About Event
This two-day virtual conference focuses on translational aspects of addiction research among chemists, biologists, and behavioral scientists. The diversity of participants and attendees at this meeting (undergraduate students to senior faculty, chemists to psychiatrists) provides a unique venue for networking among different disciplines and in so doing promotes new and innovative approaches to medications development in addictions biology. The meeting provides a stimulating environment for young scientists who are strongly encouraged to present their work and interact with senior scientists. The BBC meeting has served as a “launch pad” for many young, innovative investigators to join the ever-growing world of SUD research.
2013 Featured Speakers
Andrew Coop, PhDUniversity of Maryland School of Pharmacy Topic: Medicinal chemistry of mu opioid agonists |
 Linda Dykstra, PhDUniversity of North Carolina Topic: Opioid dependence: bench, trench, and back again |
 David Ashley, PhDCenter for Tobacco Products, Food and Drug Administration Topic: How science fits into regulatory decisions |
Plenary Symposium
Tobacco addiction: from basic science to policy
Nicotine is the agent that leads to addiction to tobacco products. Significant progress has been made in understanding the role of specific nicotine receptors associated with nicotine addiction. This knowledge has led to the exploration or development of new medications for smoking cessation treatment. But another novel approach to treatment has been targeting the nicotine molecule itself through the use of anti-nicotine immunotherapies. Beyond developing new treatments for tobacco dependence, a national policy to reduce the levels of nicotine in cigarettes has been proposed in order to reduce initiation of smoking and to facilitate abstinence. This symposium covers topics ranging from understanding the basic biology of nicotine addiction to policies related to the regulation of nicotine in tobacco products.
Symposium Speakers
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Mariella De Biasi, PhDBaylor College of Medicine |
Nicotinic receptor subunits and their influence on nicotine addiction and withdrawal |
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Peter Crooks, PhDUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences |
Development of nicotinic receptor antagonists as agents for treating nicotine addiction |
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Paul Pentel, MDUniversity of Minnesota |
Targeting the drug instead of the brain: nicotine vaccines as a potential treatment for tobacco addiction |
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Dorothy Hatsukami, PhDUniversity of Minnesota |
Nicotine reduction in cigarettes: a national policy measure? |