focus on the biology of complement, membrane rafts, hepatocellular regeneration/development, genetics/epigenetics of cancer initiation, technologies to identify disease-associated genetic variants, and epithelial transport. In a continuing tradition, there will also be several symposia focused on aspects of vascular biology including leukocyte-endothelial interactions, the immune system in vascular disease, regulation of endothelial/epithelial junctions, vascular cell dysfunction, and neurovascular connections. Special lectures will focus on a variety of topics including Chagas disease, brain tumor classification, intracellular trafficking and neurodegeneration, and pathobiology of vascular endothelium in the post genomic era.  There will be several workshops covering topics of current interest including the molecular biology of valvular heart disease, vascular stem/progenitor cells, and applications of stem cell research.  

The ASIP program at EB2008 will also include special sessions targeting trainees and young investigators including career development workshops, sessions that showcase trainee research, and how to succeed in big science. In keeping with ASIP’s commitment to support junior investigators, a large number of awards will be presented for outstanding trainee research.  As in the past, a vital component of the program will include abstract-driven minisymposia and poster sessions. This past year the ASIP had a record number of abstract submissions that helped to create an exciting program. We encourage submission of your abstracts to ASIP topic categories covering a broad range of research areas in experimental pathology.  The program committee is looking forward to receiving many abstracts that will contribute to the success of this exciting meeting in San Diego, CA.