Conference Summary
2nd Symposium on Kallikreins and Kallikrein-Related Peptidases
October 16-18, 2007, Santorini, Greece

Rebecca Henkhaus
PhD Candidate
Cancer Biology GIDP

I was awarded the Herbert E. Carter travel award to partially fund my trip to attend the 2nd Symposium on Kallikreins and Kallikrein-Related Peptidases in Santorini, Greece. This conference was held October 16-18th and included numerous oral presentations and almost 50 posters. It was attended by 100-150 professors, laboratory technicians, post-doctorates and graduate students. Because it was an international conference, I had the opportunity to hear presentations given by researchers from all over the world. It was a diverse group with diverse interests and perspectives, all centered on the Kallikrein field of biology.

Overall, this conference was a very rewarding and educational experience. My dissertation research, conducted over the past 4 years, has involved the characterization of the gene regulation of Kallikrein 6, a protein which is often upregulated in cancer. The conference I attended was specifically focused on the Kallikrein family of proteins which, in general, are associated with skin and teeth development, cancer and the central nervous system. The Kallikrein proteins have only been discovered and characterized within the last 20 years, with the bulk of the research having been done in the past 10 years. As this is a relatively young field of study, it is crucial for the leading researchers in the subject to collaborate as well as to share and discuss recent findings.

I personally learned a lot from the conference. I was able to hear about all of the most recent and exciting research straight from those who had done it. Not only did I learn about the proteins in the context of cancer, which is how I normally think of it, but I also heard talks about the involvement of these proteins in skin and teeth maintenance and development, as well as other body tissues. This caused me to analyze my own project with a new and more-informed perspective. I also received feedback on my research. I presented a poster of my data and received positive feedback on the work that I have done. As I am nearing the completion of my dissertation research, it was an enormous boost to my motivation as well as being very academically stimulating. Another important aspect of the conference was being able to meet all of the leaders in my field. Being able to interact with scientists that can offer new ideas and expertise was very valuable.

Lastly, it was an incredible experience traveling to Greece. One of the significant perks of traveling to an international conference is to be able to spend time in an exciting foreign destination. Santorini is a beautiful Greek island. We were able to enjoy spending time with the other attendees of the conference sampling Greek food and wine, as well as touring the island and surrounding Mediterranean Sea. I am grateful to have received the Herbert E. Carter travel award. My experience attending this conference was both academically stimulating and personally memorable.