Symposium Program

Symposium

Terminal Differentiation: A Challenge for Regeneration

Saturday, 17 September 2005

Begin: 9:00 a.m.

In cooperation with

and

Invited Speakers

Albert Edge, Boston, U.S.A.

Matthew C. Holley, Sheffield, U.K.

Corné J. Kros, Brighton, U.K.

Jean-Luc Puel, Montpellier, France

Yehoash Raphael, Ann Arbor, U.S.A.

Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Salt Lake City, U.S.A.

Panagiotis A. Tsonis, Dayton, U.S.A.

Mark E. Warchol, St. Louis, U.S.A.

Regeneration of hair cells continues to hold promise as the major option to restore hearing and balance, compromised by disorders of the inner ear. Despite the impressive progress of research seen over the last two decades induction of functional regeneration of hair cells in the mammalian sensory epithelia and in particular in the organ of Corti remains the ultimate goal of biomedical research in this area.

One of the major biological barriers for the regenerative process is terminal differentiation. The term terminal differentiation covers general features such as specific gene expression, development of a fully matured cell phenotype and irreversible cessation of cell division. From the viewpoint of regeneration the challenge of terminal differentiation has two demanding perspectives. One challenge is to induce terminally differentiated cells towards a regenerative response and the other is to navigate a regenerative response towards the functional terminally differentiated phenotype.

The purpose of the symposium is to initiate an interdisciplinary discussion between inner ear biologists and other experts working in the field of regenerative biology. Questions that will be addressed will include the discussion of key regulators of cell fate and cell proliferation in different organ systems, mechanisms specifying cellular subtypes, the intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of cells with stem cell properties and the determinants for loosing and gaining the potential for phenotypic differentiation. Finally, how can reactivation of the determinants of cellular genesis be used in adult tissues with the aims of cellular reconstitution and ultimately of functional restoration of the diseased inner ear in patients?

Hubert Lowenheim

	Symposium Programme
09.00 – 09.10	Introduction H Lowenheim Tübingen Hearing Research Centre (D)
	First Session: “Hair-Cell Function, Innervation and Cell-Cell Interaction: Implications for Hair Cell Regeneration” Chairpersons: C.J. Kros, Y. Raphael
09.10 - 09.50 S1	Developmental maturation of inner hair cell function in mice CJ Kros School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton (UK)
09.50 - 10.30 S2	Physiology and pharmacology of the inner hair cell synaptic complex JL Puel Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de l'Audition-Plasticite synaptique, Universite Montpellier-1, Montpellier (F)
10.30 - 11.10 S3	Cellular interactions and maintenance of phenotype in the regenerating inner ear ME Warchol Fay and Carl Simons Center for Biology of Hearing and Deafness, Central Institute for the Deaf and Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri (USA)
11.10 – 11.40	Break
	Second Session: “Mechanisms of Regeneration in Model Organisms and Terminally Differentiated Tissues” Chairpersons: M.C. Holley, M.E. Warchol
11.40 - 12.20 S4	Regeneration in the metazoans: Why does it happen? Lessons from simple model organisms A Sanchez Alvarado Dept. of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah (USA)
12.20 - 13.00 S5	Mechanisms in the induction of lens regeneration PA Tsonis Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, (USA)
13.00 – 14.30	Lunch
	Third Session: “Approaching Cellular Regeneration in Mammalian Tissues” Chairpersons: J.-L. Puel, P.A. Tsonis
14.30 - 15.10 S6	Transdifferentiation of non-sensory cells as a strategy for hair cell regeneration Y Raphael University of Michigan, Kresge Hearing Research Institute, Ann Arbor (USA)
15.10 - 15.50 S7	Developmental mechanisms in the context of regeneration MC Holley Institute of Molecular Physiology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield (UK)
15.50 - 16.20	Break
16.20 - 17.00 S8	Applications of stem cells for the restoration of hearing loss A Edge, S. Heller Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard University, Boston (USA)