2011 Molecular and Cellular Biology of Lipids Gordon Research Conference

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is for partial support of the 2011 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Molecular and Cellular Biology of Lipids, a meeting that will bring together leading scientists in the field to present and discuss their research and to facilitate advances in lipid research. This conference has been held every other year for almost 50 years and is nationally and internationally recognized as a prestigious forum for the presentation of ground breaking research in lipid biochemistry and molecular biology. In 2011, the conference will focus heavily on the continuing emergence of lipids in understanding the mechanisms of health maintenance and chronic disease development. The meeting will be held July 17 - 22 at the Waterville Valley Resort in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, and will include nine lecture sessions and four afternoon poster sessions. Lecture sessions will cover a broad range of topics, including the genetic regulation of lipid metabolism, cellular lipid trafficking, regulation of sterol metabolism, function and regulation of phospholipid metabolism, intracellular storage of neutral lipids, lipids and cell signaling, novel methodologies and lipid frontiers, and the molecular mechanisms of metabolic diseases. The >32 speakers in these sessions will describe research done in an array of biological systems, from humans to yeast to model membranes, and using multiple experimental approaches. The talks at the Molecular and Cellular Biology of Lipids GRC, as well as the large and lively poster sessions, are well known to stimulate dynamic discussions among attendees who in this case will include biochemists, cell biologists, geneticists, molecular biologists, structural biologists, and physiologists. Scientists who attend this conference derive synergistic benefit from close interactions with the high quality speakers and the diverse experimental backgrounds of both the speakers and the participants, all fostered by the intimate atmosphere of the meeting, which is limited to about 150 participants. These benefits in turn drive future advances and multidisciplinary collaborations in the field. Participants and speakers have been and will be chosen to reflect international excellence in this medically-relevant area of science, with an ideal balance between youth and experience. The program includes outstanding women and men, and scientists of many different ethnicities. Superb facilities are available to accommodate handicapped individuals. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Lipids such as fats and cholesterol are required for life, but cause heart attacks and strokes when present in excess. It is also now known that lipids play an important role in the development of other metabolic syndrome disorders including diabetes, obesity, and some types of cancer. The 2011 Gordon Research Conference on the Molecular and Cellular Biology of Lipids will address current issues in lipid metabolism, and how the fundamental processes of lipid synthesis, breakdown, and storage go awry in cardiovascular and other diseases.