The 3rd Fusion meeting on the Niche-epithelial Stem Cell Interactions in Lung Health and Disease took place February 17-20, 2025 at the Hilton La Romana, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. 46 registrants from America, China, Japan and several European countries were present.

During the meeting, several key highlights and discussions included the use of a Dre/Cre dual recombinase approach to demonstrate that a new population of AT2 cells called  Injury Activated Alveolar Progenitor (IAAPs) cells are amplified upon injury and differentiate into AT2/AT1 cells. The fate over time of alveolar myofibroblasts, which contribute initially to the alveologenesis process and are thought to disappear afterward, was also reported. As numerous scRNAseq data were presented, the importance of a homogenous nomenclature in describing the different cell subpopulations was raised. Furthermore, the relevance of bone marrow-derived macrophages, which can be either reparative or pathogenic, was discussed. How these cells interact with AT2s and stromal cells is still a very open question. The importance of these pathological macrophages early in life, which can negatively impact lung function throughout adult stages, was described. The key function of heparan sulfate proteoglycan in the stability of paracrine FGF-FGFR interaction was also suggested from the crystallography studies presented.

Intermediate Krt8+ADI cells, arising from AT2s, were proposed to be orthologous to aberrant basaloid cells in IPF. These cells secrete profibrogenic factors and could therefore contribute to pathogenesis even though this model is still controversial. The importance of matrix stiffness in the differentiation of stromal cells was also introduced. The appearance of basaloid cells in humans as aging occurs was also presented and the concept of plasticity of AT2 cells as a function of age was discussed. The concept of cell competition between basal and club cells involving Myc and Yap during alveolar epithelial repair was introduced.

Human genetic disorders associated with emphysema (Marfan syndrome or Acta2 syndrome) were presented. Increased research on what is happening in the mesenchyme, including the pericyte, is needed. The use of nanoparticles to allow delivering nucleic acids to endothelial cells in vivo was presented. These nanoparticles did not change their specificity after injury and could be frozen without changing their endothelial specificity. The behavior of AT2s subsets in COPD using scRNAseq approaches was presented, and the importance of the migration of AT2s in the differentiation towards AT1 cells was revealed. Intermediate epithelial cell types to the proximal and distal lineages during development in mice and humans revealed significantly conserved gene expression.

This meeting occurred in a very relax but still professional atmosphere. It contributed to strengthen, with exchange of information and start of new collaborations, our research community focusing on the Niche-epithelial Stem Cell Interactions in Lung Health and Disease. We are looking forward to the fourth edition of this successful meeting.

Due to high hotel occupancy levels, we have closed the registration deadline as hotel availability is changing daily. Please contact Alice to check if any spaces remain available. If you have already registered for the conference, you can no longer extend your stay via your Fusion account. Again, please contact Alice to check if we can accommodate your extra nights and/or accompanying guests.

The different epithelial stem/progenitor cells identified in the different regions of the lung interact with specific mesenchymal, immune and vascular niches which have recently been characterized. These niches dictate the quiescence of the epithelial stem/progenitor cells, their re-entry into the cell cycle and subsequent differentiation, as well as their regenerative potential. Emerging literature have shed light on the cells composing these different niches, and their distinct roles in driving development, homeostasis, injury/repair and disease development. 

Key Sessions

•    Epithelial stem cells and their niches in lung development
•    Epithelial stem cells and their niches in lung homeostasis and repair
•    Characterisation of novel epithelial and mesenchymal progenitor cell populations

