Physiological Genomics of Cardiovascular Disease: From Technology to Physiology
February 20-23, San Francisco, CA

As originally published in The Physiologist
Volume 45, Number 3, June 2002, page 149

    Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park, Chinatown, Union Square and cable cars served as the backdrop for the Society’s first annual conference on Physiological Genomics. The meeting entitled, “Physiological Genomics of Cardiovascular Disease: From Technology to Physiology,” organized by Curt D. Sigmund (Chair) was held Wednesday, February 20 through Saturday, February 23 at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in the Van Ness neighborhood of San Francisco, CA 

    The conference focused on the technologies, tools and applications currently available in physiological genomics and how to translate this information to the study of cardiovascular disease. There was extensive interaction between investigators studying molecular genetics, genomics and physiology in model organisms.
The conference attracted 205 registrants 22% (46) of which were female and 30% of which represented young scientists, including 33 students and 28 postdoctoral registrants. Forty-eight (23%) were APS members and 69 (34%) were not members of APS. Twenty-six (13%) represented invited speakers and session chairs. Of the total registrants, 38 (18%) were from outside The Americas; 25 (11%) were from industry and 7 (3%) were from US government labs.
    
    The outstanding program consisted of six symposia, a keynote lecture featuring Francis Collins of the National Human Genome Research Institute and six poster sessions that included a total of 78 poster presentations. Included in the registration fee was an Opening Reception on Wednesday evening following the keynote lecture and receptions during the Thursday and Friday poster sessions from 4:00-6:00 pm. The meeting closed at 4:00 pm on Saturday, February 23.

    Carmen Padro, Marcos Echegaray, and Miguel Rivera all from the University of Puerto Rico were recipients of the Porter Physiology Development Committee’s Minority Travel Fellowship Award. These awards are provided to encourage participation of under-represented minority students. With support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) the fellowship provides reimbursement of all expenses associated with travel to and participation in the conference. The recipient is matched with an APS member attending the conference who offers guidance and makes introductions to other scientists. 

    Travel awards were granted to 18 abstract presenters. The awardees received reimbursement of travel expenses up to $1,500 and were scheduled for short oral presentations during an appropriate symposium. The awardees were: Masahiko Akiyama, Mayo Clinic & Foundation, “In vivo gene transfer of recombinant S1179DeNOS to basilar artery”; Sergey V. Anisimov, National Institute on Aging, NIH, “Quantitative transcriptome analysis of the adult mouse heart using serial analysis of gene expression”; Burns C. Blaxall, Duke University, “Differential gene expression and genomic patient stratification following left ventricular assist device support in humans”; Arnaud Chambellan, INSERM, Nantes, France, “Transcriptome modulation induced by chronic amiodarone in the mouse heart”; Flavien Charpentier, INSERM, Nantes, France, “Altered thyroid function induces a complex remodeling of the cardiac ion channel transcriptome”; Kam Dawnell Dahlquist, Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, UCSF, “GenMAPP: a new tool for viewing and analyzing microarray data on biological pathways”; Ulrich Frey, University of Essen, Germany, “Increased hemodynamic response to clonidine in subjects carrying the 825T-allele of the G protein ß3 subunit”; Jan L.M.C. Geelen, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands, “Temperature-sensitive rescue of a dominant-negative HERG mutant”; Taren M. Grass, University of Montana, “Growth factor expression in growth and remodeling of coronary angiogenesis”; Kevin A. Greer, University of Arizona, “A comparison of hierarchal clustering algorithms on simulated microarray data”; Matthew J. Huntelman, University of Florida, “Effective lentivector-mediated transduction of the neonatal cardiovascular system”; Junichiro Miake, Johns Hopkins University, “Functional role of inward rectifier potassium current Ik1 in cardiac excitability”; Brian Petrich, University of Maryland, Baltimore, “Cre-loxP mediated gene-switch system targeted in heart to study regulation of cardiac remodeling and development of cardiomyopathy by c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation”; Marja Steenman, INSERM, Nantes, France, “Global gene transcription in failing and non-failing human hearts: developmental, dedifferentiated and apoptotic gene expression”; Winfried Siffert, University Hospital, Essen, Germany, “G protein ß3 subunit C825T polymorphism is a strong pharmacogenetic predictor of weight reduction under therapy with sibutramine (Meridia)”; Ruchira Sood, Stanford University, “Exploring gene expression in human placenta using DNA microarrays”; Whittemore G. Tingley, Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, University of California, San Francisco, “Expression profiles of 4,351 mouse genes in hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy;”and Ruey-Bing Yang, COR Therapeutics, Inc., “Molecular profile of human endothelium revealed by large-scale expression profiling analyses.”

    A total of 78 abstracts were submitted to the conference for poster presentation. Twelve percent (18) of the total submitted abstracts had female first authors; 32% (25) were from outside The Americas; 10% (8) were submitted from researchers working in industry, and 6% (5) were submitted from US government laboratories.
The Society and Conference Organizers gratefully recognize the financial support provided through unrestricted educational grants from Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Glaxo-SmithKline Pharmaceuticals, and Pfizer Global Research & Development. 

Table 1. Registration Statistics

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