MU to Host National Meeting of the Microcirculatory Society
Scientists will discuss the latest research on the body’s smallest blood vessels
More than 150 scientists from the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, China and South America will converge at the University of Missouri this week to share their latest research related to the workings of the smallest blood vessels in the body — collectively known as the microcirculation. From Oct. 15 to Oct. 17, MU will host the fall meeting of the Microcirculatory Society entitled "Frontiers in Microcirculation: Control Processes and Clinical Applications." Presentations from eight distinguished keynote speakers will examine four key themes: plasticity, inflammation, cell signaling and intercellular communication.
“As MU continues to grow its success as a leader in microcirculatory research, we feel privileged to host a meeting of this caliber at such an exciting time in our own history,” said Steven Segal, PhD, Margaret Proctor Mulligan Professor of Medical Research in the MU School of Medicine Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology and investigator in the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center.
The School of Medicine Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology is ranked 12th in the nation in terms of research grant funding according to a 2008 survey from the American Physiological Society Association of Chairs. In collaboration with other units on and around campus, particularly the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center and Biomedical Sciences in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology is emerging as a leader in research on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, exercise and nutrition.
Segal, a past president of the society and chair of the organizing committee, said this meeting of the society is the first of its kind in several years and was made possible in part by a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health and generous contributions from private corporate sponsors, several of which will exhibit their products at the meeting.
“A primary goal of this meeting is to advance research in microcirculation with the purpose of improving clinical practice and patient care,” Segal said. “By promoting the attendance of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, interns and residents, we also hope to foster new interest in the field by encouraging interaction among young researchers interested in developing careers in microcirculatory research and more senior investigators who have established themselves in the field.”
In between oral symposia, attendees will have numerous opportunities to interact with keynote speakers and view more than 75 poster presentations of microvascular research from around the country and abroad.
The conference begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, with registration and a reception for attendees, and presentations will conclude at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. All programs will be held at the Hampton Inn & Suites off Stadium Boulevard in Columbia. For a full meeting agenda and list of presentations, please visit http://muconf.missouri.edu/mcs_mu2009/
The Microcirculatory Society Inc., founded in 1954, encourages the exchange and dissemination of information on microcirculation. The mission of the society is to actively encourage and promote all forms of innovative research and teaching, leading to an increase in understanding of microcirculatory function in health and disease.
