2010 Glycolipid & Sphingolipid Biology Gordon Research Conference

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Partial support is requested for the Gordon Research Conference on Glycolipid and Sphingolipid Biology, to be held at the Ventura Beach Marriott, Ventura, CA from February 7 - 12, 2010 (and approximately this same date in 2012). The purpose of the conference is to encourage the transfer of ideas and information within the community of scientists who work at the cutting edge of glycolipid and sphingolipid research as well as to provide an environment where investigators from other scientific disciplines can learn about, and contribute to, this rapidly evolving field. Sphingolipids participate in many biological processes, including cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis, but only in the past decade have the molecular bases for these functions become clear (i.e., as modulators of membrane structure, cell-cell interactions, receptor functions, and signaling via ceramide, sphingosine 1-phosphate and others potent bioactive lipids). As an understanding of the roles of sphingolipids in disease etiology and treatment--most notably for cancer--has evolved, sphingolipid analogs such as safingol as well as anticancer chemotherapeutics that modify sphingolipid metabolism (such as fenretinide) have entered clinical trials, illustrating the strong partnership of basic and translational research in this field. Important aspects of this Gordon Conference are that it brings together scientists that work in different disciplines, such as basic biochemistry, genetics, developmental biology, cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy and that it encourages participation of both senior investigators and junior investigators. As with previous Gordon Conferences in this series, there will be a significant percentage of participants from countries outside the U.S. as well as participation by women and minorities. Conferees will be encouraged to participate both in the formal lecture/discussion sessions, and less formally in poster presentations. The platform sessions will cover leading edge research in basic sphingolipid biology and biochemistry, and will include three sessions devoted to translational aspects of sphingolipid biology, specifically, sphingolipids in cancer, in infectious diseases and their roles as toxin receptors. The program will close with a future-oriented session on sphingolipidomics, focusing on the integration of sphingolipid metabolism and signaling, with a view to providing a comprehensive model of the functions of specific sphingolipids in regulating defined aspects of cell biology and and pathobiology.