Free radical-based pathological processes are increasingly recognized as being a key component in the etiology of a wide variety of diseases associated with aging. A range of selective disorders are often superimposed on basal age-related events. These include neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other less well-defined losses of cellular efficiency. In recent years, much investigation of oxidant- promoted cell damage has been conducted. Despite this growing amount of information concerning reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, there has been little effort made to integrate this body of knowledge across disciplines. The current application is designed to fill this gap by allowing comparison and discussion of results derived from several areas of medical investigation. The meeting is intended to serve as an integrative platform, and will be held in one of the world's finest conference centers, at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, in July 2000. The objective of the meeting is to bring together participants from apparently unrelated fields to learn of each other's approaches to the study of this final common component of many age-related disorders. Such interactions will lead to the discovery of unexpected unifying concepts and set the groundwork for novel interactive approaches to clinical issues. It is intended to bring together leading authorities from differing fields, investigating various aspects of oxidative stress that underlies so many types of cell dysfunction. The colloquium will feature plenary lectures, symposia, workshops, and poster presentations and will allow much time for informal discussion. The program is planned to bring together participants from diverse fields who would otherwise be unlikely meet. This will allow the emergence of key analogies that can relate superficially diverse areas. By this means, such interaction is likely to accelerate the development of novel therapeutic strategies. The NIH support will foster the participation of international experts on free radical issues, and the meeting will be designed to assist in encouraging women and minority researchers to get involved in this exciting and rapidly emerging area. The fostering of the next generation of scientists by facilitating their participation is also a major intent of the meeting.
