Hematopoiesis is the process by which hematopoietic stem cells self-renew and differentiate to form the peripheral blood lineages. This meeting seeks to develop a broad view of this process in terms of the self-renewal process, development of the hematopoietic system, and differentiation. Plenary sessions will encompass the birth of hematopoietic stem cells all the way through development of mature cell lineages throughout adult life. They will include sessions on developmental hematopoiesis that will explore the birth of the blood system in embryos, sessions on adult stem cell self-renewal, and sessions on stem cell niches and novel hematopoietic regulators. Particularly exciting areas of research that will be covered in the meeting include the identification of new growth factors that enhance stem cell decisions, advances in our understanding of transcription mechanisms using new genetic and genomic technologies, and new epigenetic mechanisms that regulate leukemic stem cell populations. The meeting will also address drug strategies that are being developed for clinical trials. Taken together, we anticipate that this conference will yield novel insights into the biology and potential therapeutic uses of hematopoietic stem cells and their progeny for the control of cancer and disease.