Chemical Approaches to Nuclear Receptors
and Metabolism
Bethesda, MD, USA
There is a strong need to develop additional
tools that can regulate nuclear receptor (NR) signaling through
alternative or noncanonical mechanisms. Although many drugs targeted
at NRs have made it to market, off-target effects, lack of specificity,
and unexpected outcomes have limited their usefulness. A better
understanding of the regulation of NR action by ligands, small
molecular compounds, and natural products presents opportunities
to decouple multiple hormone-induced events to provide selectivity
and specificity that result in therapeutic effects with fewer
off-target effects. Focused chemical biology efforts aimed at
key control points in NR signaling will allow the development
of new understandings and tools and lead to new therapeutic approaches.
The overall goal of this workshop is to increase the collaboration
of investigators drawn from different disciplines to develop
a better understanding of chemical modulation of NR action
and to identify future research directions. The specific focus
will be on diseases and disorders associated with lipid and
carbohydrate metabolism, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (T2D).
American Association for Cancer Research
100th Annual Meeting 2009
Denver, CO, USA
The AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009, with the
theme of "Science, Synergy, and Success," will highlight the
best cancer science and medicine from institutions all over the
world. The complex nature of cancer requires an interdisciplinary
approach to research. We have come upon an age when large research
teams must work together to make further progress. The collaborations
that naturally ensue from informal interactions at the AACR Annual
Meeting create the synergies that have led to past successes
in the field and will drive research faster toward future cures.
The Annual Meeting represents an opportunity to stretch your
boundaries, attend sessions outside of your own areas of expertise,
and learn how to apply the exciting new concepts, tools, and
techniques to your own research.
This is a special time in the evolution of cancer research.
The pace of discovery and its application to cancer patients
are truly extraordinary now. The past 100 years of cancer research
were merely a prelude to the remarkable progress to come. The
AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009 will help you keep abreast of
these rapidly developing advances. We expect to showcase more
than 6,000 outstanding proffered papers and hundreds of invited
talks from the global community of experts in today's cancer
research, representing clear evidence of the enormous progress
that has been made over the years in the understanding, treatment,
and prevention of cancer.
Keystone Symposium PI 3-Kinase Signaling
in Disease
Olympic Valley, CA, USA
The PI 3-kinase signaling pathway controls
multiple physiological processes including cell growth, cell
proliferation and cell movement. Dysregulation of this pathway
in cancer, inflammation and heart disease has led to the emergence
of PI 3-kinase as a promising therapeutic target. One of the
most exciting developments in this field is the discovery of
new PI 3-kinase inhibitors. The balance between modulating
PI 3-kinase activity in pathophysiological setting, whilst
avoiding unwanted side-effects, is the subject of intense debate.
In addition, as PI 3-kinase is a member of a multigene family,
the rationale for inhibiting individual isoforms or multiple
isoforms of PI 3-kinase is constantly changing. This meeting
aims to bring together scientists and clinicians from academia
and industry to discuss the opportunities and liabilities of
targeting the PI 3-kinase pathway in disease, drawing on human
pathophysiology and genetics, mouse models and preclinical
data with new PI 3-kinase inhibitors.
Keystone Symposium Complex Lipids in Biology: Signaling,
Compartmentalization and Disease
Olympic Valley, CA, USA
Complex lipids constitute a diverse family
of biomolecules of seven general classes that serve essential
roles in Biology. For example, lipids include structural phospholipids
that form cellular membranes but are also the reservoirs and
source of polyunsaturated fatty acids that are signaling mediators.
Intense research effort over the past years has substantially
changed our understanding of lipid biochemistry and lipid function
in cells with the application of new tools and techniques to
study these molecules. This meeting will bring together a group
of individuals who have the common goal of understanding the
role that lipids play in cell biology, physiology and disease
processes.
11th European Congress of Endocrinology will
convene in Istanbul, Turkey from April 25 to April 29, 2009.
In March, Programme Organizing Committee - a dozen endocrinologists
from all over Europe - came together to review all of the submitted
programme and synthesize the scientific program for ECE 2009.
Our commitment to make a scientific program that represents the
diverse Society membership was intense. We hope that we have
planned a scientific program with the necessary breadth and depth.
We want to affirm the Society's commitment to recruit new active
members and particularly to our trainees continuing education
realizing that this is investment in the future of endocrinology.
Further details about the ECE 2009 are available on the Web site.
We look forward to seeing you in Istanbul and to a very successful
11th annual meeting.
Gordon Research Conference:
Molecular Pharmacology: Recent Advances In Basic And Translational
Research On G Protein-Coupled Receptors And Signaling
Lucca (Barga), Italy
The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Molecular Pharmacology
is one of the most popular forums for the gathering of scientists from academia,
government, and industry to discuss recent, cutting-edge advances in signal
transduction research, receptors and other drug targets. The main focus of
the 2009 Molecular Pharmacology GRC will be on membrane receptors and G protein-mediated
signaling since other areas of interest in molecular pharmacology are covered
by other conferences. The proposed program seeks to integrate basic and translational
aspects of research and to encourage cross-fertilization among different
approaches. The goal of the conference has been, and continues to be, to
advance progress by providing an integrated approach among important "growth
areas" in Molecular Pharmacology. The GRC on Molecular Pharmacology
convenes every two years. To strengthen the international nature of the Molecular
Pharmacology GRC, in 2003 it was decided (by a vote of the attendees) that
the conference should alternate between Ventura, California and a GRC location
in Europe. The 2009 Conference will be its 21st edition and it will take
place at the Il Ciocco Conference Center in Barga (Pisa), Italy.
