INTRODUCTION Introduction to the 58th Annual Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference: Asthma 2015: Mechanisms to Personalized Medicine Monica Kraft1, Anthony N. Gerber2, Stanley J. Szefler3, and Michael E. Wechsler2 1
University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona; 2National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado; and 3Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
The 58th Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference took place June 10 through 13, 2015 at the Gant Conference Center in Aspen, Colorado and centered on asthma. It focused on new insights in the mechanisms of asthma and how these new developments have been or will be translated to personalized asthma management in the clinical setting. Once again, this forum provided an international panel of speakers on the conference theme with formal presentations followed by discussion that encouraged interaction among clinical, translational, and basic science investigations. The program was organized into six thematic half-day sessions invoking novel concept discussion and data presentation in both basic science and application of emerging scientific concepts to clinical asthma. Monica Kraft, M.D., provided the opening comments on behalf of the Organizing Committee. The first day included State of the Art presentations by Andrew Luster, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard Medical School), Carey Lumeng, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Michigan Medical School), Serpil Erzurum, M.D. (The Cleveland Clinic Foundation), and Augustine Choi, M.D. (Weill Cornell Medical College) and focused attention on the cellular mechanisms that contribute to airway inflammation and remodeling. With keynote presentations by Donata Vercelli, M.D. (University of Arizona) and Susan Lynch, Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco), the focus of the second day moved to consideration of epigenetic mechanisms in asthma and the role of the microbiome in allergic disease. With presentations by Sebastian Johnston, M.D., Ph.D. (Imperial College
Figure 1. The 58th meeting of the Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference. Left to right: Fernando D. Martinez, M.D., Conference Summarizer; Anthony N. Gerber, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Chair; Michael E. Wechsler, M.D., M.M.Sc., Co-Chair; Monica Kraft, M.D., Chair; Stanley J. Szefler, M.D., Co-Chair.
London), Jeffrey Fredberg, Ph.D. (Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health), Quatyba Hamid, M.D., Ph.D. (McGill University), and John Fahy, M.D., M.Sc. (University of California, San Francisco), the theme of the third day shifted to consider how understanding of the airway epithelium, mechanotransduction, and molecular phenotyping can help explain both asthma heterogeneity and severe asthma. On the final day, Ramona Doyle, M.D. (University of California, San Francisco) and Carole Ober, Ph.D. (University of Chicago) focused their State of the Art discussions on drug development, specifically directed toward new asthma treatments, and on how integrated -omic
studies in asthma can provide new directions into clinical management of asthma. Finally, as has been a tradition since the first Aspen Lung Conference in 1958, the 2015 Conference concluded with an excellent summary of the proceedings, presented this year by Fernando Martinez, M.D. (University of Arizona). Dr. Martinez carefully merged the clinical, translational and basic science material presented at this meeting to give a compelling vision of the future needs in asthma research and clinical care. The meeting was attended by 140 participants from six countries and, in addition to the 12 State of the Art presentations, featured 24 short oral presentations and 25 posters, the latter
Ann Am Thorac Soc Vol 13, Supplement 1, pp S23–S24, Mar 2016 Copyright © 2016 by the American Thoracic Society DOI: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201511-767MG Internet address: www.atsjournals.org
Introduction
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INTRODUCTION being presented in two thematic poster sessions that were held in the conference center. As initiated in last year’s conference, the 2015 Conference featured “Meet the Speakers” sessions in which the State of the Art Presenters discussed science, pulmonary medicine, or any other topics raised by junior investigators and postdoctoral students. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to the participants and sponsors who helped make this conference possible. The Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference continues to support participation by not charging a registration fee, by providing traveling fellowship grants, and by facilitating discussions through the provision of beverages and snacks at the coffee breaks and poster sessions. In addition, to disseminate the information presented at the Conference, the conference
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proceedings are published in this issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. We are sincerely grateful to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for providing an educational grant, along with support from Aerocrine, Inc., Amgen, Inc., AstraZeneca L.P., Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Meda Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, SanofiAventis U.S., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and the many other benefactors listed in this issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society who have generously provided educational grants to help support the Conference, including National Emphysema Foundation, National Lung Health Education Program, The Francis Family Foundation, University of Colorado Health/University of Colorado Hospital,
and the Aspen Lung Conference Fund. Once again, we would like to thank our enthusiastic and dedicated Conference Administrators, Jeanne and Melissa Cleary, who did an outstanding job of coordinating and administering this year’s conference. The manuscripts and Conference Summary presented in this issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society reflect the proceedings of our course and reflect on the clinical, basic science, and translational science presented on asthma research and clinical care. Whether you attended the 57th Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference or not, we hope you take the time to read and reflect on strategies for “Asthma 2015: Mechanisms to Personalized Medicine.” n Author disclosures are available with the text of this article at www.atsjournals.org.
