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Principal Investigator: Allison Leigh Speer
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $14,250
Funding agency: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Project Summary/Abstract
In the past several decades, researchers have made extraordinary progress in our understanding of enteric
nervous system (ENS) development and function. Vital scientific advances have occurred in identifying the
major signaling pathways, transcription control, migratory behavior, enteric neuronal and glial subtypes,
microenvironmental factors, genetics, and neurotransmitter physiology require for normal ENS development.
This exponential growth in scientific contributions to the field of ENS development has greatly enhanced our
understanding of Hirschsprung's disease, the most common congenital enteric neuropathy, and has informed
recent studies in the generation of neuronal stem/progenitor cells for cell-based regenerative medicine
therapies to treat enteric neuropathies.
The first international ENS development meeting occurred in New York in 2006, supported in part by a R13
grant from the NIH. This triennial meeting was subsequently held in London (2009), Hong Kong (2012),
Rotterdam (2015), Boston (2018), and Ferrara (2022). The symposium is truly bench to bedside, bringing
together bench researchers such as molecular and cellular biologists, geneticists, physiologists, and stem cell
investigators and bedside clinicians such as gastroenterologists and surgeons, who all share a common
interest in the development and function of the ENS and improving current management for enteric
neuropathies. All of the ENS development meetings have been quite successful, with a growing number of
attendees from 130 to nearly 200 in recent years from over 20 different countries in 5 continents from around
the world. The 7th International Enteric Nervous System Development Meeting: Connection, Cross-talk and
Collaboration will be held in Philadelphia in March 2024. This will be the first meeting focused on ENS
development held in the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic and builds upon the success of prior meetings as
well as the growing significance and relevance of ENS research.
The specific aims of this R13 application are 1) to encourage and inspire the participation of young
investigators, especially groups under-represented in science such as women, minorities, and
socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals at this 7th International ENS Development Symposium by
offering 20 Travel Awards to offset registration costs and travel expenses as well as 12 Scientific Merit Awards
to highlight and promote accomplished young investigators; and 2) to improve the likelihood of long-term
success for young investigators pursuing academic careers in the field of ENS development and function by
establishing lasting mentored relationships with select faculty and members of the meeting’s International
Organizing Committee. We anticipate that this unique ENS Development meeting will build meaningful
mentorship and collaborations that will enhance the career development of the award recipients.
Terms: <Aganglionic Megacolon><Award><Behavior><Boston><COVID crisis><COVID epidemic><COVID pandemic><COVID-19 crisis><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 era><COVID-19 global health crisis><COVID-19 global pandemic><COVID-19 health crisis><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID-19 period><COVID-19 public health crisis><COVID-19 years><Career Development Awards><Career Development Awards and Programs><Career Development Programs K-Series><Cell Body><Cells><Cellular biology><Clinical Management><Collaborations><Congenital Megacolon><Constipation><Country><DNA Molecular Biology><Data><Development><Discipline><Disease><Disorder><Economically Deprived Population><Enteral><Enteric><Enteric Nervous System><Faculty><Fostering><Funding><Future><Gastroenterologist><Generalized Growth><Generations><Genetic><Goals><Grant><Growth><Hirschsprung Disease><Hong Kong><Hongkong><Image><Individual><Infant><International><Investigators><K-Awards><K-Series Research Career Programs><Knowledge><London><Manuscripts><Mentors><Mentorship><Minority><Molecular><Molecular Biology><NIH><National Institutes of Health><Nerve Cells><Nerve Transmitter Substances><Nerve Unit><Neural Cell><Neural Crest><Neural Stem Cell><Neurocyte><Neurons><Neurotransmitters><New York><Outcome><Participant><Pathologist><Philadelphia><Physicians><Physiology><Progenitor Cells><Publishing><Regenerative Medicine><Research><Research Career Program><Research Personnel><Researchers><SARS-CoV-2 epidemic><SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis><SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic><Science><Scientific Advances and Accomplishments><Scientist><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic><Signal Pathway><Socioeconomically disadvantaged><Surgeon><Systems Biology><Systems Development><Tissue Growth><Transcription Regulation><Transcriptional Control><Transcriptional Regulation><Travel><Underrepresented Groups><Underrepresented Populations><United States National Institutes of Health><Woman><aganglionosis><bench bed side><bench bedside><bench to bed side><bench to bedside><bench to clinic><bench to clinical practice><career><cell biology><conference><convention><coronavirus disease 2019 crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis><coronavirus disease crisis><coronavirus disease epidemic><coronavirus disease pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 global pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 pandemic><cost><developmental><economically deprived group><economically deprived people><economically disadvantaged group><economically disadvantaged individual><economically disadvantaged people><economically disadvantaged population><enteric neuropathy><imaging><improved><interest><meeting><meetings><member><nerve stem cell><nervous system development><neural precursor><neural precursor cell><neural progenitor><neural progenitor cells><neuron progenitors><neuronal><neuronal progenitor><neuronal progenitor cells><neuronal stem cells><neuroprogenitor><ontogeny><pelvirectal achalasia><progenitor biology><progenitor cell biology><public health relevance><scientific accomplishments><scientific advances><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic><socio-economic disadvantage><socio-economically disadvantaged><socio-economically underprivileged><socioeconomic disadvantage><socioeconomically underprivileged><stem and progenitor biology><stem cell biology><stem cells><success><summit><symposia><symposium><synergism><systems research><under representation of groups><under represented groups><under represented people><under represented populations><underclass><underrepresentation of groups><underrepresented people>