The Kern Lipid Conference, which was first convened in 1985 and continues to be held annually, explores the complex interplay between lipid metabolism and chronic human disorders such as cardiometabolic diseases, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, type II diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. The overall goals of the Kern Lipid Conference are to: 1) promote science relating to broad areas of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism; 2) increase understanding of the pathobiology of dyslipidemia; 3) provide an open forum for scientists from both academia and industry to meet and discuss the latest research findings related to lipid metabolism; 4) ensure at least 25% of meeting participants are early career scientists (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and Assistant Professors); and 5) to provide a unique meeting format in which 50% of the time is devoted to formal presentations and 50% is for open discussions of the presentations. The 2015 Kern Lipid Conference, entitled Emerging therapies for cardiovascular diseases: A dialogue between academic and pharmaceutical research will be held August 3-5, 2015 at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort in Vail, CO. The Conference will be co-chaired by Robert Eckel, MD, Ira Goldberg, MD, Margrit Schwarz, PhD, and Roger Newton, PhD. Recent clinical studies have highlighted the importance of residual risk for subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients receiving statin medications for cholesterol reduction. These data along with recent genetic studies have led to extraordinary interest in further LDL reduction strategies as well as a focus on other CVD risk factors, including elevated levels of blood triglycerides, Lp(a), and lipid-induced tissue inflammation. This highly interactive meeting will foster discussion between academic and industrial scientists. The Kern Conference ill uniquely focus on the biology behind novel therapies for lipid disorders and their current pharmaceutical development. The speakers are internationally recognized experts and employ a variety of experimental approaches ranging from molecular investigations of basic mechanisms to studies of animal physiology and human clinical interventions. The program will emphasize in-depth discussions of the presentations, which will provide an opportunity to stimulate new insights and initiate new collaborations to further the investigation of the physiology and pathophysiology associated with dyslipidemia and CVD risk. In addition, it should stimulate new ideas to further the development of novel therapies. Also, and importantly, the meeting continues to provide a scientific platform that encourages the participation of early career scientists, enabling them to discuss research in depth with more established investigators.
Decades of animal and human studies have demonstrated that despite widespread use of statin drugs to lower blood cholesterol levels, a large number of patients continue to have great risk for development of new or repeat CVD events. This conference will focus on the factors leading to this residual risk and will highlight novel approaches to reduce risk by altering lipid metabolism. Leading scientists will present cutting edge research on the causes of dyslipidemia and the development of new therapies for these diseases. (End of Abstract)
