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Information from FSMA on the 2012 International SMA Research Group Meeting in Minnesota Registration: Registration for the 16th Annual SMA Research Group Meeting, to be held in Bloomington, MN from the morning of June 21st to lunchtime June 23rd, at the DoubleTree Hotel Bloomington – Minneapolis South, is open. Click here for information on registering for the 2012 SMA Research Group Meeting. Instructions and deadlines for abstract submission will be posted here on our website and emailed to researchers by early January, 2012.
The International SMA Research Group Meeting is the biggest Spinal Muscular Atrophy research conference in the world. Over 225 researchers attended the 2011 Meeting, representing 70 total institutions, 14 biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and 11 countries worldwide. Over 100 research presentations were given. We hope you will join us in 2012 to learn about the latest breakthroughs in SMA research. The meeting will be held in conjunction with the Annual SMA Family Meeting, giving researchers the opportunity to interact with the patients they are dedicated to helping. Click here for a video of Dr. John Porter, Program Director for SMA at NINDS, discussing the SMA Research Group Meeting. The DoubleTree by Hilton is just ten minutes from Minneapolis / St Paul International Airport. There is so much to do and enjoy while in the Minneapolis area. Shop, eat and be entertained at the massive Mall of America, root for the Twins at Target field, or catch Broadway musicals at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre. We are offering registered attendees free accessible shuttles to and from the Mall of America as well as free parking at the DoubleTree Hotel.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST COMPLETE REGISTRATION HERE PRIOR TO BOOKING YOUR HOTEL ROOM.
| Abstract Submission: Please submit abstracts for posters and talk presentations by March 9, 2012. The FSMA scientific advisory board will be selecting the podium presentations. All requests for posters are typically accepted. Requests for podium presentations cannot be guaranteed and last minute requests cannot readily be accommodated. As in past years, we ask that all abstract submissions for podium presentations be on new, unpublished data. FSMA will inform you whether your abstract has been selected for a podium or poster presentation by April 15, 2012. Please click here to submit Abstracts. In 2012 FSMA is pleased to reimburse airfare (alternatively car miles or train fare), lodging, and registration fees for all first author podium presenters as well as one poster presenter per lab. Maximum reimbursement for airfare will be indicated in the guidelines provided by FSMA at the time of abstract acceptance. All other costs will not be reimbursed. As always, financial assistance in this area is very much appreciated. |
2012 Special Session: Families of SMA is also pleased to announce the 2012 Special Session entitled "Lessons Learned in Pediatric and Neurological Drug Development". The SMA research community is primed to begin human clinical trials on the first novel drugs specifically designed for SMA. By focusing on successful drug programs for other diseases, the session goal is to highlight areas of importance for SMA drug development, including special considerations in pediatric drug development, the use of biomarkers in early drug development, clinical trial design issues, the use of complex outcome measures in drug trials, and development of combination therapies. During the panel discussion, the major findings from each talk will be related back to SMA drug development. Opening Address -Accepted John Kissel, MD, Professor of Neurology, The Ohio State University. Overview of SMA Therapy Development: Challenges and Opportunities. Dr. Kissel will introduce the session by giving an overview of the state of SMA drug development. Thirty-Minute Talks on Drug Development in Other Diseases: 1. Small Molecule Drug Development for Cystic Fibrosis: Strategy for Developing Combination Drugs for an Orphan, Pediatric Indication, Accepted Eric Olson, PhD, Vice President and CF Program Leader, Vertex Pharmaceuticals. 2. Stem Cell Therapy for CNS Indications, Accepted Eva Feldman, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology, University of Michigan. 3. ASO Drug Development for ALS, Accepted Timothy Miller, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Washington University. 4. Gene Therapy and ASO Drug Development for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Accepted Jerry Mendell, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology, Nationwide Children's Hospital. 5. Outcomes and Biomarkers in Neuromuscular Disease Drug Development, with Focus on Electrophysiology, Accepted Jeremy Shefner, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Neurology, Upstate Medical University 6. Small Molecule Development for ALS, Accepted Douglas Kerr, MD, PhD, Director of Experimental Biology, Biogen Idec. Session Synopsis and Panel Discussion, Moderator: Accepted Douglas Kerr, MD, PhD, Director, Experimental Neurology, Biogen Idec. The moderator will present a short wrap-up relating the issues presented above to SMA drug development and introducing specific topics for the panel discussion. |
Past Meetings: The 2011 meeting was held June 23 to June 25, 2011 in Orlando, Florida at the Swan and Dolphin Resort in conjunction with the FSMA Family and Professionals Conference.
Click here to see the Meeting Agenda.
Click here to see the Conference Sponsors.
Please click here to see the 2011 Grant Support. The 2010 meeting was held in Santa Clara, CA from June 24th to June 26th in conjunction with the FSMA Family and Professionals Conference
Information for Scheduling Satellite Meetings at the Conference We have implemented a formal process to handle requests for satellite meetings at the conference. This was done with the following in mind: 1) we actively recognize the need for formally sanctioned satellite meetings at the hotel during conference week, 2) we want to provide this opportunity in the most equitable and fair manner, 3) we want to minimize overlap with the main program, 4) we want to prevent overlap between satellite meetings with similar groups of attendees, and 5) we want to ensure the meeting is not overwhelming to participants in overall length and number of hours each day. The following system to handle requests for sanctioned satellite meetings has been implemented. Organizers should submit a request for a satellite meeting by March 15. The request should include a one page summary of your meeting, containing information on topic and projected attendee list (so we can allocate space correctly and prevent meeting overlap on similar subjects), and time needed (1 hour to 1.5 hour slot or a 2 hour to 5 hour slot). We are requesting that these meetings are not full day in duration, due to feedback we have received in the past from attendees. We will respond to all requests by April 1, 2011. We anticipate receiving multiple of these requests. We will fit as many requests as possible into the available time slots. We believe it is key that the satellite meetings do not overlap, as this presents conflicts for the participants, who are then asked to pick and choose. Also, please keep in mind we have the Families and Professionals Meeting running concurrently, which also impacts the availability of time slots. Many of the researchers and clinicians also give seminars to SMA families, so this is also an important consideration in scheduling as well. |
