microRNA: Targets and Tools for Therapeutic Development 2013

microRNAs are playing an important role in a range of diseases such as cancer, metabolic diseases and cardiovascular disorders. Their involvement in many physiological pathways, makes them an excellent target for pharmaceutical drug development and their use as biomarkers or for profiling and screening turns them into a valuable tool for diagnostics. This conference highlights the latest developments in using miRNA's for health and disease, the novel applications and progress made in manipulating microRNA, and the opportunities for using microRNA as a tool.

Topics to be covered include:
• miRNA as a diagnostic tool
• miRNA targets for drug development
• miRNA identification and profiling approaches
• miRNA as biomarker
• miRNA as cancer therapeutics
• microRNA in the clinic
• Blood-based assays
• Novel microRNA inhibitors

AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS:
• microRNAs in Diagnostics and Targeting Rheumatic Disease
• Steffen Gay, M.D., Professor, Experimental Rheumatology, University of Zurich
• Causes and Consequences of microRNA Dysregulation in Cancer
• Carlo M. Croce, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics; Director, Institute of Genetics,Ohio State University
• Pre-Clinical Development of a Tumor Suppressor miRNA
• David Brown, Ph.D., Director, Research, Mirna Therapeutics
• microRNAs: Novel Target Class for Small Molecule Drug Discovery?
• Pramod Pandey, Ph.D., Senior Research Investigator, Center for Proteomic Chemistry, Integrated Lead Discovery, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Inc.
• Circulating miRNAs as Biomarkers: How Far Have We Made It?
• Igor Mikaelian, M.D., D.V.M., MSc, DACVP, Research Leader, Hoffman-La Roche, Inc.
• Extracting Contextual microRNA Information for Cancer Diagnostics
• Lorenzo F. Sempere, Ph.D.,