Partial support is requested for a Conference entitled """"""""Lipoprotein(a): 25 Years of Progress"""""""" to be held in Chicago on December 2-3, 1988 with the administrative aid of the Center for Continuing Medical Education of the University of Chicago. The organization of the Conference has been stimulated by the important new advances in the structure of Lp(a), by the discovery that apolipoprotein(a) has a striking homology with plasminogen and by the need of critically examining the potential role that Lp(a) may play in bridging the areas of atherosclerosis and thrombosis. To this end the Conference has been structured in such a way that eminent specialists in both areas are present in order to permit exchange of ideas and identification of future common research goals. Epidemiological studies have linked high levels of plasma Lp(a) with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. One of the aims of the Conference will be to examine this evidence and help pointing at the type of epidemiological and laboratory studies needed to provide unequivocal conclusions on this health-relevant issue. The Conference will be limited to 150 participants. Its format, by providing the possibility for those attending to present their views and experimental findings via poster sessions and/or formal or informal discussions, is expected to promote productive interactions among participants and lead to a precise assessment of the state-of-the-art of the Lp(a) field. It is also planned to publish the proceedings of the Conference so that the acquired knowledge can be disseminated at the national and international levels. This is the first Conference fully dedicated to Lp(a).
