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  • LOCATION

    La Quinta Inn & Suites

  • DATE

    9-10 March

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


Berg

Andrew Coop, PhD

University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

Topic: Medicinal chemistry of mu opioid agonists


Berg

Linda Dykstra, PhD

University of North Carolina

Topic: Opioid dependence: bench, trench, and back again


Berg

David Ashley, PhD

Center 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

Berg

Mariella De Biasi, PhD

Baylor College of Medicine

Nicotinic receptor subunits and their influence on nicotine addiction and withdrawal

Janak

Peter Crooks, PhD

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Development of nicotinic receptor antagonists as agents for treating nicotine addiction

Bidlack

Paul Pentel, MD

University of Minnesota

Targeting the drug instead of the brain: nicotine vaccines as a potential treatment for tobacco addiction

Bidlack

Dorothy Hatsukami, PhD

University of Minnesota

Nicotine reduction in cigarettes: a national policy measure?