Highlights of the Scientific Sessions at PHA's International Conference

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The Pulmonary Hypertension Association has, from its outset, placed very high value on promoting research, both clinical and basic science, with the goal to identify more effective treatments and eventually a cure for pulmonary hypertension. This has been manifest through the support of research programs that identify the most promising research and scientists and provide them resources to carry out their studies. It is also manifest in the support of the Scientific Sessions as part of the International Conference. Since the first Scientific Sessions were proposed and organized by Michael McGoon, MD, at the International Conference in Miami in 2004, these Sessions have been a highlight for the medical professionals and scientists who attend the Conference.

The goal of the Scientific Sessions is to bring researchers interested in pulmonary hypertension together in the same room to hear from their peers about the newest and most promising research in PH accompanied by talks from prominent scientists in related fields with the hopes of increasing interaction among all and opening discussions for new directions. Each Session has been incredibly valuable and productive. This year was no exception.

Under the leadership of Ivan Robbins, MD, the 2010 Scientific Sessions were hugely successful with an overall theme of inflammation in PH. More than 300 people heard talks ranging from reports of the progress made in the PH SCCOR centers, the CMREF tissue initiative, to short presentations of abstracts from promising young investigators both at the podium and during a lively poster session. As in previous years, the state-of-the-art speakers provided up-to-the-minute reports on areas of promising investigation in PH and related fields. Talks included discussion of HIV-associated PAH, the importance of growth factors in PH, genomic insights into PAH, and the therapeutic potential of stem cells.

In this issue of Advances, we highlight the Scientific Sessions with short summaries of the talks by the state-of-the-art speakers and the award-winning abstracts in both basic and clinical sciences. Also included is a brief summary of pulmonary vascular-related activities at the NIH from our lunch-time speaker, Tim Moore, MD, PhD, Director of Vascular Disease in the Lung Division of the NHLBI.

Overall, the Sessions were again a great success and again speak to the commitment of the PHA to research and finding a cure for PH.