In This Issue...
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June President's Message
Dr. DuBose turns June's message over to this year's Program Chair, Dr. Lisa Guay-Woodford, to share details about the exciting program and special events for Renal Week 2006.
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State-of-the-Art Speakers for Renal Week 2006
The State-of-the-Art addresses will emphasize four areas in which rapid technological advancement will provide significant potential for translation of new knowledge and innovation to the bedside over the next decade. Please read below for more on our outstanding State-of-the-Art speakers.
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Omniscan Safety Update
We want to make you aware of a potential patient-care issue that was recently brought to our attention. Please see below for details.
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Register for Renal Week and Renal WeekEnds at the Same Time
When you register for Renal Week, consider registering for our intimate, winter weekend meetings, Renal WeekEnds, at the same time and take advantage of this great new opportunity for just $100!
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Registration is Open for the 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update
Register now to attend the 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update and join us at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California from August 26- September 1, 2006.
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Abstract Submission for Renal Week 2006
Thank you to everyone who submitted abstracts for Renal Week 2006! We received nearly 4,500 abstracts this year.
Dear ASN Members:
Welcome to the June issue of Renal Express!
In what has become a tradition for the ASN, Dr. DuBose has invited me, as the Program Chair, to write this month's message and provide an update regarding Renal Week 2006, which will take place at the San Diego Convention Center, November 14-19.
This year's State-of-the-Art talks focus on four “hot topics” in which rapid technological advancements hold significant potential for translating new knowledge and innovation to the bedside. Bruce Freeman will discuss free radical biology and its implications in disease pathogenesis. Aravinda Chakravarti will speak about the HapMap Project and its power for dissecting the pathogenesis of complex disease. Rudolf Jaenisch will address the promise and the current controversies in stem cell research. Finally, W. Mark Saltzman will consider aspects of tissue engineering and nanotechnology as they relate to the development of better methods for drug delivery. Below, please find brief biographical information about each of this year's state-of-the-art presenters.
In addition, there is a dazzling slate of topics that will be presented in this year's Postgraduate Education Programs, Basic and Clinical Science Symposia, and Clinical Nephrology Conferences (CNCs). These symposia and conferences were developed through the collaborative interactions of the Program and Postgraduate Education Committees. Like the State-of-the-Art sessions, this component of the program deftly embraces the theme of this year's meeting: “Translating Scientific and Technological Advances: Progress and Promise for Treating Renal Diseases.”
At the 2005 meeting, there was an innovative effort to increase the original science that was presented in Free Communication (FC) sessions. In response to a post-Renal Week survey of the ASN membership, the 2006 Program Committee has made further adjustments to increase the effectiveness of these sessions. This year, abstracts will be presented in 51 FC sessions. The time allotted for each presentation will be increased to 12 minutes: 7 minutes for the formal presentation and 5 minutes for questions. This revised format can accommodate more than 500 FCs and will encourage crisp presentation of the data, while enhancing the opportunity for thoughtful discussion. As we draw closer to the Summer Program meeting, the Program Committee is discussing additional strategies to showcase the original science in innovative and dynamic formats.
In closing, I want to extend a special note of thanks to everyone who has submitted abstracts for Renal Week 2006. Year after year, the original science component of the program provides some of the most important and exciting content in the meeting. Investigators will be notified by late August regarding the status of submitted abstracts. In October, the ASN website will provide the abstract slate in an online searchable format.
Please stay tuned to our Preliminary Program, which will be mailed in late June and will include information on registration, housing, and a comprehensive program for this year's Renal Week.
I look forward to seeing you in San Diego.
Sincerely,
Lisa M. Guay-Woodford, MD
2006 Program Committee Chair
2. State-of-the-Art Presenters
The State-of-the-Art addresses will emphasize four areas in which rapid technological advancement will provide significant potential for translation of new knowledge and innovation to the bedside, over the next decade. Please read below for more on our outstanding State-of-the-Art speakers. They are identified below in the order they will present their lecture during Renal Week.
Bruce Freeman, PhD
Dr. Freeman is the UPSOM Irwin Fridovich Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. His interests lie in the tissue production and cell signaling actions of oxidizing and free radical inflammatory mediators, and he has yielded multiple patents, clinical trials investigating novel anti-inflammatory drugs, and biotechnology-related pursuits. Dr. Freeman's research on redox mediators has revealed new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of acute inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. In recognition of his advances in research, Dr. Freeman was an invited speaker for the 2004 Nobel Conference and was named one of the 100 most highly cited authors in biology and biochemistry in 2003. His lecture entitled “Redox Reactions in Cell Signaling and Inflammation” will be presented on Thursday, November 16.
Aravinda Chakravarti, PhD
Dr. Chakravarti, Director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, focuses his research at genomic-scale analysis of the human genome and understanding the molecular genetic basis of common genetic disorders using contemporary genomic tools. A renowned human geneticist and computational biologist, Dr. Chakravarti is widely known for his studies on predisposing genetic factors in complex human diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and mental illness. His outstanding research has earned him positions on several National Institutes of Health panels including former chairman of the NIH Subcommittee on the 3rd 5-year Genome Project Plan within the NIH National Advisory Council of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and current membership on the NIH Mouse Genomics and Genetics Scientific Panel. His lecture entitled “Molecular Dissection of Complex Genetic Disease Using the HapMap” will be presented on Friday, November 17.
