Finding a Research Path for the Identification of Biomarkers of Sleepiness

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The conference, "Finding a Research Path for the Identification of Biomarkers of Sleepiness" will be a 1.5 meeting of world-renown experts in sleep deprivation research, proteomics, genomics and related fields who are being convened to discuss what is known concerning potential biomarkers of sleepiness and to develop a research pathway towards identifying clinically and research usable biomarkers of sleepiness. To these ends, the objectives of this conference are the following: 1. Provide an overview of the utility of current instruments to detect and quantify levels of sleepiness including both subjective and objective tools or techniques; 2. Present current research on the use of genomic, proteomic and molecular approaches to assess sleepiness with the emphasis on how such techniques might be used clinically or for clinical research; 3. Stimulate research into the development of clinically useful biomarkers of sleepiness by formulating a research pathway for investigators to follow. The conference will be sponsored by the Harvard Medical School, Division of Sleep Medicine and held on September 21-22, 2010 in Boston, MA. During these 1.5 days, international and national scholars will give presentations and participate in panel discussions focused in 3 areas: 1) Current Instruments to Assess Sleepiness; 2) Genomic, Proteomic and Molecular Markers of Sleepiness; and 3) Developing a Biomarker of Sleepiness. We expect to have an audience of approximately 100 participants consisting of a cross-disciplinary mixture of senior and more junior investigators, sleep researchers and investigators from other fields, and interested parties from industry. The proceedings will be published in a journal indexed in PubMed and a link to the proceedings will be posted on the Division of Sleep Medicine website. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The conference on "Finding a Research Path for the Identification of Biomarkers of Sleepiness" will be held on September 21-22, 2009 in Boston, MA. The overall objective of this conference is to develop research pathways for investigators to follow so that a clinically and research useful biomarker to quantify and detect sleepiness can be developed. Such a biomarker will have important utility in reducing the public health and economic consequences of sleepiness.