Sixth International Melanocortin Meeting: From Molecules to Biology and Disease

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We are requesting support via the R13 mechanism for a special conference on Melanocortin Biology, "The 6th International Melanocortin Meeting: From Molecules to Biology and Disease", to be held 8 - 11 July, 2010 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Over the last 32 years, five conferences have focused on this fascinating group of peptide hormones and their targets. This year's meeting will cover the remarkable progress that has been made since the last conference in 2002 in Sunriver, Oregon, and herald advances for the next decade. We are planning an international conference with 250 participants. Our targeted audience includes basic and clinical scientists from departments of dermatology, endocrinology, physiology, and genetics, as well as representatives from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with melanocortin biology programs. Although the meeting will focus on research rather than education, we will emphasize and encourage the exchange of information, and we estimate that 25% of the audience will represent graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, and that 25% will come from non-academic settings. After initial discussions among the organizers, invitations were issued to 40 scientists, selected because of the importance of their research contributions, and the diversity of fields represented by their laboratories; 33 have agreed to participate as invited speakers. The remainder of the participants will apply through a registration process that includes the option but not the requirement to be considered for an oral or poster presentation. In addition, we will select the top abstracts from young scientists for partial support with small travel awards. The criteria for selection will be scientific strength and novelty as evaluated by the abstract, and will be decided by consensus among the organizers. We anticipate attendees will leave the meeting with a deepened understanding of the latest discoveries in melanocortin biology and with cutting-edge tools for tackling problems across basic and clinical disciplines. Financial support for this meeting would have a considerable impact on the success of the conference and make it possible for the field's leading researchers to participate.