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Joseph Hill (UT Southwestern Medical Center, US) is chairing our Birth, Life and Death of the Cardiac Myocyte Conference, June 2-4, 2010, at Napa Valley, US. He was kind enough to answer a few questions about his work, the upcoming event, and wine tasting!

Q: Tell us a little bit about your background. What research is your lab currently working on?

A: I'm a cardiologist-scientist whose research focuses on molecular mechanisms of cardiomyocyte remodeling. We study a variety of mechanisms, transcriptional and otherwise, governing myocyte growth, myocyte atrophy, and myocyte death (especially autophagy). Many of these topics, and more, will be covered in depth during the Napa meeting.

Q: What were your motivations to organize a conference on the Birth, Life and Death of the Cardiac Myocyte?

A: There have been very considerable strides in recent years in the biology of the cardiac myocyte. The birth of myocytes, either during development or from a variety of progenitors, is a rapidly advancing field with enormous clinical potential. The field of myocyte remodeling, signal transduction, disease pathogenesis, cell growth and shrinkage, is another fast-paced and exciting field of science (myocyte life). Finally, as cardiac myocytes have very limited potential for regeneration, each cell must survive for many decades; thus, myocyte dropout during heart disease is a topic of obvious relevance. This, combined with the fact that some evidence suggests that the three major mechanisms of cell death, necrosis, apoptosis, and autophagy, are, in fact, linked mechanistically, makes the topic of myocyte death exciting and compelling.

Q: How will this conference be different from other meetings?

A: We will bring together major thought leaders from around the world to discuss three fast-moving areas of cardiovascular biology, each of which has clear clinical relevance. We will have ample time for face-to-face interaction and discussion. Poster sessions will provide an outlet for a large number of investigators to present their work for information exchange and feedback.

Q: What new and exciting developments may we hear more of at the meeting?

A: We can expect to hear state-of-the-art talks on a host of critical aspects of cardiomyocyte biology. Opportunities for interchange among scientists, physicians, and trainees will be provided and encouraged.

Q: Who do you think would be most interested in this meeting?

A: The meeting is targeted to investigators working in the field of cardiomyocyte signaling, stem cell biology, cardiovascular development, programmed cell death, microRNAs, and much more. Scientific and clinical trainees, newly independent investigators, and seasoned scientists can all expect to benefit!

Q: The conference will be held in Napa Valley which is famous for its wines. One of the networking events at the conference will be a wine tasting session. Will you be sampling some of the local vintages?

A: I recently obtained certification as a sommelier, so I'm obviously very interested in wines! It will be my pleasure to provide some opportunities for wine tasting, tours, and wine education.

Check out the conference and register before the early bird deadline, Friday March 12, 2010 to save $100!

More resources

• Related article: Cardiac atrophy: Remodeling of the heart following hemodynamic unloading
• Related pathway: Nitric oxide signaling
• All Autophagy products from Abcam