This application is for partial support of a unique international conference sponsored by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and entitled """"""""Frontiers in Lipid Biology"""""""". This conference will bring together scientists who will present, exchange and disseminate their research and explore possible future collaborations. The conference is jointly organized by ASBMB, the International Conference on the Bioscience of Lipids (ICBL) and the Canadian Lipoprotein Conference (CLC). The expected number of attendees is 250 to 300. The participants will include geneticists, physician scientists, molecular biologists, biochemists, cell biologists, physiologist and structural biologists, as well as scientists from industry and many trainees. The program will focus on emerging topics in lipid biology including genetic regulation of lipid metabolism, regulation of fat storage, cell biology of lipids, lipid trafficking, lipid signaling, membrane dynamics, as well as impairment of lipid homeostasis in lung disease, neurodegenerative diseases, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. The ICBL and the CLC each hold annual conferences on lipid metabolism that have been well attended for 52 and 35 years, respectively. Importantly, this year's conference is co-sponsored by the ASBMB as a """"""""Special Symposium"""""""". Thus, this unique combined meeting will be organized by scientists based in the US, Canada and Europe, and will provide a unique opportunity to bring together lipid biologists from diverse international backgrounds. The conference will take place from Sept 5 to 9, 2012, at the Banff Centre in Banff, Canada. The conference will focus on the growing recognition that dysfunctional lipid metabolism underlies the development of many human diseases such as obesity, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, liver and lung disease and neurodegenerative disorders. The program includes 7 scientific sessions that will each feature 3 or 4 talks, each 30 min long plus 10 min discussion. A special feature of this conference is the emphasis on presentations by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty. Internationally recognized scientists who will be selected for their scientific excellence as well as their abilityto present their work clearly and logically will give talks in each of the sessions. In addition, 3.5 hours each day will be devoted to poster presentations that will provide an excellent forum for informal discussions among trainees and established scientists. The program and the organizing committee include outstanding women and men scientists of diverse ethnicities.
The most prevalent human diseases in the western world are characterized by dysregulation of lipid homeostasis. For example, excess lipids that is stored as fat (triglycerides) contribute to health problems associated with obesity, fatty liver and type 2 diabetes. An excess of plasma cholesterol markedly increases the risk of atherosclerosis and has been associated with several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease. This unique international conference will address current issues in lipid metabolic processes and their relationship to human disease. The fundamental processes of lipid synthesis, breakdown and storage will be discussed in studies that range from basic mechanisms to clinical implications. The meeting will, therefore, bring together internationally recognized basic scientists and physician scientists to present their latest data on how impairment of lipid metabolic processes contribute to the development of disorders such as atherosclerosis, obesity, type 2 diabetes, liver and lung disease and neurodegeneration.
