Marrow Adiposity: Bone, Aging, and Beyond6th International Conference of Bone Marrow Adiposity Society

PROJECT SUMMARY This application is a request for partial support of the 6th International Meeting on Bone Marrow Adiposity (BMA2020) entitled ?Marrow Adiposity: Bone, Aging, and Beyond?. This symposium will take place over 1.5 days at the Seattle Art Museum (Sept 9th and 10th, 2020), immediately prior to the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) annual meeting (Sept 11th to 14th, 2020). The primary goal of the BMA2020 meeting is to provide a forum for basic, translational, and clinical scientists from around the world to discuss different aspects of bone marrow adiposity in health and disease. The Bone Marrow Adiposity Society (BMAS) conferences are greatly enhanced by the broad research and training backgrounds among conference organizers, speakers, and attendees which promotes diverse perspectives and opportunities for collaboration. The BMA2020 meeting has a specific focus on aging and age-related diseases which are associated with accumulation of fat in bone. There is a direct relationship between bone marrow adipocyte (BMAd) accumulation and occurrence of bone fractures or osteoporosis. BMAds also have endocrine functions that can influence systemic metabolic homeostasis. Lastly, BMAds have been implicated in hematopoietic dysfunction and tumor metastasis, the incidence of which increases with aging. Though BMAds are gaining increasing attention as a therapeutic target, much remains to be discovered to harness their potential in anti-osteoporotic, metabolic, cancer, or regenerative therapies. We expect the attendance of the BMA2020 meeting to be 150 ? 200 participants. Scientific sessions will cover topics including BMA tissue dynamics and bone mass in aging, obesity and malnutrition, as well as BMAd progenitors and lineage tracing, metabolism, hematopoiesis, metastasis, leukemia and myeloma, endocrine regulation, response to exercise, and advanced methods of BMA imaging and analysis. Funds are requested to cover travel awards for young investigators and trainees, costs of the conference venue, and to support travel and lodging for invited speakers. By organizing this conference in the United States (US), our goal is to provide US-based researchers, especially students and trainees, an opportunity to participate. The interactive atmosphere of the meeting emphasizes contributions of trainees and young investigators, further serving this mission. Moreover, we anticipate that organizing this conference immediately before the ASBMR annual meeting will increase the attendance at BMA2020; this will serve to increase interest in this unique tissue which is gaining widespread recognition in the field for its diverse and critical functions in both health and disease.