Abstract

This FASEB Science Research Conference presents emerging areas of scientific interest in lung epithelial biology in development, homeostasis, and disease.This conference will highlight the latest developments in epithelial barrier maintenance and its disruption during acute lung injury; promote the understanding the impact of the cystic fibrosis gene on host defense to pulmonary infections; connect new insights in the fields of ER stress and cell senescence to the vulnerable pulmonary epithelium of individuals at risk for pulmonary fibrosis; dissect the biological distinctions between epithelial proliferation as a repair mechanism and tumorigenesis; present the impact of the newest tools in single cell analysis on understanding lung development, repair, and disease; and characterize epithelial-mesenchymal interrelationships that maintain lung homeostasis and orchestrate repair and regeneration. The entire program has been designed to achieve a better understanding of the key clinical research issues and how they relate to basic mechanistic investigation.