This application, submitted on behalf of the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (SIMD) requests travel support for young scientists to attend and participate in the Vth International Congress of Inborn Errors of Metabolism and satellites. The congress is to be held in Monterey (Asilomar), California June 1-5, 1990 with pre-congress satellites in San Diego and San Francisco May 29-31, 1990 and a post-conference satellite in San Francisco June 6-7, 1990. Based on responses received to the first announcement, as of May 1989, it is anticipated that approximately 1,000 scientists will participate in the congress and satellites, 600-700 of whom will be from the U.S. This congress will likely be one of the most crucial of the international congresses on inborn errors of metabolism. Advances in biomedical technology, notably molecular genetics, and the applications of this technology to the study of human disease are beginning to make an enormous impact on the diagnosis and basic understanding of inborn errors of metabolism. The molecular bases of these disorders are being uncovered, """"""""new"""""""" disorders are becoming known, and a knowledge of pathogenesis and pathophysiology is beginning to appear. In addition, innovative therapies are developing. The exciting progress toward gene therapy is especially noteworthy since this form of therapy may have its greatest effect on the metabolic disorders. All of this will lead to much more understanding of the normal and pathological phenomena in humans produced by variations in gene structure and expression. The inborn errors of metabolism as unique experiments of nature caused by single mutant genes of large effect with defined biochemical phenotypes offer insight into the relationship between altered DNA, altered protein structure, and pathophysiological processes. It is imperative that young scientists be exposed to knowledge about these advances during this very exciting and crucial time in the history of the inborn errors. At an international congress such as this they will learn about these new developments, will present their research, will share information during discussions, and in the process will, hopefully, become more firmly committed to a career in basic and applied research of the inborn errors of metabolism.
