This proposal requests partial support for a meeting on Nucleosides, Nucleotides, and Oligonucleotides as a part of the Gordon Research Conference series to be held in Salve Regina University, Newport, RI from July 3 - 8, 2011. The broad and long term goal of the conference is to increase our understanding of the chemistry of nucleosides, nucleotides, and oligonucleotides. The biological significance of these agents as tools for diagnosis and as drugs for treatment of life-threatening diseases will complement the chemistry as well as their use in understanding biological processes.
The specific aims of this meeting will be to convene nine discussion leaders to moderate nine sessions. Chair and vice-chair of the conference will supervise the whole conference. There will be 21 speakers who will represent critical areas of the chemistry and biology of nucleosides, nucleotides, and oligonucleotides and 10 oral student presentations. The program will have a keynote address and eight sessions that broadly address current issues in synthetic biology, systems chemistry, DNA and RNA structures, transcription control of gene expression, nucleoside analogues as therapeutic agents, nucleotide receptors, catalytic RNA and epigenetics. The key note lecture will be given by J Szostack (Nobel Prize, 2009). In addition, two evening poster sessions will permit all participants to contribute to these topics. The meeting will provide numerous opportunities for young investigators, women, and minorities to interact with senior leaders in the field. The significance of this application is that the Gordon Research Conference is the only platform where chemists and biologists who focus on nucleosides, nucleotides, and oligonucleotides come together. Nucleoside analogs, acting by diverse mechanisms, are highly effective for treatment of solid tumor and hematological malignancies and several viral diseases including AIDS. Nucleic acids analogs as siRNA, miRNA, antisense, catalytic RNA belong to the most exciting new areas in drug development. This conference is therefore highly significant regarding its health relatedness. The discussions among chemists and scientists will generate new knowledge and avenues for development of novel therapeutics. Besides becoming major tools for prognosis and diagnosis of diseases, oligonucleotides are widely used as new tools in epigenetics, synthetic biology and systems chemistry, which will become important technologies for generating new drugs for the future. The conference will focus on all these new areas and will be a discussion forum and an exchange platform for generating new knowledge and collaborations.
There are numerous anticancer and antiviral drugs that work by inhibition of enzymes involved in nucleic acid metabolism. The goal of the Nucleoside, Nucleotide &Oligonucleotide Gordon Research conference is to aid investigators learn about the newest developments in this field. There will be numerous opportunities for young investigators, women, and minorities to interact with senior leaders in the field. This conference will promote an enhanced understanding of an important cellular metabolic process and lead to collaborations amongst scientists of various disciplines that could lead to future drug development.
