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Endometriosis: Emerging Research and Intervention Strategies

April 9-10, 2001

Lister Hill Center Auditorium

National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, Maryland

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientific workshop "Endometriosis:

Emerging Research and Intervention Strategies," is scheduled for April 9-10,

2001, at the Lister Hill Center Auditorium, located on the campus of the NIH

in Bethesda, Maryland. The workshop will be presented by the National

Institute of Child Health and Human Development and by several of the NIH

Institutes and Offices.

A significant percentage of American women of reproductive age are affected

by endometriosis, which represents a major cause of infertility in women.

The etiology and factors contributing to disease susceptibility remain to be

clarified for the most common disorders of female reproduction, including

endometriosis. The true incidence of endometriosis and its patterns of

initiation, maintenance and progression are not known. While investigators

believe that there may be a genetic basis for susceptibility, the genes

involved are unknown and even their mode of inheritance is debated.

Environmental factors, particularly estrogenic substances, may increase the

risk of endometriosis and other disorders of reproductive tissues. The

biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying the postulated effects of

these factors, and others such as the immune system, on endometriosis are

poorly understood and are only now being investigated. Understanding the

interaction of these critical elements in the etiology of endometriosis will

have a major impact on women's reproductive health in general as well as

improve fertility via intervention and prevention strategies.

The purpose of the workshop is to formulate a framework for a basic science,

translational, and clinical research agenda on endometriosis. This workshop

will bring together a mutidiciplinary group of clinicians, endocrinologists,

immunologists, reproductive and developmental biology investigators and

other experts in the field to examine issues critical to endometriosis. The

meeting will feature scientific presentations that address the current state

of knowledge, summarize recent findings, identify emerging issues or

continuing gaps in knowledge, and serve as a catalyst for discussion during

the final session on future research directions. This final session and the

panel discussion sessions following the group of presentations will allow

further exploration of research opportunities.

The Program Planning Committee formulated the following objectives of this

workshop:

* To familiarize participants with the state of the science and key

issues related to the basic biology, epidemiology, growth and development,

environmental influences, and genetic expression that characterize

endometriosis;

* To review current intervention strategies and explore the

development of novel therapeutic agents important in optimizing clinical

outcomes; and

* To present potential areas of future research directions and propose

opportunities for research in epidemiology, basic science, and clinical

research.

Session topics include: Overview of Endometriosis; Basic Biology of

Endometriosis; Growth Factors, Cytokines, and Angiogenic Factors; Matrix

Modification in Endometrial Tissue; Immune System and Endometriosis;

Environment and Endometriosis; Genetics and Gene Expression in

Endometriosis; In Vitro and Animal Models of Endometriosis; Intervention

Strategies; and Future Research Directions and Recommendations.

Information regarding the meeting, agenda and registration forms can be

obtained by contacting Audra M. Scott at IQ Solutions, Inc. at (301)

984-1471. You may also reach her by e-mail at [log in to unmask]

ADDITIONAL MEETING INFORMATION

Target Audience: This workshop has been developed for those that are

interested in understanding endometriosis and its impact on the female

reproductive tract and reproductive potential. (1) Practicing physicians

involved in the management and treatment of endometriosis, especially those

in the fields of gynecology and reproductive endocrinology; (2)

Epidemiologists, basic and clinical researchers working on female hormone

biochemistry, physiology, immunology and genetics; and (3) Nurses and other

health care professionals interested in women's reproductive health.

Reasonable Accommodations: For reasonable accommodations, please contact

Audra Scott at (301) 984-1471.

Registration: There is no registration fee for this workshop. Registration

is limited to 175 and pre-registration is encouraged. Registration is on a

first come-first serve basis, so early registration is advised. To register

for the meeting, send the enclosed registration form by fax or e-mail to Ms.

Audra M. Scott. Please indicate your special needs on the enclosed

registration form.

Meeting Venue: The workshop will be held on the campus of the National

Institutes of Health at the Lister Hill Center Auditorium (Building 38A),

8600 Rockville Pike, Building 38A, Bethesda, Maryland 20894.

Hotel Accommodations: A limited block of rooms has been reserved for

attendees at a reduced rate of $119.00 plus tax at hotels close to the NIH.

Please make your reservations directly with one of the following hotels and

reference the "NICHD Endometriosis Meeting" when making your reservations.

Reservations must be made directly with the Holiday Inn or Bethesda Marriott

by March 22, 2001; otherwise, the regular room rate will apply.

Holiday Inn Bethesda

8120 Wisconsin Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

Phone: (800) 465-4329 or (301) 652-2000

Bethesda Marriott

5151 Pooks Hill Road

Bethesda, MD 20814

Phone: (800) 228-9290 or (301) 897-9400

Metro Travel: The Lister Hill Center Auditorium is located within walking

distance of the Medical Center stop on the Red Line of the Metrorail subway

system. The NIH also offers shuttle bus service from the Medical Center stop

to the Lister Hill Center (Building 38A) on weekdays. A campus shuttle map

and schedules may be obtained by visiting the web site:

http://des1.od.nih.gov/nihshuttle/shuttle_map_live.asp.

