MicroRNA in Human Disease & Development

The role of microRNA in regulating mammalian development and disease is now well established. miRNAs represent a novel class of targets for therapeutic and diagnostic development, currently not fully exploited by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Cambridge Healthtech Institute s Sixth Annual microRNA in Human Disease and Development meeting is specifically designed to address the role of miRNA in human development and disease, and to explore the impact of this new research for drug and diagnostic development. The meeting will cover progress in identifying human miRNA, technologies used for miRNA profiling, and the latest research in linking miRNA to human disease. Opportunities for using miRNA as diagnostic biomarkers and a novel class of targets for therapeutic development will be explored.
Topics Include:

• miRNA identification and profiling approaches (microarrays, PCR, informatics, etc.)
  
• miRNA pathways and mechanisms
  
• miRNA role in development and disease (special focus on cancer)
  
• miRNA and stem cells
  
• miRNA biomarkers for diagnostic development
  
• miRNA targets for therapeutic development
  
• microRNA polymorphisms