41st-45th Annual International Narcotics Research Conferences

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This grant application is to request support for the 41st-45th annual International Narcotics Research Conferences (INRC). The 41st meeting is to be held in Malmo, Sweden from July 11-16, 2010, and will be a satellite meeting to the IUPHAR meeting. The 42nd INRC, which will be a joint meeting with CPDD, will be held in Hollywood, Florida, USA. Plans are underway to finalize venues for the 43rd-45th INRCs. These conferences have been, for many years, the most prestigious international meetings for the dissemination and exchange of information about biomedical research on opiate drugs and the endogenous opioid system. The topics have ranged from molecular mechanisms to behavioral studies and clinical findings. Support is requested primarily for partial travel support to enable young scientists, i.e. graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty, to participate in the Conference. Invited symposium speakers, not normally INRC participants, will receive partial support. Funds requested for administrative and meeting expenses represent ~10% of the total requested funds. The plenary speakers for this year's meeting are: Prof. Tomas Hockfelt (Karolinska, Inst, Sweden), Prof. Tony Yaksh (UCSF, USA) and Prof Jorgen Engel (G"teborg Univ., Sweden). Ten symposia will cover a wide range of topics as described in the application ranging from novel opioid ligands, epigenetics of opioid peptides and receptors, opioids in neuropathic pain, alcohol & gambling addictions and opioid-cannabinoid interactions. A number of relevant contributed papers will be chosen for oral presentation by junior investigators at each symposium. There will be two poster sessions, at which there is always much exchange and discussion. A Data-Blitz session for young scientists is also planned. Future INRC meetings will follow a similar format. Whenever possible, we plan to overlap with other conferences of mutual interest. For example, this year an overlapping day with the International Cannabinoid Research Society meeting in Sweden is planned and next year a 3 day overlap with the College on Problems of Drug Dependence in USA is planned. For participants from many countries, INRC is their only chance to meet and exchange ideas in their field. We feel that participation by many pre- and post- doctoral trainees has resulted, and is likely to continue to result, in recruiting promising scientists to a career of drug abuse research.