Three main aspects will be covered by the 2009 conference:
i) structural features of receptors and monitoring of receptor function at
the single molecule level, ii) signaling and regulatory networks in physiological
settings and pathophysiological conditions (e.g., cancer, viral infections,
endocrine and cardiovascular disorders, smell), and iii) pharmacology of
the brain and metabolism, in particular in animal models. Many of the speakers
and discussants are leaders in the field; some are more junior investigators.
Session Chairs have been chosen for their contributions to the field and
demonstrated history of promoting active exchange of information with younger
participants at the meeting. Poster sessions organized by topic will be an
integral part of the meeting and some talks will be selected from posters.
Participants who are not speakers or session chairs/discussants are encouraged
to present a poster. Our general goal for the 2009 Conference is to continue
the focus on cutting-edge research, encouraging cross-fertilization of ideas
and techniques, supporting the participation of junior scientists, and importantly,
by insuring diversity among speakers in terms of career stage and venues
in which the scientists work.
3rd Annual Meeting of the Organization for
the Study of Sex Differences
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Organization for the Study of Sex Differences
(www.ossdweb.org) is convening its third annual scientific meeting
from June 4-6, 2009 in Toronto, ON, Canada. The program includes
Jeanne T. Lee, M.D., Ph.D. as the Keynote Lecturer and Virginia
M. Miller, Ph.D. as the Capstone Lecturer. The rest of the program
is composed of seven symposia and two poster sessions. Symposia
topics include sex differences in: pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics
and drug development; childhood obesity: manifestations and mechanisms;
sex chromosomes and autoimmunity; progenitor and stem cells:
implications for tissue injury, repair, and regeneration; cerebral
vascular biology and stroke; knee osteoarthritis; and cognition.
The deadline for poster abstract submissions is March 16, 2009.
Presidential Plenary: Nobel Laureates Joseph Goldstein
and Michael Brown will deliver the ENDO 09 inaugural lectures.
Endocrinology & Society Plenary Address: Francis S.
Collins will present Pharmacogenomics & Endocrinology
on Thursday, June 11 at 12:30 PM.
New! Case Management Forums: Clinical cases will be discussed
by two expert endocrinologists.
Poster Discussions: ENDO 09 will debut two-hour Poster
Discussions Wednesday through Friday. Posters can be viewed
at any time while the exhibit hall is open between 9:30 AM – 4:00
PM. Poster authors will be available to present their research
between 1:30 – 3:30 PM. Come visit the posters to discuss
the latest endocrine research and connect with colleagues.
Connect, Communicate, Collaborate!
Presidential Poster Competition: Trainees who are first-
and presenting-authors of top-scoring abstracts scheduled
for poster presentations will be invited to participate in
the competition.
Symposia: 69 symposia spanning the full spectrum of basic
and clinical endocrinology will be presented. View the Scientific
Program for more information and to see all that ENDO has
to offer.
Year in Basic Science Lectures
Year in Clinical Lectures
Clark T Sawin Memorial Lecture: Five Decades of Aldosterone
Research, John Funder
The Endocrine Society's Clinical Guidelines Presentations
Gordon Research Conference: Mycotoxins & Phycotoxins
New London, NH, USA
The Gordon Research Conference on Mycotoxins
and Phycotoxins offers an international forum for the presentation
of leading-edge research on fungal, algal, and cyanobacterial
toxins and the organisms that produce them. This multidisciplinary
gathering will encompass the biology, ecology, genetics, chemistry
and the public health and economic impacts of these natural hazards.
In 2009, the conference will convene at Colby-Sawyer College
in New London, New Hampshire, June 21-26. The goals of the conference
are to assemble a critical mass of leading-edge scientists and
students, and to create an atmosphere for creative thinking to
advance knowledge of the complex problems presented by these
naturally occurring organisms and toxins. Considerable effort
is made to provide opportunities for participants, outstanding
scientists and aspiring students alike, to interact in relaxed
surroundings that promote the free exchange of ideas on topics
vital to the future of research on the societal and environmental
impacts of mycotoxins and phycotoxins. The 2009 conference will
have a particular emphasis on the influence of climate change
on the biogeography of toxic algae, cyanobacteria and fungi;
the genomics and proteomics of toxin production; the prediction
and detection of hazardous events; and the public health and
economic impacts of these natural hazards. The conference is
unique in that it brings together a diverse multidisciplinary
group of research scientists and students who are all ultimately
focused on solving similar problems -- ensuring the health of
the environment and the safety and security of the food supply.
The 6th World Conference of Science Journalists
in 2009 (WCSJ2009) will bring established and aspiring reporters,
writers and science communicators from around the world to debate,
network, develop their professional skills and report on the
latest advances in science and technology.
Pallab Ghosh Science journalists have a vital role to play
in informing millions of people around the world about the
latest advances and controversies in science and technology.
At WCSJ2009 we welcome journalists, editors and science communicators
from both developed and emerging countries to enjoy our exciting
programme of events, share experiences, develop new contacts
and report great stories.