HEMATOLOGY and ONCOLOGY

The focus of this group is on advancing the recognition, assessment, and management of pain in children. The orientation of the SIG is not on how to manage pain but on the development of strategies that will promote change in health care institutions and individual practice patterns. Presentations may concern the management of pain in specific age groups (e.g. infancy), specific settings (e.g. ambulatory, ED, NICU), specific populations (e.g. developmentally disabled), individuals with specific pain problems (sickle cell, cancer, RSD, headache) or on strategies to promote changes in institution or individual attitudes and practice. The SIG will allow a forum for discussion and sharing of ideas with the goal of reducing pain in pediatric practice.

This course will provide up-to-date information on genetics and epidemiology of renal and liver tumors in children, including Wilms tumor and hepatoblastoma. We will discuss recent findings in germ-line mutations and familial associations. The course will inform the clinician of the emerging association of hepatoblastoma and premature and low-birth weight infants and introduce strategies for cancer surveillance in the high-risk child.

Genetics of Wilms Tumor
Max J. Coppes, Alberta Children's Hospital, Alberta, Canada

Cytogenetics of Renal and Liver Tumors in Children
Nancy R. Schneider, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Cancer Surveillance for Overgrowth Syndromes
Michael R. DeBaun, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO

This 3-hour mini-course will update primary and subspecialty care providers on the advances in our understanding of von Willebrand Disease, the most common inherited bleeding disorder. The minicourse will provide an overview of both basic and clinical aspects of this disease, including discussion of the biochemistry and genetics of von Willebrand Factor, dilemmas in the diagnosis of this highly variable disease, and advances in the management of children and adolescents with von Willebrand Disease. Congenital platelet function abnormalities, which share clinical similarities with von Willebrand Disease, will also be discussed.

Overview
Sara J. Israels, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

The Biology and Molecular Genetics of von Willebrand Factor and von Willebrand Disease
J. Evan Sadler, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO

Approach to the Diagnosis of von Willebrand Disease
Robert R. Montgomery, Medical College of Wisconsin and the Blood Research Institute of the Blood Center, Milwaukee, WI

Break

Management of Children and Adolescents with von Willebrand Disease
Donna DiMichele, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY

This minicourse will highlight new technologies in genetics and genomics that build on the mapping and sequencing of human and model organism genomes to define the function of genes and their clinical importance in normal health and disease.

Genetic Analysis of Hematopoiesis and Cancer
Leonard I. Zon, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA

Genetic Polymorphisms for Linkage and Association Studies
Aravinda Chakravarti, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

Gene Expression: Expression Profiling and Microarray Technology
Jeffrey M. Trent, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

Much attention has been given to advances in molecular biology, the genome project, immunobiology and rational drug design based on sound scientific discoveries. While there has been much excitement generated by such areas, an often expressed concern is "Where's the beef?" This session will attempt to describe several examples of how advances in laboratory science are now being translated into more effective treatments for diseases that have evaded more conventional therapeutic approaches.

Overview

AML as a Model for Novel Cancer Therapeutics
Robert J. Arceci, Director, Pediatric Oncology, Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Baltimore, MD

Nonmyeloablative Transplants and Novel Conditioning Approaches
Stella M. Davies, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

New Therapeutic Approaches for Sickle Cell Disease
James F. Casella, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

This symposium will address a topic of considerable public debate, especially as it relates to research involving human subjects, among these clinical trials using children as subjects, and research involving gene therapy. A recent two-day meeting at NIH was devoted to this subject and it is likely that there will be new and more explicit guidelines promulgated by HHS. The symposium will address these issues from the perspective of academic pediatrics and pediatric research, in particular with regard to the impact on education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and the availability of appropriate tests and therapies for children. The role of professional societies, such as the sponsoring members of the PAS meeting, will be examined. The symposium is planned to allow at least 30 minutes of interactive discussion between the members of the panel and the audience.

This session focuses on the developmental biology of hematopoiesis, utilizing the zebrafish as a genetic model. The focus of research over the next few years, described in this session, will be to understand stem cell biology, particularly focusing on the induction and self-renewal of the hematopoietic stem cell. Through the analysis of these newly derived mutant genes and cell biology, the hope is to develop a better understanding of stem cell plasticity. The fields of stem cell biology and cancer biology are likely to merge as we understand more about cell differentiation and proliferation during development.

Overview
Jeffrey M. Lipton, Schneider Children's Hospital, New Hyde Park, NY

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development in Zebrafish
Leonard I. Zon, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA

Advances in Stem Cell Biology
Ron McKay, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

Increasingly, scientific evidence is becoming available that links chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, neuropsychiatric disorders and certain malignancies with infectious roots. Faculty will expose the fascinating existing information and help put novel findings and theories in perspective.

Are All Diseases Infectious?
Bennett Lorber, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Chlamydia pneumoniae and Atherosclerosis: Weighing the Evidence
Thomas C. Quinn, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

Epstein-Barr Virus, Lymphoproliferation and Cancer
John L. Sullivan, University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, Worcester, MA

The Human Genome Project is impacting every aspect of medicine. Dr. Craig Venter, President of Celera Genomics, one of the chief architects of this venture, will discuss the accomplishments of the human genome project and implications for future impact on health and disease in this special one-hour state of the art lecture.

Sequencing the Human Genome
J. Craig Venter, President, Celera Genomics, Rockville, MD

Supported in part by an educational grant from the Columbus Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH