EMT

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a cellular process where cells in an epithelium acquire the ability to invade the underlying extracellular matrix or adjacent tissue.  It is a normal process in development used for the formation of three-dimensional structure in the embryo but is usually associated with pathologies in the adult.  The field has developed from the pioneering work of Dr. Elizabeth Hay and her students beginning in the late 1970s when she began to discuss the differences between epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells in the embryo.  The first experimental investigation of EMT developed from the immersion of embryonic epithelial cells into an extracellular matrix (Greenburg and Hay, 1982). Descriptions of Dr. Hay and her work can be found here.  The TEMTIA meeting recognizes her contributions to the field by identifying  the Keynote lecture as the Betty Hay Lecture and by a Betty Hay Award to a Postdoctoral Student.

This meeting is designed to bring together Developmental Biologists, Cancer Biologists and Pathologists, who might not normally interact in discipline-specific meetings, to discuss the common and disparate elements of EMT in their research. We expect that results presented in the areas of cancer metastasis, organ fibrosis, wound healing and embryonic development will lead to new insights and approaches that will move each of the respective research fields and advance health research.  Platform talks are given by a combination of senior investigators in the field and newer investigators selected from submitted abstracts.  Substantial poster presentation time each morning will enable each participant to share their work with the other attendees.

The venue in the Sonoran Desert region of the American Southwest is in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona.  It is a region of great natural beauty and unique flora and fauna.

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