This application is prepared on behalf of the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (SIMD).
The Specific Aim i s to obtain funds to support travel of young US investigators to attend the International Congress on Metabolic Disorders in Cambridge, England, September 14-17 2000. Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) can affect any function in any organ; most commonly causing mental retardation, neuromuscular disease, cardiac, hepatic, renal, skeletal, ocular and/or endocrine dysfunction. Most strike infants and young children although adults are not exempted. For both known and newly described metabolic diseases, research has led to substantive increases in understanding the molecular and genetic basis of intermediary metabolism, and many fundamental tissue and cellular functions including basic genetic mechanisms as well as to better diagnosis and therapy. The unparalleled advances in this area and the continuing application of this knowledge to clinical situations, contrast with the meager supply of scientists in this field and demonstrates the need for participation, development, and encouragement of young investigators. In addition there is a great need for new, younger clinicians to replace the """"""""Old Guard"""""""" many of whom are nearing retirement. For the US to remain pre- eminent in this important area of genetics, it is essential to encourage young investigators to work in this field and to participate in situations where they can share their work and contribute to new collaborative projects. Most IEM are orphan diseases with only a handful of experts in any one disease which often makes international collaboration essential. An International Metabolic Congress, jointly sponsored by the European SSIEM together with the SIMD and the Japanese, Italian and Australasian metabolic societies is held triennially; grants to the SIMD from the NIH for the last 4 have enabled the SIMD to increase its presence at these and to support our most productive young investigators; participation by women and minorities has also increased. The availability of travel funds for such individuals continues to diminish as academic budgets shrink. Based on previous years, we expect submission of 75-100 abstracts from SIMD members for presentation at the Congress. Applications for travel funds will be competitively reviewed by the travel committee, which includes the applicants for this grant, and selected four months prior to the meeting. The selection will be based on scientific merit and relevance to inborn errors of metabolism. Priority travel awards will be given fellows in training, young women, and minority participants. NIH support of this application will facilitate US investigators remaining the forefront of this exciting and expanding field. All work related to this award will be published in the J. Inherited Metabolic Diseases
