U.S.-Italy Symposium on Copper in Biological Systems, Manziana Italy, Sept. 23-29, 1990

这一美国-意大利奖将支持在意大利曼齐亚纳举行的关于生物系统中铜问题的跨学科会议。这次会议由耶希瓦大学阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦医学院的杰克·佩萨赫教授和罗马大学的布鲁诺·蒙多维教授组织，将有来自美国和意大利以外的12个国家的15名与会者参加。重点将放在非蓝铜氧化酶上，尽管会议将专门讨论蓝铜、血蓝蛋白、细胞色素氧化酶以及铜在毒性和解毒机制中的作用。铜在生物系统中起着至关重要的作用。它是酶反应、生物能量过程和某些蛋白质结构完整性所必需的过渡金属。过量时，它可能是有毒的，这既是因为它是一种重金属毒物，也是因为它的反应会产生有毒的氧物种。考虑到生物铜系统的重要性，美国、意大利和世界其他地区的许多实验室仍然对它们进行严格的研究也就不足为奇了。尽管在各种科学会议上都讨论过这一主题，但曼萨尼亚会议因其多学科方法的广度和对铜研究的具体关注而独树一帜。在实地采用的几项重要技术可以追溯到过去曼萨尼亚会议的影响。除了充当多学科方法的信息交换中心外，曼萨尼亚会议还为年轻的研究人员提供了一个培育科学的环境。自上次Manziana会议以来的五年里，该领域的方向发生了很大的变化，对金属在生物学中的作用的新的方法和理解使得有理由就这一主题举行一次会议。

This U.S.-Italy award will support an interdisciplinary meeting in Manziana, Italy on the topic of copper in biological systems. The meeting, organized by Professor Jack Peisach of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Professor Bruno Mondovi of the University of Rome "La Sapienza," will include 15 participants from twelve countries besides the U.S. and Italy. The emphasis will be on non-blue copper oxidases, although sessions devoted to blue copper, hemocyanin, cytochrome oxidase, and the role of copper in toxicity and detoxification mechanisms will be included. Copper plays a vital role in biological systems. It is an essential transition metal required for enzymatic reactions, bioenergetic processes, and for structural integrity of some proteins. In excess, it can be toxic, both through its role as a heavy metal intoxicant, but also in reactions that generate toxic oxygen species. Considering the importance of biological copper systems, it is not surprising that they remain under vigorous investigation in numerous laboratories throughout the United States, Italy, and other parts of the world. Although the topic has been discussed at various scientific meetings, the Manzania meetings have been exceptional for the breadth of their multidisciplinary approach and their specific focus on copper research. The introduction of several important techniques in the field can be traced back to the impact of past Manzania meetings. In addition to acting as a clearing house for a multidisciplinary approach, the Manzania meetings have provided a nurturing scientific environment for young investigators. In the five years since the last Manziana meeting, the direction of the field has changed considerably and new approaches and understanding of the role of metals in biology make the case for a meeting on this topic.