The Sixth International Conference on Chronopharmacology will be held in Amelia Island, Florida, from July 6 to July 9, 1994. The Conference will summarize the current knowledge on time dependent rhythmic changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics which occur as a function of biologic rhythms of different frequencies and will discuss their implications for drug development, drug testing, and medical practice. The Conference will consist of five symposia with presentations by invited speakers. The topics will be: """"""""The Design of Chronopharmacologic Studies"""""""", """"""""Chronopharmacology in Drug Development"""""""", """"""""Chronopharmacology in Neuropsychiatry"""""""", """"""""Rhythms as Biomarkers"""""""", and """"""""Biologic Rhythm in Clinical Practice"""""""". each symposium will be supplemented by a workshop on the same topic. New peer reviewed material will be presented in sessions on """"""""Cardiovascular Chronopharmacology"""""""" (3), the """"""""Chronopharmacology of Cancer"""""""" (2), """"""""Gastrointestinal Chronopharmacology"""""""", """"""""Pulmonary Chronopharmacology,"""""""" Chronopharmacology of Pain"""""""" (1 each) and four sessions on general chronopharmacology. These sessions will also be supplemented by luncheon or evening workshops. It is the aim of this Conference to bring the new developments in the field of chronopharmacology and chronotherapeutics and the methodology necessary for their application to the attention of healthcare workers at all levels and of pharmaceutical scientists involved in drug development and drug testing, and in turn receive their input for further development of chronotherapeutic treatment regimen. The introduction of chronopharmacologic methods is expected to optimize drug development and drug testing by introducing techniques which take into account the biologic variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the experimental animals and/or human subjects to be treated. In drug development and drug testing, the choosing of the """"""""right"""""""" time will greatly improve the accuracy and precision of the results obtained and avoid misleading results and potential damage to patients. In its application to patients, this approach aims at treating patients at a time (circadian or other) when the desired effects are maximal and the undesirable side-effects minimized. Increased precision in drug testing and improved treatment results with medications given at the time when needed and optimally effective will lead to a decrease in cost of drug testing and of medical care.
