Lectures and Presentations

18th SNIP Scientific Conference - NIH Workshop Discussion

Members of various NIH divisions discuss and answer questions regarding grant opportunities and strategies.

Genetics And Pharmacogenetics Of Addictions And Their Implications For Personalized Medicine
Plenary Lecture I – SNIP 2012
Dr. Ming D. Li, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia

With the rapid development of high-throughout genomics techniques, significant progress has been made in identifying susceptibility genes and variants for various addictive behaviors. Unfortunately, except for a few variants with clearly defined biological functions, most of the genetic variants discovered are non-functional. Moreover, applying these genetics findings in the clinic has been a challenge. In this talk, I will first provide an overview of what we have learned from our past 10 years of searches for susceptibility genes for addictions, especially nicotine and alcohol dependence. I then will present a successful example to illustrate how we applied some of our genetic findings in a clinical trial. Although pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine are still in the very early research stage, their potential impact on future medicine and health care is tremendous and significant more research is thus greatly needed.

The Impact Of Alcohol And Substance Use On The Prevention And Treatment Of HIV/AIDS
Plenary Lecture II - SNIP 2012
Dr. Jeffery Samet, Clinical Addiction Research and Education (CARE) Unit, Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Public Health

Alcohol and other drug use have played a critical role in the risk, progression and treatment of HIV infection. In 2009, injection drug users (IDUs) accounted for 13% of new HIV infections in the United States and it remains a global problem. Risky alcohol use is more common in HIV-infected than non-infected, a behavior often reported in more than 25%. In this presentation, I will review the multidimensional effects of alcohol and drug use on a number of facets of HIV disease: epidemiology, sex risk behaviors, HIV disease progression, and mental health, specifically depression. In addition, I will review the effects on the liver of alcohol and drug use in the setting of HIV infection, both in the presence and absence of hepatitis. Finally, HIV treatment in the context of alcohol and drug use and addiction treatment in the context of HIV infection will be considered. Strategies and interventions to promote recovery, longevity, and prevention will be presented.

Can Young Blood Make Brains Younger?
Opendra “Bill” Narayan Lecture- SNIP 2012
Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray, Neurology &  Neurological Sciences, VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine

Growing evidence links neurodegeneration with altered immune responses not only in the brain but in the periphery as well. In addition, age is the main risk factor for sporadic forms of neurodegenerative diseases, and aging of peripheral organs may affect brain function. How the systemic environment affects brain health is largely unknown and while some of these interactions may involve cells entering the nervous tissue it is likely that others are mediated by soluble signaling molecules. We use a combination of physiological methods to manipulate systemic aging and proteomic methods to try to identify factors that age or potentially rejuvenate the brain. Our findings point to systemic changes in immune responses and cellular signaling factors with aging and may be relevant for our understanding of age-related