Parking: Please keep in mind that visitor parking on the NIH campus is very

limited. Visitors may park in the attendant-assisted lot across Center Drive

from Lister Hill, beside the Natcher Building. Parking is $2/hour, with a

maximum of $12/day.

Airline Transportation: The NIH campus and hotels are approximately 20 miles

from Reagan National Airport, 24 miles from Dulles International Airport,

and 35 miles from the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

Ground Transportation: Taxi service is available at all airports. Ground

transportation is also provided by Super Shuttle (phone: 800-258-3826 or

800-BLUEVAN).

Program Planning Committee:

Estella Parrott, M.D., M.P.H., Co-chair

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Koji Yoshinaga, Ph.D., Co-chair

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Linda C. Giudice, Ph.D., M.D.

Stanford University Medical Center

Jerrold Heindel, Ph.D.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Kevin G. Osteen, Ph.D.

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

PRELIMINARY AGENDA

Endometriosis: Emerging Research and Intervention Strategies

April 9-10, 2001

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Lister Hill Center Auditorium

National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, Maryland

Agenda

Monday, April 9, 2001

7:00-8:00 Registration

8:00-8:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks

Institute & Office Heads

SESSION I: OVERVIEW (WHAT IS ENDOMETRIOSIS?)

Moderator: Estella Parrott, M.D., M.P.H. (NICHD)

8:15-8:35 Clinical Aspects of Endometriosis

Ana A. Murphy, M.D. (Emory University)

8:35-8:55 Epidemiology of Endometriosis

Daniel W. Cramer, M.D., Sc.D. (Brigham &

Women's

Hospital)

8:55-9:15 The Relationship Between Endometriosis and Infertility

Robert L. Barbieri, M.D. (Harvard Medical

School)

9:15-9:30 Panel Discussion

9:30-9:45 BREAK

SESSION II: BASIC BIOLOGY OF ENDOMETRIOSIS

Moderator: Koji Yoshinaga, Ph.D. (NICHD)

9:45-10:05 Steroid Control of Endometrial Tissue Turnover

Kevin G. Osteen, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University)

10:05-10:25 Mechanisms of Action of Estrogen and Progesterone

Francesco J. De Mayo, Ph.D. (Baylor College of

Medicine)

10:25-10:45 Premenstrual and Menstrual Cellular Changes in the Primate

Endometrium: Relevance to Endometriosis

Robert M. Brenner, Ph.D. (Oregon Regional

Primate Research Center)

10:45-11:05 Biosynthesis and Action of Estrogen and Progesterone in

Endometriosis

Serdar E. Bulun, M.D. (University of Illinois at

Chicago)

11:05-11:20 Panel Discussion

SESSION III: GROWTH FACTORS, CYTOKINES, AND ANGIOGENIC FACTORS

Moderator: Robert N. Taylor, M.D., Ph.D.

(University of California, San Francisco)

11:20-11:40 Angiogenic Factors in Endometriosis

Robert N. Taylor, M.D., Ph.D. (University of

California, San Francisco)

11:40-12:00 Local Cytokines in Endometrial Tissue

Aydin M. Arici, M.D. (Yale University)

12:00-12:20 Control of Growth and Differentiation of Endometrium

Robert M. Bigsby, Ph.D. (Indiana University)

12:20-12:35 Panel Discussion

12:35-1:35 LUNCH

SESSION IV: MATRIX MODIFICATION IN ENDOMETRIAL TISSUE

Moderator: Kevin G. Osteen, Ph.D.

(Vanderbilt University)

1:35-1:55 Circulating Sex Hormones and Endometrial Matrix

Metalloproteinases

Etienne Marbaix, M.D., Ph.D. (Université

Catholique de Louvain Bruxelles, Belgium)

1:55-2:15 Paracrine Regulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression

in the Normal Human Endometrium

Kevin G. Osteen, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University)

2:15-2:35 Paracrine Regulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression

in Endometriosis

Kathy L. Sharpe-Timms, Ph.D. (University of

Missouri)

2:35-2:50 Panel Discussion

2:50-3:05 BREAK

SESSION V: IMMUNE SYSTEM AND ENDOMETRIOSIS

Moderator: Phyllis Leppert, M.D., Ph.D.

