38th Annual International Narcotics Research Conference

Interntl Narcotics Research Conf, Inc., Pittsford NY

Investigators

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Support is requested for the 38th annual meeting of the International Narcotics Research Conference (INRC) to be held in Berlin, Germany from July 8-13, 2007. INRC has for many years been the most prestigious international meeting for the dissemination and exchange of information about biomedical research on opiate drugs and the endogenous opioid system. The topics range from molecular to behavioral and clinical studies. While the main topic is still opiate drugs and abuse, there is increasing discussion of other abused drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, and alcohol, since extensively interactions between these drugs and the endogenous opioid system has been documented. Support is requested primarily for partial travel support to enable young scientists, i.e. graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty, to participate in the Conference. Preference will be given to young investigators who have not previously attended the meeting. A small portion of funds will support distinguished plenary speakers from other disciplines, relevant to research on addictive drugs, who will describe strategies, concepts or techniques likely to be useful to an INRC audience. Invited symposium speakers, not normally INRC participants, will receive partial support. This year INRC has five confirmed plenary speakers on various topics, including Drs. Jeffrey Mogil, Montreal, Canada, F. Benedetti, INAIL Direzione Centrale, Roma, Italy, and T. Jentsch, Universit[unreadable]t Hamburg, Germany. Drs. Volker H"llt, University of Magdeburg, Germany, and Horace Loh, University of Minnesota, were elected the Founders' Lecturer for the 2007 Meeting. Eight symposia will cover a wide range of topics described in the application, including neuroimmune interactions, genetic influences and opioid-nonopioid interactions in pain control. There will also be sessions dedicated to the biosynthesis and functional efficacy of new opioid analgesics as well as opioid receptor signaling and regulation by scaffolding/signaling complexes. A number of relevant contributed papers will be chosen for oral presentation at each symposium. There will be three poster sessions, at which there is always much exchange and discussion. For participants from many countries, this international meeting is their only chance to meet and exchange ideas. We feel that participation by many pre- and post- doctoral trainees is likely to continue to result in recruiting promising scientists to a career of drug abuse research. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]