4th International Symposium on Podocyte Biology

2002 saw the Podocyte Symposium hosted in Asia for the first time, by an interdisciplinary group from Niigata University, Yoshida Hospital, and Teikyo University. The conference continued to grow, with over 150 attendees. Yujin Memorial Hall at Niigata University was the venue for the two-day meeting.

Session themes included:

• Novel Findings from Cultured Podocytes
• Responses of the Podocyte to Extracellular Matrix
• Responses of the Podocyte to Cytokines and Radical Oxygen Species
• Responses of the Podocyte to Toxic Factors
• Essential Molecules of the Slit Diaphragm
• Interaction of Slit Diaphragm Associated Molecules
• Molecular Structure of the Glomerular Filtration Barrier
• Podocyte Injury by Antibodies
• Central Roles of the Podocyte in Renal Lesions

At the conclusion of the conference, participants visited the historic Yahiko Shrine, which has been a revered spiritual site for over a thousand years and is mentioned in the Manyoshu (759 CE), Japan's oldest poetry anthology. The hosts also arranged a traditional Japanese dinner at a nearby inn.

• Fujio Shimizu, MD, PhD (Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Nephrology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences)
• Hiroshi Kawachi, MD, PhD (Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Nephrology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences)
• Masanori Hara, MD, PhD (Department of Pediatrics, Yoshida Hospital)
• Katsuyuki Matsui, MD, PhD (Department of Internal Medicine, Teikyo University School of Medicine)