Call for Abstracts

Posters will be selected from the submitted abstracts for oral presentation.

The NIDDK is pleased to invite abstracts for oral and poster presentations focused on understanding newly discovered genes conferring risk for type 2 diabetes and their functional expression in the pancreatic ß-cell.  The workshop will showcase:  (1) newly discovered risk loci for type 2 diabetes; (2) specific ß-cell functions and pathways potentially influenced by these genes; and (3) linkage of genes conferring risk to the clinical progression of diabetes.  The goals for this workshop are to share results from this rapidly evolving field and identify new strategies that enable an integrated correlation of at-risk loci with suboptimal ß-cell functioning.  The workshop objectives are to bring together and learn from multiple disciplines, and foster collaboration among scientists in the diabetes community.

Suggested topics include but are not restricted to: 

• Discovery of new gene loci that predict type 2 diabetes.
• Influence of genes predisposing diabetes on ß-cell pathways and targets, including:  developmental biology; replication; regeneration; apoptosis; intracellular stresses; coupled insulin secretion; KAPT channel mutations; diabetes complications; biomarkers; etc.
• Relevance of animal model studies to human disease.
• Epigenetic mechanisms that influence gene expression in type 2 diabetes.
• Emerging technologies with applications for gene mapping.

Please submit a one-page abstract.  Include a title, all authors (presenting author should be clearly marked), department affiliation, university, city, state, country, postal code, and email address, along with sufficient experimental detail to assess the relevance of the work.  Please acknowledge appropriate funding sources for your research.  Inclusion of figures is encouraged.  Posters will be selected from the submitted abstracts for oral communication. 

The abstract due date is April 14, 2008.  Abstracts can be submitted via email to Cerena Cantrell of The Scientific Consulting Group, Inc. at ccantrell@scgcorp.com.

For scientific questions, please contact Dr. Catherine McKeon, Ph.D., NIDDK, mckeonc@extra.niddk.nih.gov or Dr. Michael Appel, Ph.D., NIDDK, appelm@niddk.nih.gov.