We seek partial support for the Gordon Research Conference on Drug Carriers in Medicine and Biology, to be held at Waterville Valley, NH, August 12-17 in 2012. The conference will focus on topics that represent key research areas in carriers for drug and imaging probe delivery and targeting including design of novel carriers and materials, vascular drug delivery, targeting cancer, intracellular delivery and trafficking, vaccin delivery, local delivery and barriers, drug delivery to organ systems, biological control of the delivery and its effects and translational aspects of drug carriers. The sub-theme of the conference will thus be """"""""Translational drug carriers: from design and understanding mechanism of action to clinical use"""""""". Speakers and discussion leaders are recognized leaders in their fields and were chosen in consultation with scientists who represent the breadth of the field of drug delivery. Special attention has been given to diversity of the speakers and other participants. The tentative program reflects this in terms of gender, age, career stage, location and other diversity parameters. In particular, we projected at least one short-talk in each session given by promising investigators at early career stage (up to early Associate Professors and young industrial researchers). We have devised an extremely high-quality program that features about 50% female speakers. We will boost diversity further through registration and via financial support for the attendance of members of under- represented groups (especially trainees). This proposal seeks partial extramural funding specifically for this goal. Training aspects are incorporated into the program in the form of three poster sessions and short talks selected from the poster presentations given by trainees. Traditional informal, collegial atmosphere of this GRC, in which about a hundred participants interact across their specialties, ages, affiliations and career stages facilitates both research and training mission of this meeting. The specific objectives of the GRC are: 1) To provide a forum for discussion of the latest drug carrier research. 2) To bring together scientists working in the drug delivery design (i.e., bioengineering, biotechnology, imaging and pharmaceutical sciences), those focused in the biomedical aspects of the field (i.e., cell and molecular biology, immunological and medical aspects) and representatives of industry, to integrate across all translational. 3) To identify priority research themes for the coming years by identifying gaps in knowledge and improving conceptual models. 4) To continue to provide a high quality and accessible arena for interaction between trainees and senior researchers.
Targeted delivery of drugs and imaging agents to the sites of pathology where their activity is needed is a Holy Grail of modern biomedicine. It will provide safer and more effective means for diagnosis, prophylaxis and treatment of prevalent disease conditions including cancer, infectious diseases, cardiovascular, pulmonary and neurological disorders, among a plethora of human maladies. Translation of these drug carriers into the biomedical domain, industrial development and clinical use will benefit a plethora of diagnostic and pharmacotherapy approaches, especially those employing novel classes of molecular imaging probes and biologicals including siRNA, enzyme therapies and biological modulators. These new means for targeted molecular interventions and imaging hold promise to provide a major impact on human health and, in fact, revolutionize modern biomedicine.