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Miguel Alejandre Alcázar (University of Cologne / Institute for Lung Health, Giessen)
IMMUNE-EPITHELIAL INTERPLAY IN EARLY LIFE INITIATES PREMATURE ALVEOLAR AGING AND CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE
Wellington V. Cardoso (Columbia University Medical Center)
TRANSITIONAL CELL STATES IN DEVELOPMENT AND REPAIR-REGENERATION
Hal Chapman (UCSF)
DEVELOPMENT OF PULMONARY FIBROSIS: HOW ALVEOLAR EPITHELIAL CELLS SIGNAL, CHANGE, AND EMERGE
Ya-Wen Chen (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
LEVERAGING PERSONALIZED STEM CELL THERAPY TO OVERCOME AIRWAY RECONSTRUCTION 
Stijn De Langhe (Mayo Clinic)
CELL COMPETITION DRIVES BRONCHIOLIZATION AND PULMONARY FIBROSIS 
Mingxia Gu (University of California, Los Angeles)
ENGINEERING VASCULARIZED LUNG ORGANOIDS: UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES OF HUMAN LUNG DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE IN A DISH
Stefan Hadzic (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)
CONTRIBUTION OF PULMONARY VASCULAR ALTERATIONS IN EMPHYSEMA DEVELOPMENT AND ALVEOLAR REPAIR
Susanne Herold (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)
MACROPHAGES IN LUNG INJURY, HOMEOSTASIS AND REGENERATION 
Dianhua Jiang (Cedars Sinai Medical Center)
LPCAT1 REGULATION OF ALVEOLAR PROGENITOR RENEWAL AND PULMONARY FIBROSIS
Tatiana Kalin (University of Arizona) 
ENDOTHELIAL PROGENITOR CELLS IN LUNG HEALTH AND DISEASE
Carla Kim (Boston Children's Hospital)
CELL-CELL INTERACTIONS IN REGULATION OF LUNG HOMEOSTASIS AND DISEASE 
Mareike Lehmann (Helmholtz Center Munich / Philipps University Marburg)
THE ROLE OF AGING IN CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES: FROM CELLULAR SENESCENCE TO TISSUE REMODELING
Yuru Liu (University of Illinois at Chicago)
CHARACTERIZATION OF PERIVASCULAR ALVEOLAR EPITHELIAL STEM CELLS AND THEIR NICHE IN LUNG HOMEOSTASIS AND CANCER
Moosa Mohammadi (Wenzhou Medical University)
MOLECULAR ARCHITECTURES OF FGF SIGNALING ASSEMBLIES
Enid Neptune (Johns Hopkins Medicine)
MURAL CELL DRIVERS OF AIRSPACE SIMPLIFICATION
David Ornitz (Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis)
FGF SIGNALING IN NEONATAL LUNG DEVELOPMENT
Jianwen Que (Columbia University)
LUNG DEVELOPMENT REGULATED BY THE MRNA MODIFICATION PROTEINS METTL3/14
Purushothama Rao Tata (Duke University)
TO REPLICATE OR DIFFERENTIATE: STEM CELLS IN A DILEMMA
Maor Sauler (Yale School of Medicine)
AT2 CELLS: WALKING, TALKING, AND STEERING LUNG DISEASE PROGRESSION
Soni Savai Pullamsetti (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)
MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS INTO POSTNATAL PULMONARY VASCULAR DEVELOPMENT
Herbert Schiller (Helmholtz Munich)
CELL CIRCUITS IN HUMAN LUNG FIBROSIS PROGRESSION
Jason Spence (University of Michigan)
INTERROGATING STEM CELL NICHES DURING HUMAN LUNG DEVELOPMENT
Xin Sun (University of California, San Diego)
THE ROLE OF LUNG MESENCHYME AS A NICHE
Daniel Tschumperlin (Mayo Clinic)
MATRICELLULAR MRNA DELIVERY TO PROMOTE LUNG REPAIR
Jin-San Zhang (Wenzhou Medical University)
EVIDENCE THAT METFORMIN PROMOTES FIBROSIS RESOLUTION VIA ACTIVATION OF ALVEOLAR EPITHELIAL STEM CELLS IN AN FGFR2B-DEPENDENT MANNER

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ECR GRANTS - NOW AVAILABLE!

We are excited to announce we have 5 x $750 grants available to postdocs or those in junior faculty (within 3 years of your post-graduate position).

These will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis and can be applied to a Single registration fee. To apply or for details of T&C’s, please email Alice. 

Your application should include your name, organisation, career level and an abstract for talk or poster consideration.