Welcome Letter from Dr. Nienhuis

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the American Society of Gene Therapy, welcome to the ASGT 11th Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. The ASGT Program Committee, the scientific and standing committees, and the abstract review groups have put together a fine meeting that focuses on the striking scientific and clinical advances in our field. Included in the program are 19 state-of-the-art scientific symposia, ten education sessions, 40 oral abstract sessions, three poster sessions, four meet-the-investigator lunch sessions, and three pre-meeting sessions (featuring an update on international clinical trials and a manufacturing of gene therapy products session). In addition, there will be a special session presented by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute on the gene therapy resource program. Some of the subjects that are being presented in depth during the various scientific symposia include stem cell biology, gene-based vaccines, immunology of gene therapy, clinical trials, tissue engineering, infectious diseases, musculo-skeletal disorders, neural disorders, respiratory tract disorders and non-viral and viral gene transfer.

Several major plenary symposia will also be highlights of the meeting. The Annual Meeting will open with the George Stamatoyannopoulos keynote address by Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD on Genomics, Medicine, and Society. The Presidential Symposium, Advances in Gene Therapy Research, will feature presentations by four Society members: Luigi M. Naldini, MD, PhD; Frederic D. Bushman, PhD; Xandra O. Breakefield, PhD; and the 2008 Outstanding Achievement Award winner, R. Jude Samulski, PhD. In addition, the Outstanding New Investigator Award winners will present their work in a plenary symposium on Thursday afternoon.

I would like to thank our exhibitors and industry supporters for their participation and generosity, as well as the exceptional faculty who share their knowledge, expertise and time. My sincere gratitude also extends to the committee chairs and committee members who developed and organized this wonderful program. And finally, I want to thank all of the Annual Meeting participants who will make this a memorable meeting.

Welcome to Boston. Have a great meeting!

Sincerely,

Arthur W. Nienhuis, MD
President, ASGT