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SYMPOSIA
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•••As of February 1, 2002
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| Achieving Health in a Connected World |
Dietary Flavonoids: Heart-Healthy Nutrients or an Excuse to Enjoy Wine and Chocolate?
Friday, February 15, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
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| John W. Erdman Jr., University of Illinois; Bernard Chaitman, St. Louis University School of Medicine |
| Some wines, chocolates and other plant-based foods contain substantial amounts of flavonoids, a naturally-occurring class of compounds with a wide range of biological activities, including antioxidant activity, that have implications for health. Recent advances in medical and nutritional research suggest that certain of these flavonoids can play an important role in maintaining cardiovascular health. New data will be presented in this context which will have the potential to influence thinking within the nutrition and public health community as to whether this class of non-essential plant compounds may in fact be important for optimal cardiovascular health. Specific aspects of flavonoid research covered include new epidemiological, clinical, biological and compositional data, as well as a review of the recent and important clinical and biological findings. This symposium provides a forum for debate and discussion as to what further evidence will be required to determine whether flavonoids are dietary essentials or simply good markers for consumption of plant-based foods. |
| 1 | Flavonoids: What They Are and Where You Can Find Them | Harold H. Schmitz (Speaker), Mars, Inc. |
| 2 | New Research on Flavonoids: Mechanistic Implications for Cardiovascular Health | Helmut Sies (Speaker), Heinrich-Heine-Universitat |
| 3 | Are Dietary Flavonoids Bioavailable? | Catherine Rice-Evans (Speaker), Guy's Hospital, Kings College |
| 4 | Food as Medicine: The Potential Aspirin-Like Heart Health Benefits of Flavonoids | Carl L. Keen (Speaker), University of California-Davis |
| 5 | Blood Pressure and Aging in the Kuna Amerinds of Panama: A Research Odyssey | Norman K. Hollenberg (Speaker), Harvard Medical School |
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New Drugs for Cytomegalovirus Infections in Birth Defects and AIDS
Saturday, February 16, 2002 2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. |
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| John C. Drach, University of Michigan |
| Infections with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) are the cause of significant human morbidity and mortality. Although HCMV infections have been present for untold years, the advent of the AIDS pandemic resulted in a virtual eruption of disease on a world-wide basis. Initial infection in immunocompetent individuals usually produces only mild disease or is asymptomatic. In contrast, infection in utero, of neonates, of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or immunocompromised for other reasons results in birth defects, compromise of major organs, debility, and death. This symposium addresses efforts of the last several years to develop and deploy drugs for the treatment of infections caused by HCMV. Topics cover the range of scientific disciplines needed to discover and develop drugs to treat these diseases. Significant and recent research on the synthesis of new compounds, the molecular biology of the virus, molecular drug targets, modern drug development, and clinical investigation will be presented. |
| 1 | Design, Synthesis, and Antiviral Activity of Novel Compounds for HCMV Diseases | Leroy B. Townsend (Speaker), University of Michigan |
| 2 | Unique Molecular Targets in the Search for HCMV Antiviral Drugs | Karen K. Biron (Speaker), GlaxoSmithKline |
| 3 | Clinical Evaluation of New Drugs to Treat HCMV Infections | Richard J. Whitley (Speaker), University of Alabama-Birmingham |
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Scientific & Ethical Perspectives on the Risks of HIV/AIDS Therapeutics
Saturday, February 16, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
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| Rochelle Diamond, National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, California Institute of Technology; Stephanie J. Bird, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Combination HIV-1 treatments are effective inhibitors of AIDS progression and also help to prevent maternal-fetal transmission of the virus (~70% reduction). Patients live longer, healthier lives and many children who are born of HIV+ mothers are sero-negative. There are, however, potential short and long-term risks involved with the use of these nucleoside-analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI). The molecular mechanisms responsible for their effectiveness (incorporation into nuclear and mitochondrial DNA-) also mediate their potential toxicity and possible genetic/germline DNA repercussions. The potential risks for long-term health effects of in utero NRTI exposure have not yet been evaluated, although the pharmaceutical industry has established the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry that will follow the health of these children over time. Long-term genetic effects during development and into adulthood in children conceived with NRTI-treated sperm are unknown and may be different from effects seen in children treated in utero. Nevertheless, because of the success of these antiviral therapies, some HIV+ men are choosing to have offspring. The communications media have broadcast stories about doctors and clinics that utilize sperm washing and assisted reproduction techniques in order to allow HIV+ patients to have children without transmitting the virus to their partners or children. The complex and problematic pasts of the drugs thalidomide and diethylstilbesterol (DES), both of which have had serious consequences when used during pregnancy, highlight medical and ethical issues that merit public attention and discussion in relation to NRTI treatment. |
| 1 | Overview of Antiretroviral Nucleoside Analogs: Clinical Use and Toxicities | Vernon Walker (Speaker), Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute |
| 2 | Genetic Toxicology in the Evaluation of Drug Safety | Sheila Galloway (Speaker), Merck Research Laboratories |
| 3 | Lessons from DES: Implications for the Babies of HIV+ Parents | Stephanie J. Bird (Speaker), Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 4 | Lessons from the Reintroduction of Thalidomide: Strategies for Minimizing Risks | George Annas (Speaker), Boston University School of Public Health |
| 5 | The Fertility Race: HIV and Fertility | Stephen Smith (Speaker), American Radio Works/NPR |
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The Present State of Genomic Medicine
Friday, February 15, 2002 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |
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| Jeffrey Drazen, New England Journal of Medicine; Francis S. Collins, National Center for Human Genome Research, National Institutes of Health |
| This symposium is to discusses and elucidates progress at the interface between medical practice and genomic science. It highlights the interface between the basic science of genetics and the uses of this information to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. The symposium will be in two parts: The big picture, i.e. how we use genes and genetic techniques to further our knowledge of clinical phenotypes, and a closer look at some specific diseases and disease types. The talks will focus on the state of medical genomics at the present time. What can we actually do to screen, diagnose and treat human disease right now? The presentations will be based on specific examples of diseases and treatments. |
| 1 | Genes and Environment | Alan E. Guttmacher (Speaker), National Institute of Human Genome Research |
| 2 | Genomics as a Guide to Disease Classification Prognosis and Pathophysiology | Wylie Burke (Speaker), University of Washington |
| 3 | Population Screening | Edward R.B. McCabe (Speaker), University of California-Los Angeles |
| 4 | Cardiovascular Disorders and Diabetes | Richard P. Lifton (Speaker), Yale University School of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
| 5 | Neurodegenerative Disorders | Robert Nussbaum (Speaker), National Human Genome Research Institute |
| 6 | Pharmacogenetics | Richard Weinshilboum (Speaker), Mayo Medical School |
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Winning the War on Cancer in the Post-Genomic Era
Monday, February 18, 2002 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. |
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| Kevin Davies, [Cell Press] |
| Since President Nixon’s famous declaration of a “War on Cancer” 30 years ago, scientists have made enormous strides in understanding the basic mechanisms of cancer, and devising new treatments for effective therapy. We now have a detailed appreciation of the genetic causes of cancer, in both its inherited and sporadic varieties. Emerging new technologies such as DNA microarrays are leading to exciting progress in the diagnosis of cancerous lesions at the molecular level. And the astounding success of Gleevec offers a glimpse of a new era of rational drug targeting in cancer. As gratifying as these advances are, there is still an enormous gap between our appreciation of the molecular basis of tumorigenesis and our ability to translate these advances into genuine cures. This year in the United States alone, an estimated 1.25 million people will be diagnosed with cancer for the first time, and cancer still accounts for almost 25 percent of all deaths in the United States. The speakers at this symposium — all undisputed leaders in cancer research —have contributed greatly to recent progress. They will describe the latest findings in our understanding of the genetic basis of the disease, and showcase some of the most promising new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that will ultimately change the course of the war on cancer. |
| 1 | No Title Available | Mariana Resnicoff (Chair), Cancer Cell |
| 2 | The Hallmarks of Cancer | Robert A. Weinberg (Speaker), Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research |
| 3 | Molecular Mechanisms of Tranformation | David Livingston (Speaker), Dana Farber Cancer Institute |
| 4 | Telomeres, Telomerase, and the Road to Cancer | Carol Greider (Speaker), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine |
| 5 | Molecular Profiling of Cancer Using DNA Microarrays | Jeffrey M. Trent (Speaker), National Center for Human Genome Research, National Institutes of Health |
| 6 | Angiogenesis Therapy for Cancer | M. Judah Folkman (Speaker), Boston Children's Hospital |
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Nutritional Interventions for Cancer Survivors Tested in Clinical
Trials
Monday, February 18, 2002 2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. |
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| R. Jean Hine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences |
| The estimated nine million Americans who have survived a cancer often seek information about how diet and dietary supplements might influence the recurrence of their diseases. In addition, many people who have precancerous lesions also ask whether dietary changes might prevent progression of these conditions into cancer. Until recently, these individuals and their health care providers have been frustrated by the lack of data available to supply clues about how or if nutritional variables affect progression of premalignant lesions and event-free or overall survival of cancer patients. Advances in the development of techniques to assess biological markers and identify genetic mutations and phenotypic changes now permit scientists to study the complex effects of dietary factors on recurrence of human cancers. Emerging data from epidemiological and laboratory studies suggest that these variables may indeed influence the progression or recurrence of some cancers. Recognizing this, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) now supports large-scale, multi-site clinical trials that are investigating the effects of nutrition on cancers. This symposium examines the research questions and current evidence associated with three of these trials. Two of the studies are investigating the effect of diets rich in vegetables, fruit and fiber and low in fat on breast cancer recurrence. The third research study is determining if selenium and vitamin E supplements can prevent prostate cancer. These trials are unique because they represent the largest effort to date to measure the effect of nutrition on the biology of specific cancers. |
| 1 | Nutritional Change after Cancer: More than Closing the Barn Door | Tim Byers (Speaker), University of Colorado, School of Medicine |
| 2 | A Plant-Based Diet Approach to Reducing Cancer Recurrence Risk | Cheryl L. Rock (Speaker), University of California-San Diego |
| 3 | Dietary Choices for Cancer Survivors: Current Evidence and Controversies | Barbara L. Winters (Speaker), Consultant, American Health Foundation and Marywood University |
| 4 | Nutrition and Progression of Early Premalignant Lesions | Alan R. Kristal (Speaker), University of Washington |
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Dental Cavities: A New Look at an Old Problem
Saturday, February 16, 2002 8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. |
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| Marc W. Heft, University of Florida |
| Dental caries is an ancient disease dating back to emergence of agriculture as the primary source of food. While recently the overall incidence of dental cavities has been declining in the general population, there is evidence that dental cavities still remains common is the U.S. The program is directed toward a general audience and will provide a general overview of the biological, social and behavioral factors associated with the occurrence of dental caries and novel strategies to address this problem. The first two presenters will frame the problem. First by providing an understanding of the racial, SES and other factors associated with disparities in incidence and prevalence of dental cavities. Second by providing an understanding of dental caries as an infectious disease process that is modulated by saliva and other host-defense mechanisms. The two remaining speakers will address issues related to the control of dental caries. One will describe a novel approach to the control of dental caries by genetically modifying bacterial strains within the oral ecosystem. The other will provide a current assessment of the highly successful and cost-effective water fluoridation. |
| 1 | No Title Available | Pamela DenBesten (Moderator), University of California-San Francisco |
| 2 | Dental Cavities: Who Are Affected and What Are the Impacts? | Susan Reisine (Speaker), University of Connecticut |
| 3 | Myths and Mysteries of Dental Caries | William Bowen (Speaker), University of Rochester |
| 4 | Replacement Therapy for the Prevention of Dental Caries | Jeffrey Hillman (Speaker), University of Florida |
| 5 | Do We Still Need Water Flouridation? | Brian Burt (Speaker), University of Michigan |
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The Science Underlying Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Sunday, February 17, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
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| Stephen E. Straus, National Institutes of Health; Donald J. Krogstad, Tulane University; Sondra Schlesinger, Washington University School of Medicine |
| Americans are setting aside prescription drugs and picking up bottles of herbs; they visit chiropractors and acupuncturists. A mix of ancient, empirically derived wisdom and slick marketing have found their place in the contemporary health care arena. Lacking a scientific tradition, these complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches offer promises but too little proof. This symposium will explore the breadth of CAM practices, their current appeal, and the strategy by which the NIH is bringing tools of exacting science to bear on some of the more important and most fascinating observations in the field. In the three years since creation of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the NIH, its staff has spent an enormous amount of time convincing both sides in this debate that they and the NIH have a commitment to objectively evaluating this important area by providing support (with a budget for extramural research that is now approaching 00M) for randomized clinical trials, as well as basic research, and endeavoring to enlist the brightest and most competitive investigators that can be identified to assist in this process. This approach is paying dividends, as is illustrated by the speakers here. |
| 1 | Implementing a Research Agenda for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) | Stephen E. Straus (Speaker), National Institutes of Health |
| 2 | The NIH Hypericum Study in Depression | Jonathan Davidson (Speaker), Duke University Medical Center |
| 3 | Xenobiotic Receptor PXR: A Molecular Target for St. John's Wort | Steven Kliewer (Speaker), GlaxoSmithKilne |
| 4 | Believing Is Seeing: PET Reveals Effects of Hypnosis on Color Vision | David Spiegel (Speaker), Stanford University |
| 5 | The Neurobiology of the Placebo Effect in Sensory and Motor Systems | Fabrizio Benedetti (Speaker), University of Turin Medical School |
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The Many Facets of Aging Research
Saturday, February 16, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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| Kelly LaMarco, AAAS’s Science of Aging Knowledge Environment; Huber Warner, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health |
| Over the last several years, research in the field of aging has flourished. "Aging" research includes diverse fields of study, such as hormonal signaling; DNA repair; neurodegeneration; evolution; and the molecular basis of obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Increasing numbers of scientists who began their careers studying such basic biological processes have forayed into aging-related research as molecular connections between specific biological pathways and aging became apparent. This symposium includes researchers such
as these working in the following areas: insulin/IGF1 signaling; DNA repair; evolution of life-span; neurological aging; and obesity/diabetes. In addition to their research, presenters also will describe how they came to be interested in "aging" as a field of study. |
| 1 | Insulin-Like Regulation of Lifespan in the Nematode [C.elgans] and Beyond | Gary Ruvkun (Speaker), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School |
| 2 | Genetic Pathways that Regulate Aging | Leonard P. Guarente (Speaker), Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 3 | The Evolution of Primate Life-Span and Reproductive Aging | Marc Tatar (Speaker), Brown University |
| 4 | Adipogenesis and Aging | James Kirkland (Speaker), Boston University |
| 5 | Genetic Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease | Rudolph E. Tanzi (Speaker), Massachusetts General Hospital |
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Environmental Estrogens and Women’s Health
Friday, February 15, 2002 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |
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| Nancy Reame, University of Michigan |
| In the last decade there has been heightened interest and confusion about the role of estrogenic compounds in the etiology of women’s health problems. Although hormone replacement therapy has been proposed for the prevention and treatment of many chronic conditions, ranging from osteoporosis and heart disease, to urinary incontinence and dementia, there is increasing evidence of the dangers associated with too much exposure not only from standard regimens and dietary supplements used to treat menopause, but also from a growing array of estrogen mimics in the environment. From precocious puberty to birth defects to breast cancer, these endocrine disruptors have been blamed for the apparent rise in reproductive dysfunction in animals and humans. This year, the National Toxicology Program’s Board of Scientific Counselors decided to list all steroidal estrogens as a cause of cancer in their federal Report on Carcinogens scheduled for publication next year. To what extent this ruling will influence women’s decision-making about hormone exposure remains to be seen. This 4-topic symposium aims to examine the current scientific evidence for the role of environmental influences on women’s health across the life span as a way to better understand the context and nature of the dangers and benefits of hormone exposure. |
| 1 | No Title Available | Kirsten C. Fertuck (Speaker), Michigan State University |
| 2 | Endocrine Disruptors and Women's Health | Retha Newbold (Speaker), NIEHS |
| 3 | Environmental Risks and Cancer Among Women | Shelia Zahm (Speaker), National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health |
| 4 | Dietary Supplements: Health Bane or Benefit | Rebecca B. Costello (Speaker), National Institutes of Health |
| 5 | Environmental Estrogens: Puberty, Pregnancy and Beyond | Ana Soto (Speaker), Tufts University |
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Stem Cell Biology: From Basic Research to Clinical Opportunity
Monday, February 18, 2002 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. |
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| Laura Grabel, Wesleyan University |
| Recent advances in stem cell biology have led to new hopes for therapies of human genetic and other degenerative diseases. The advances that have led to these expectations will be reviewed and placed in perspective. Speakers are major contributors to current progress in basic research leading towards achieving the therapeutic promise of cultured embryonic and adult stem cells. The major issues that will be addressed include the problem of directing the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, the problem of tissue engineering, and the immune problem. Going beyond cell-based therapies, how do we deal with the access to modification of the human genome that is implicit in the existence of human embryonic stem cells? Thus, a consideration of ethical implications of stem cell research is included in the presentations. |
| 1 | Introduction | Laura Grabel (Speaker), Wesleyan University |
| 2 | Stem Cells in the Early Embryo | Janet Rossant (Speaker), Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute |
| 3 | Stem Cells and Plasticity in Muscle and Blood | Margaret Goodell (Speaker), Baylor College of Medicine |
| 4 | Lineage-specific differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells | Melissa Carpenter (Speaker), Geron Corporation |
| 5 | Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells of the Human Brain | Steven A. Goldman (Speaker), Cornell University and Weill Medical College |
| 6 | Stem Cells: Getting the Ethics Straight | Karen Lebacqz (Speaker), Pacific School of Religion |
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Challenges for Meta-Analysis to Connect Disparate Health Care Evidence
Saturday, February 16, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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| Ingram Olkin, Stanford University |
| In 1940 there were approximately 2300 biomedical journals worldwide. This number is closer to 40,000 today, and the effect of electronic publication is still to be evaluated. This degree of growth is reasonably stable over fields. Although search methods are available, the sheer bulk of publications make it difficult to assess the state of efficiency in medicine. There have been several responses to this problem. One such is to create a repository of the results of independent studies being conducted throughout the world. This movement has been termed evidence-based medicine. However, this presupposes the existence of a methodology that permits drawing conclusions from these studies. This methodology is currently being developed as it applies to different scientific areas. This symposium focuses on several themes related to health care evidence and policy: meta-analysis in drug development and from a regulatory point of view; meta-analysis in the social sciences compared to medicine; large trials versus multiple small trials; the role of randomization in evidence; how strong is evidence from observational studies. |
| 1 | Evidence for Health Care: Large or Small? Randomized or Non-Randomized? | Joseph Lau (Speaker), New England Medical Center |
| 2 | Using Meta-Analysis to Integrate Clinical Results for Biopharmaceutical Drug Applications | Allan R. Sampson (Speaker), University of Pittsburgh |
| 3 | Meta-Analysis: Does It Have a Role in Drug Development? | Charles Anello (Speaker), U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
| 4 | Understanding the Effect of Managed Care on Mental Health Services | Elaine Allen (Speaker), Babson College |
| 5 | Disparate Evidence and Policy: Could Medicine Learn from Social Science? | Betsy Becker (Speaker), Michigan State University |
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Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Therapeutics
Tuesday, February 19, 2002 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. |
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| Rudolph E. Tanzi, Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly and is becoming increasingly more prevalent as human longevity is extended . Over the last decade, immense progress has been made in efforts to understand the etiological and genetic underpinnings as well as the pathogenic pathways involved in this insidious neurodegenerative disorder. This symposium will present the newest findings on AD research, diagnostics, and therapeutics from world leaders in this field. The newest research findings in the areas of genetics, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and animal models are covered with special emphasis on the search for novel AD genes and particularly the role of beta-amyloid fibrils and deposits in AD neuropathogenesis. Timely coverage of the newest and most effective means for diagnosis and prediction of AD also are presented together with the newest developments in the areas of prevention and therapeutic intervention of this devastating neurological disorder. |
| 1 | The Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease, Newest Gene Linkages, Associations, and Candidates | Rudolph E. Tanzi (Speaker), Massachusetts General Hospital |
| 2 | Emerging Therapies for Preventing and Treating Alzheimer's Disease Including Vaccine and Secretase Inhibitors | Dennis Selkoe (Speaker), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School |
| 3 | The Biology of the Known Alzheimer's Disease Genes and Relevant Animal Models | Sangram S. Sisodia (Speaker), University of Chicago |
| 4 | Newest Methods for Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease and Age-Related Cognitive Decline | Marilyn Albert (Speaker), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School |
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Bioterrorism in a Threatening World
Sunday, February 17, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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| Barry R. Bloom, Harvard School of Public Health |
| Bioterrorism is an ancient and modern threat. For centuries governments, groups, and individuals have used biologic agents to achieve dominance over others…often with significant success. Modern technologies provide the ability to refine and develop many of these agents into significant, potentially devastating weapons. While there may be inherent dangers with such development, these agents may often be surprisingly easy to deliver to small groups or individuals, as the experiences this fall have shown. The threat and actuality of bioterrorism raise significant questions about the technologies for development and delivery of such agents as well as the readiness of national public health infrastructures to detect and address incidents, whether limited or widespread. Related to this is the development of a clear and accurate public understanding of the threats and suitable responses to incidents of bioterrorism. |
| 1 | No Title Available | Anthony S. Fauci (Speaker), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health |
| 2 | No Title Available | David Franz (Speaker), Southern Research Institute |
| 3 | No Title Available | Matthew Meselson (Speaker), Harvard University |
| 4 | No Title Available | Claire M. Fraser (Speaker), The Institute for Genomic Research |
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