This proposal requests support for the 14th International Symposium on Regulatory Peptides which will be used to assist young investigators to participate in the conference. This symposium, which originated with a focus on gastrointestinal hormones, now includes coverage of other regulatory peptides and related molecules. It is held biannually around the world and is the major conference at which work on regulatory peptides in the gut, brain and other tissues is presented and discussed. These peptides - which include not only gastrin/CCK and somatostatin, but also trefoils, TGF-? and TGF-?, and cytokines - are of major importance in regulating the function of the gastrointestinal tract. They have a common theme involving the binding of a small peptide or molecule to a receptor, and understanding of their roles in disease is increasing. The conference will be held in Boston, MA, August 31-September 3, 2002, and attendance of approximately 400-500 scientists is expected. The conference will consist of both invited/plenary talks (18 total) and oral and poster sessions selected from submitted abstracts. The symposium will include four distinct themes: (1) Peptides and development/differentiation; (2) Peptides and inflammation; (3) Growth factors and proliferation; and (4) Regulation of energy homeostasis/food intake/ integrative biology of GI peptides. The housing of all attendees in a single hotel with common meals will facilitate interaction between attendees as will unprogrammed """"""""free"""""""" time for discussions in the afternoon. The symposium also incorporates the Viktor Mutt Lectureship. To encourage attendance by young investigators, fellowships will be provided to a minimum of 20 individuals (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty), and support for these fellowships is therefore requested.
