Gastrointestinal Tract XXI

Project summary/abstract This application requests partial support for a FASEB Scientific Research Conference entitled “Gastrointestinal Tract XXI: "Life, Death and Disease of the Gut” that is scheduled for September 8-12, 2024 in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The meeting will convene a diverse group of speakers, including many women, underrepresented

groups, and young investigators, to discuss the biology of the gastrointestinal tract and its dysregulation in the setting of disease. A keynote address plus eight lecture sessions will address gastrointestinal stem cell homeostasis and plasticity in response to injury/disease, nutrition and metabolism, novel approaches using GI

organoids, the microbiota-gut-brain axis, epithelial physiology, microbial homeostasis, mucosal inflammation, IBD, and cancer. Ample time will be set aside for discussions amongst participants, and the presentation of unpublished data will be prioritized. There will also be two poster sessions as well as several career development

activities for early career investigators and trainees, and opportunities to promote the visibility of these individuals who represent the future of the field. We have assembled an innovative program with committed participation from leaders with diverse expertise within GI-related research fields. Overall, in an intimate and secluded setting

that encourages informal interactions between scientists at all levels, we provide an innovative approach to the exchange of ideas and synthesis of science that will move the field of GI research forward. The conference has a 39-year track record of serving as a foundational meeting for trainees as evidenced by year-after-year

attendance by those who have matriculated in research-related careers spanning from basic science discovery to clinical significance for GI health and disease. It is therefore expected that the meeting will provide new insights not only into basic gastrointestinal physiology, neurobiology, developmental biology, and microbiology, but also

how to treat, and ultimately cure, a wide variety of digestive disease states.