Rudolph Jaenisch, MD
Dr. Jaenisch is a Professor of Biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Founding Member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where he directs the new human stem cell facility. His research focuses on genetic disease, cancer, and mammalian development, which he has explored throughout his career as a pioneer in making transgenic mice. His work has recently provided insights into therapeutic cloning, as he has rescued mice with a genetic defect through therapeutic cloning and gene therapy. Dr. Jaenisch's honors include the 2003 Charles Rodolphe Brupracher Foundation Cancer Award and the 2002 Robert Koch Prize for Excellence in Scientific Achievement. His lecture entitled “Stem Cells, Cloning, and Therapy: Promise, Problems, Reality” will be presented on Saturday, November 18.
W. Mark Saltzman, PhD
Dr. Saltzman is the Goizueta Foundation Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, and the first Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Yale University. His work, which centers on drug delivery to the brain, materials for vaccine delivery, and tissue engineering, has earned him 10 patents. His research has also been honored with numerous professorships, lectureships, and awards including being named the BP Amoco/ H. Laurance Fuller Professor of Chemical Engineering at Cornell University prior to his work at Yale, and receiving the 2004 Distinguished Lecturer Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society. His lecture entitled “Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering” will be presented on Sunday, November 19.
3. Omniscan Safety Update
We want to make you aware of a potential patient-care issue that was recently brought to our attention. Two European hospitals have reported 25 cases of a rare disease called Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy or Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NFD/NSF) after the administration of Omniscan™ (gadodiamide) Injection, a gadolinium-based MRI contrast agent. These reported cases occurred over a period of four years. Click here to read the letter from GE Healthcare to Healthcare Professionals concerning the reported cases of Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy or Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NFD/NSF). Please also see the following links for additional information: Danish Medicines Agency and The International Center for Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy Research (ICNFDR).
4. Register for Renal Week and Renal WeekEnds at the Same Time
As Dr. Guay-Wooford mentioned above, ASN's Preliminary Program will be mailed later this month to all ASN members and Renal Week 2005 attendees. When you register for Renal Week, consider registering for our intimate, winter weekend meetings, Renal WeekEnds, at the same time and take advantage of this great new opportunity for just $100!
Did you know that there are so many simultaneous presentations during Renal Week that even if you attend back-to-back sessions, you can only partake in about 20% of the entire program? That's why we're offering you this special opportunity to receive a reduced rate to attend Renal Week and one of our Renal WeekEnd Meetings in the city nearest you.
ASN's 4th Annual Renal WeekEnd Meetings will take place in February and March of 2007 in the following seven cities: Chicago, IL; Washington, DC; Los Angeles, CA; Seattle, WA; New York, NY; Houston, TX; and Toronto, Canada. These intimate weekend sessions will include dynamic presentations from esteemed nephrologists, who will review key Renal Week topics in their areas of expertise. We're offering you an exciting opportunity to take advantage of the extremely low rate of $100 (which includes five meal programs) if you register at the same time as you register for Renal Week.
This option is available directly on the Attendee Registration Form included with the Preliminary Program and on the Renal Week registration website. The option will also be available onsite during the Annual Meeting. If you register for Renal WeekEnds after you have attended Renal Week, you will still be able to register at a reduced rate, but it will be slightly higher.
5. Registration is Open for the 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update
Join the ASN from August 26 to September 1, 2006 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco for our 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update. Dr. Robert Narins will host this Course for his 11th and last time and be joined by a “galaxy” of 35 additional NephroStars!
The ASN's Board Review Course & Update has become a "Renal Rite of Passage" AND CAN BE CUSTOMIZED TO MEET YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS! An intensive review and update for ALL and a MUST for Certification & Re-Certification. The timing of the ASN Board Review Course & Update in late August maximizes attendees' readiness for the October Nephrology Board certification and recertification examinations of the American Board of Internal Medicine. After completion of the course and the self-assessment test on September 2, participants have a full two months to fill in any gaps in their knowledge. It's August, It's San Francisco, So it must be the ASN's Board Review Course! Stay tuned to your mail and email boxes later this spring for additional information and registration forms. Register for the BRC and learn more today!
6. Abstract Submission for Renal Week 2006
Thank you to everyone who submitted abstracts for Renal Week 2006! We received nearly 4,500 abstracts this year.
To view your submitted abstracts for Renal Week 2006, please click here.
In late August, the abstract's presenting author will receive a letter regarding the status of the submitted abstract. If the presenting author does NOT receive a letter about an abstract by August 23, please send an email inquiry to Marathon Multimedia or fax to (507) 334-0126. Emails and faxes will receive prompt attention. The ASN cannot respond to any abstract status inquiries before August 23. It is the responsibility of the presenting author to contact other authors regarding the status of the abstract. All authors who attend the Annual Meeting are expected to make their own travel arrangements, pay the meeting registration fees, and cover their own travel and lodging expenses.