AnnalsATS Volume 13 Supplement 1 | March 2016
University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona; 2National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado; and 3Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
The 58th Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference took place June 10 through 13, 2015 at the Gant Conference Center in Aspen, Colorado and centered on asthma. It focused on new insights in the mechanisms of asthma and how these new developments have been or will be translated to personalized asthma management in the clinical setting. Once again, this forum provided an international panel of speakers on the conference theme with formal presentations followed by discussion that encouraged interaction among clinical, translational, and basic science investigations. The program was organized into six thematic half-day sessions invoking novel concept discussion and data presentation in both basic science and application of emerging scientific concepts to clinical asthma. Monica Kraft, M.D., provided the opening comments on behalf of the Organizing Committee. The first day included State of the Art presentations by Andrew Luster, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard Medical School), Carey Lumeng, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Michigan Medical School), Serpil Erzurum, M.D. (The Cleveland Clinic Foundation), and Augustine Choi, M.D. (Weill Cornell Medical College) and focused attention on the cellular mechanisms that contribute to airway inflammation and remodeling. With keynote presentations by Donata Vercelli, M.D. (University of Arizona) and Susan Lynch, Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco), the focus of the second day moved to consideration of epigenetic mechanisms in asthma and the role of the microbiome in allergic disease. With presentations by Sebastian Johnston, M.D., Ph.D. (Imperial College
Figure 1. The 58th meeting of the Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference. Left to right: Fernando D. Martinez, M.D., Conference Summarizer; Anthony N. Gerber, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Chair; Michael E. Wechsler, M.D., M.M.Sc., Co-Chair; Monica Kraft, M.D., Chair; Stanley J. Szefler, M.D., Co-Chair.
London), Jeffrey Fredberg, Ph.D. (Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health), Quatyba Hamid, M.D., Ph.D. (McGill University), and John Fahy, M.D., M.Sc. (University of California, San Francisco), the theme of the third day shifted to consider how understanding of the airway epithelium, mechanotransduction, and molecular phenotyping can help explain both asthma heterogeneity and severe asthma. On the final day, Ramona Doyle, M.D. (University of California, San Francisco) and Carole Ober, Ph.D. (University of Chicago) focused their State of the Art discussions on drug development, specifically directed toward new asthma treatments, and on how integrated -omic
studies in asthma can provide new directions into clinical management of asthma. Finally, as has been a tradition since the first Aspen Lung Conference in 1958, the 2015 Conference concluded with an excellent summary of the proceedings, presented this year by Fernando Martinez, M.D. (University of Arizona). Dr. Martinez carefully merged the clinical, translational and basic science material presented at this meeting to give a compelling vision of the future needs in asthma research and clinical care. The meeting was attended by 140 participants from six countries and, in addition to the 12 State of the Art presentations, featured 24 short oral presentations and 25 posters, the latter
Ann Am Thorac Soc Vol 13, Supplement 1, pp S23–S24, Mar 2016 Copyright © 2016 by the American Thoracic Society DOI: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201511-767MG Internet address: www.atsjournals.org
Introduction
S23
INTRODUCTION being presented in two thematic poster sessions that were held in the conference center. As initiated in last year’s conference, the 2015 Conference featured “Meet the Speakers” sessions in which the State of the Art Presenters discussed science, pulmonary medicine, or any other topics raised by junior investigators and postdoctoral students. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to the participants and sponsors who helped make this conference possible. The Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference continues to support participation by not charging a registration fee, by providing traveling fellowship grants, and by facilitating discussions through the provision of beverages and snacks at the coffee breaks and poster sessions. In addition, to disseminate the information presented at the Conference, the conference
S24
proceedings are published in this issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. We are sincerely grateful to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for providing an educational grant, along with support from Aerocrine, Inc., Amgen, Inc., AstraZeneca L.P., Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Meda Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, SanofiAventis U.S., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and the many other benefactors listed in this issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society who have generously provided educational grants to help support the Conference, including National Emphysema Foundation, National Lung Health Education Program, The Francis Family Foundation, University of Colorado Health/University of Colorado Hospital,
and the Aspen Lung Conference Fund. Once again, we would like to thank our enthusiastic and dedicated Conference Administrators, Jeanne and Melissa Cleary, who did an outstanding job of coordinating and administering this year’s conference. The manuscripts and Conference Summary presented in this issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society reflect the proceedings of our course and reflect on the clinical, basic science, and translational science presented on asthma research and clinical care. Whether you attended the 57th Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference or not, we hope you take the time to read and reflect on strategies for “Asthma 2015: Mechanisms to Personalized Medicine.” n Author disclosures are available with the text of this article at www.atsjournals.org.
AnnalsATS Volume 13 Supplement 1 | March 2016
