ICRS is pleased to announce a Satellite Meeting to the 2004 Symposium:

Targeted Lipidomics: Lipid signaling molecules, endogenous lipid modulators (endolipids) and drugs of abuse.

June 22, 2004, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Workshop Organization: This is a one day workshop and is intended as a brainstorming session to discuss the emerging technologies, especially the impact of "lipidomics" and new lipid signaling molecules, on drug abuse research.

Draft Agenda - 2/12/04 16:33:04 - Updates will be posted immediately:
Opening Remarks: Dr. Rao S. Rapaka, NIDA
Session A. International Scientists Symposium (25 min presentation plus 5min discussion, each; Titles will be announced soon)
Dr.Steve Gust, NIDA, Chairman.
Dr. Tettamanti
Dr. Clementi (Regulation of cellular function by the crosstalk between nitric oxide and ceramide)
Dr. Calignano
Dr. DiMarzo (why lipidomics ??)
Dr. Guzman (Guzman: Cannabinoids and ceramide: two lipids acting hand-by-hand)

Session B. 7 Presentations (10 min each)
Chairman: Dr. Rao S. Rapaka (Sessions B)
Dr. Walker (Signaling molecules, pain, reward)
Dr. Cabral (Lipids as Bioeffectors in the Immune System: Role of Bioactive Amines, Lysophosphatidylcholine, Platelet-Activating factor, Sphingolipids, and Leukotriennes
Dr. Piomelli (CNS lipidomics: an uncharted territory)
Dr. Burstein (PPAR-g: A nuclear receptor with affinity for cannabinoid receptors)
Dr. Cravatt (lipidomics/metabolomics-profiling)
Dr. Makriyannis (The role of lipid membranes in drug action)
Dr. Reggio (The Lipid Environment: Its Importance for the Organization of Complexes and for GPCR Signaling
Dr. Mechoulam (New medical horizons: Cannabinoids)

Session C. Chairman: Dr. George Kunos
5-7 Comments
Dr. Martin
Dr. Howlett
Dr. Deutsch
Dr. Thomas
Dr. Mackie-to be confirmed
Dr. Tashkin-to be confirmed
Dr. Kunos (Summary and future directions)

Session D: Drs. Kunos and Rapaka (Open Discussion)

Background:

Until recently, lipids were not considered as having major
impact on CNS function. The recent discoveries of "lipid-based" ligands such
as oleamides, anandamides, the arachidonoyglycine family of ligands,
vanilloids, the acyldopamine family of ligands, and newer lysophospholipids
and discovery of their receptors, and lipid transporters, has sparked
intense interest in this area. Some of the receptors for the lipid ligands
were recently cloned and shown to be GPCRs that regulate a variety of CNS
functions. These "lipid-based" ligands mediate a number of functions such
as neurogenesis, neuronal migration and, more importantly for NIDA, may play
a role in modulating behavioral neurobiology and aspects of drug addiction.
Another important area of research for some of the lipid signaling molecules
is the elucidation of their role in the regulation of immune responses,
especially if they predispose drug abusing individuals to bacterial/viral
infections. The role of "lipid rafts" in immunoregulation is being
increasingly recognized.

In addition to the discovery of new ligands, technology development to
analyze molecules at or below the endogenous levels is equally important.
As many signaling events in the nervous system are regulated by small
molecules, which cannot be detected by standard genomic and proteomic
methods, development of highly sensitive and selective analytical methods
are required. To accelerate the discovery of bioactive lipids that play
signaling roles in the nervous system, global strategies for profiling lipid
metabolites (the "lipidome") in complex tissue extracts are needed. Hence,
it became apparent that it is important to assemble a small group of experts
for a "brain-storming" session and to identify critical areas for NIDA's
future research goals and disseminate this information to the broader
research community.

NIDA grantees and other drug abuse researchers have contributed
substantially to the discovery and the emerging developments in lipid
signaling research and ICRS is certainly a suitable forum to discuss these
topics.

* to be confirmed

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