Conference Report: Stem Cells and Cell Therapies in Lung Biology and Diseases University of Vermont, July 2011.

The University of Vermont College of Medicine and the Vermont Lung Center, with support of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the Alpha-1 Foundation, the American Thoracic Society, the LAM Treatment Alliance, and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, convened a workshop, "Stem Cells and Cell Therapies in Lung Biology and Lung Diseases", held July 25-28, 2011 at the University of Vermont, to review the current understanding of the role of stem and progenitor cells in lung repair after injury and to review the current status of cell therapy and ex vivo bioengineering approaches for lung diseases. These are rapidly expanding areas of study that both provide further insight into and challenge traditional views of mechanisms of lung repair after injury and pathogenesis of several lung diseases. The goals of the conference were to summarize the current state of the field, discuss and debate current controversies, and to identify future research directions and opportunities for both basic and translational research in cell based therapies for lung diseases.