(NICHD)

3:05-3:25 Immune System in Eutopic and Ectopic Human Endometrium: An

Overview

Joseph A. Hill, M.D. (Harvard Medical School)

3:25-3:45 Regulation and Modulation of Abnormal Immune Responses in

Endometriosis

Neil Sidell, Ph.D. (Emory University)

3:45-4:05 Autoantibody Responses to Carbohydrate Epitopes in

Endometriosis

Grant R. Yeaman, Ph.D. (Dartmouth Medical School)

4:05-4:25 Macrophages, Oxidation, and Endometriosis

Sampath Parthasarathy, Ph.D. (Emory University)

4:25-4:40 Panel Discussion

SESSION VI: ENVIRONMENT AND ENDOMETRIOSIS

Moderator: Jerrold Heindel, Ph.D. (NIEHS)

4:40-5:00 Environmental Effects on Endometriosis: An Overview

John A. McLachlan, Ph.D. (Tulane University)

5:00-5:20 The Potential Role of Environmental Toxins in the

Pathophysiology of Endometriosis

Sherry E. Rier, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt

University)

5:20-5:40 Environmental Contaminants and Dietary Factors in

Endometriosis

Warren G. Foster, Ph.D. (Department of

Health, Government

of Canada)

5:40-6:00 Panel Discussion

6:00 ADJOURN

Tuesday, April 10, 2001

7:00-8:00 Registration

SESSION VII: GENETICS AND GENE EXPRESSION IN ENDOMETRIOSIS

Moderator: Linda C. Giudice, Ph.D., M.D.

(Stanford University)

8:00-8:20 Genetic Epidemiology of Endometriosis in the Rhesus Macaque

Monkey

Steven H. Kennedy, M.D. (Oxford University)

8:20-8:40 Heritability and Molecular Genetic Studies of Endometriosis

Joe Leigh Simpson, M.D. (Baylor College of Medicine)

8:40-9:00 Gene Expression in Endometrium From Women With and Without

Endometriosis

Linda C. Giudice, M.D., Ph.D. (Stanford University)

9:00-9:20 Expression of Genes Relevant to Uterine Receptivity in

Patients With Endometriosis

Bruce A. Lessey, M.D., Ph.D. (University of North

Carolina)

9:20-9:40 Role of Endometriosis in Cancer and Tumor Development

Lillian Swiersz, M.D. (Stanford University)

9:40-10:00 Panel Discussion

10:00-10:15 BREAK

SESSION VIII: IN VITRO AND ANIMAL MODELS OF ENDOMETRIOSIS

Moderator: C. Richard Lyttle, Ph.D.

(Wyeth-Ayerst)

10:15-10:35 An In Vitro Model of Implantation and Invasion of Eutopic

Endometrium

Robert Schenken, M.D. (University of Texas

Health Science

Center at San Antonio)

10:35-10:55 Endometriosis in the Baboon

Asgerally T. Fazleabas, Ph.D. (University of

Illinois at

Chicago)

10:55-11:15 A Rat Model for the Study of Endometriosis

Kathy L. Sharpe-Timms, Ph.D. (University of

Missouri)

11:15-11:35 The Establishment of Human Endometrial Tissues in a Nude

Mouse Model of Endometriosis

Kaylon Bruner-Tran, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt

University)

11:35-11:55 Panel Discussion

11:55-1:00 LUNCH

SESSION IX: INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

Moderator: James Segars, M.D. (NICHD)

1:00-1:20 Conventional Medical Therapies for Endometriosis

Valerie Montgomery-Rice, M.D. (University of Kansas)

1:20-1:40 Surgical Management of Endometriosis

Dan C. Martin, M.D. (Memphis, Tennessee)

1:40-2:00 An Evidence-Based Review of Treatment Strategies

David Olive, M.D. (University of Texas

Southwestern School of Medicine)

2:00-2:20 Novel Therapeutic Concepts

Kristof Chwalisz, M.D., Ph.D. (TAP)

2:20-2:40 Panel Discussion

2:40-3:00 BREAK

SESSION X: FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Moderators: Koji Yoshinaga, Ph.D. (NICHD),

Estella Parrott, M.D., M.P.H. (NICHD)

3:00-5:00 Jerrold Heindel, Ph.D. (NIEHS), Linda C. Giudice, Ph.D.,

M.D.,

(Stanford University), Kevin G. Osteen,

Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University), Speakers and Participants

5:00 ADJOURN

Meeting Registration Form

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

NIH Scientific Workshop Endometriosis: Emerging Research and Intervention

Strategies Lister Hill Center Auditorium (Building 38A) National Institutes

of Health Bethesda, Maryland April 9-10, 2001

Please print for legibility:

First Name: Last Name:

(As will appear on badge)

Title: Degree(s):

Organization:

Address:

City/State/Zip Code:

Telephone: Fax:

E-mail Address:

Special needs (e.g., Sign Language)

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PLEASE FAX THIS FORM OR E-MAIL THIS INFORMATION

BY MARCH 22, 2001 TO:

AUDRA M. SCOTT

IQ SOLUTIONS, INC.

FAX: (301) 984-1473 or E-MAIL: [log in to unmask]

Audrey L. Burwell

National Center for Health Statistics, CDC

6525 Belcrest Road, Room 1100

Hyattsville, MD 20782

Phone: 301.458.4129

Fax: 301.458.4022

Email: [log in to unmask]

Edward E. Rylander, M.D.

D.A.B.F.P and D.A.B.P.M.