Scoliosis, defined as a curvature of the spine of 10º or greater visualized on plain radiograph represents the most common musculoskeletal disorder of children, afflicting 3% of the world population. Most cases of scoliosis are “idiopathic”, or of unknown cause. Idiopathic scoliosis does not involve vertebral malformations and usually occurs during the adolescent growth spurt. It is associated with disfigurement, pain, and cardiopulmonary compromise. Congenital scoliosis is caused by malformations in vertebrae and is frequently associated with other birth defects. The genetic bases for both forms of scoliosis are not well understood. Separate organizations including The International Consortium for Vertebral Anomalies and Scoliosis (ICVAS) and the International Consortium for Scoliosis Genetics (ICSG) composed of clinicians and basic scientists whose membership are engaged in independent scoliosis genetics research have formed to study these conditions, which up until recently have been thought to be genetically distinct. Recent scientific evidence has provided a rationale for researchers in both areas to consolidate resources for the purpose of developing research and treatment strategies.
The major aim of this conference is to generate a roadmap for future collaborative research in the field of scoliosis which will facilitate important scientific breakthroughs in this area. This will be enabled by providing a setting which will facilitate discussion of the existing body of knowledge related to scoliosis genetics, identification of knowledge gaps in this area and outlining high impact research agendas which can address these gaps. Graduate level students and junior faculty will be targeted for new membership in these organizations and will be encouraged to submit abstracts for presentation and travel award consideration in platform or poster format. A biannual meeting format is proposed to sustain collaborations, monitor progress in the field and identify new areas of research.