Funds are requested to support travel of participants to the Metals in Medicine Gordon Research Conference (MIM-GRC) to be held in July 2002 and July 2004 at Colby-Sawyer College (New London, NH). This MIM-GRC is the first of its kind. It is a natural extension of the popular and prestigious Metals in Biology Gordon Research Conference (MIB-GRC), which meets annually in January in Ventura, CA. The purpose of the conference is four-fold: * to present state-of-the-art research on metal-containing systems of medical importance, * to identify emerging areas of research opportunity, * to increase communication between scientists in academia, government, and industry, and * to foster the formation of new collaborative research efforts in the field.The understanding of the role of metals in cell regulation, the complexities of metal metabolism, and the relationship of metalloenzymes to genetic and environmental disease has seen major advances in recent years. The success of cisplatin and its congeners suggests that metal complexes can also be developed as therapeutic agents. Experience in the development of imaging and radiation therapy agents demonstrates that metal complexes can be tailored to provide clinically useful pharmacokinetic properties. The topics to be emphasized for the first MIM-GRC conference are (1) the role of metal-generated radicals in health and disease; (2) metalloproteins in health and disease; (3) metalloproteins as drug targets; (4) transport of metals and metal complexes; (5) magnetic resonance imaging agents; (6) metal ions, metal complexes and malaria; (7) radioimaging agents; (8) vanadium and chromium in health and disease and (9) metal ion-nucleic acid interactions. By facilitating the many interdisciplinary interactions necessary for this field to flourish the conference will play a key role in encouraging new enterprises in biomedical research. To ensure the best possible mix of investigators and programs, it is important that the cost of participation is not a limiting factor to the attendance of invited speakers, discussion chairs and, especially, young and minority attendees. The modest sum requested to support the MIMGRC will enable the organizers to invite and attract participants in a topic that has impact on a wide cross-section of health sciences.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter