This event is organised by the University Pompeu Fabra (UPF, Spain) and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL, USA), and is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The conference will follow the current CSHL course format (see the 2013 edition at http://meetings.cshl.edu/courses/2013/c-drug13.shtml).
Instructors:
Rafael Maldonado, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Brigitte L. Kieffer, CERBM/University of Strasbourg
Chris Evans, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Antonello Bonci, National Institute on Drug Abuse-NIDA, Baltimore, USA
Mark Von Zastrow, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
The primary objective of the workshop is to provide an intense discussion of the fundamentals, state-of-the-art advances and major gaps in the cell and molecular biology of drug addiction. Targeted to both new and experienced investigators, the workshop will combine formal presentations and informal discussions to convey the merits and excitement of cellular and molecular approaches to drug addiction research. The workshop will stress the significance of this approach not only to the most costly neuropsychiatric disorder, addiction, but its applicability to learning, memory, neurochemical correlates of reward, perception and other disciplines of neuroscience. Research on the molecular and cellular changes that occur in response to drugs is critical for clarifying whether adaptive processes are diverse for each stage of addiction and for each drug of abuse. With the advent of genomics and proteomics, an extraordinary opportunity now exists to develop comprehensive models of neuroadaptative processes fundamental to addiction, craving, and relapse to drug use.
The course will typically have 4 speakers each day (for an overall number of 24 lecturers for the whole course, from Monday to Saturday), 2 in the morning (9,30-13 h) and 2 in the afternoon (14,30-18 h); each session will begin with a 1 h lecture by the invited speakers followed by 30 min discussion, with a break between speakers. Guest lecturers will generally stay at the PRBB for at least one day to respond to questions and issues that may arise. Each evening session is dedicated to the attendees who present their research informally. The venue will elicit strong support from all and lead to much discussion and potential collaborations. We will videotape the course and distribute the video recordings via the internet. A social program will also be organised, with visits to Barcelona monuments (e.g. the Sagrada Familia), sports (e.g. beach-volley, swimming) and a farewell dinner the last day.
The workshop will provide attendees with a spectrum of disciplines that can contribute to developing comprehensive models of each stage of drug addiction. The following disciplines will be presented:
1.Overview of addiction.
2. Neuroadaptation to drugs of abuse.
3. Association between drug-induced neuroadaptation and behavioral manifestations
4. Genotype/susceptibility to drug addiction or drug response
5. Tolerance, sensitization and adaptation at the cellular level
6. New receptor targets.
7. Drug discovery and development to treat drug abuse: how can cell biology contribute?
This workshop will provide an integrated view of current and novel research on neuroadaptive responses to addiction, foster discussion on collaboration and integration and provide critical information needed to construct a model of addiction as a disease and novel molecular targets for biological treatments. Beyond the plane of scientific endeavour, such information is vital for formulating public policy and for enlightening the public on the neurobiological consequences of drug use and addiction. The proposed workshop will generate intense interest, open conduits for collaborations and novel routes to investigating the neurobiology of addiction. The workshop makes particular efforts to include a diverse group of participants, being particularly mindful of the inclusion of women and a good balance of European and North American scientists.
Courses are of short duration with small class sizes and high faculty: student ratios. Instructors for a given course design the detailed curriculum, write the laboratory and in-class exercises, invite seminar speakers, and lead discussions. The courses are very intensive and the hours are long but, we hope, highly rewarding. Selection for a course is often competitive and you are encouraged to complete the application process by the posted deadline (see Pre - Registration and Selection Process and Stipends for more information).
The course will be held at the PRBB (Barcelona Biomedical Research Park) excellently located at Barcelona’s seafront.
Cost (including board and lodging): 1,500 €