NOV/DEC 2006
Volume 12 - No. 4
SRNT Newsletter
Advancing Science & Health
November/December 2006, Volume 12, Number 4
Summary of Events at the Recent 8th Annual SRNT Europe Conference The Biology of Tobacco Dependence: From the Laboratory to the Smoker
SRNT Europe is delighted to conclude another very successful conference, entitled The 8th Annual Conference of the SRNT Europe: From the Laboratory to the Smoker. The meeting was held from September 23-26, 2006 in Kusadasi, Turkey, and it was attended by 289 scientists from 26 countries.
On September 23rd, there were two parallel training workshops (Basic and Clinical Research). The speakers were outstanding, and the lectures were thought-provoking. Although the workshops were intended for new researchers in the field, even the most senior scientists were among the "students"!
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SRNT Europe's Opening Reception in Ephesus; photo courtesy of Ken Perkins |
The same day, in the afternoon, the meeting started with the plenary lectures by David Balfour and Joseph DiFranza on Rethinking the Dopamine Hypothesis of Nicotine Addiction and Nicotine Addiction Begins with the First Cigarette, respectively. The welcome reception at Ephesus, in front of the Celcius Library, was spectacular and well attended.
Ellen Gritz, president of SRNT, described "…the sheer magic of the evening reception at Ephesus, where the honey-brown ruins were lit magnificently, and we were feted by toga-clad waiters serving Turkish cuisine."
The meeting had a balanced representation of basic science, clinical science, and epidemiology/public health in all scientific sessions. The SRNT Europe program committee worked hard to come up with an excellent program, and the session chairs reviewed all the abstracts for allocation to relevant themes as oral or poster presentations.
There were three theme lectures given by: Peter
Hajek (Do We Understand Relapse and Can We Prevent
It?), Ian Stolerman (Multiple Effects and Mechanisms for Nicotine in
Cognitive Procedures) and Yves Martinet
(Harm Reduction from Tobacco Smoking by Alternate
Tobacco Products Use). There were two translational symposia,
Challenging Basic Assumptions, organized by
Robert West and Jaakko Kaprio, and
Monoamine Oxidases and Tobacco, organized by
Ivan Berlin and Joanna Fowler. During these symposia, in accordance with
the major emphasis of the meeting, scientists with diverse backgrounds discussed data from
basic experimental research through clinical studies to public health and industry. The Basic
Research: Conference by Allan Collins, entitled
Mutated Mice: Genetic Lies That Help Reveal
Truth, was truly inspiring.
There were two symposia on Basic and Clinical research, respectively. The first, organized by Karl O. Fagerstrom, was entitled Is Nicotine Enough to Account for All the Pleasure and Addiction to Tobacco? The Clinical symposium, organized by Usoa Busto, was entitled Neuroimaging Methods for Understanding Nicotine Dependence.
Oral presentations were grouped into six main themes:
- Cognitive performance in nicotine/tobacco dependence
- European experience regarding smoke-free policies and second hand smoke
- Methodological issues in basic research
- Theory and measurement of nicotine addiction
- What is new in nicotinic receptor research, and what does it contribute towards understanding nicotine dependence?
- The science (as opposed to the wishful thinking) of broader tobacco control strategies.
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Christian Chiamulera (SRNT EU Board member) and Jacques Le Houezec (SRNT EU member delegate) smiling while Gay Sutherland (President of SRNT Europe) and Sakire Pogun (Congress chair) are cutting the cake. On the right is Ece Cetin and Burcu Davarci of TOPKON, watching! |
Posters were organized in two separate sessions. The Cochrane Library Workshop was well received by the participants. The roundtable, entitled Networking and Translational Potential in Nicotine and Tobacco Research: Specific Emphasis on Cancer, with invaluable contributions of eminent experts, provided on overview on funding and networking possibilities for nicotine and tobacco research in Europe.
At the Gala dinner on September 25th, there was a nice surprise by TOPKON, the congress secretariat, who had a beautiful cake prepared with the SRNT logo.
Following the members' meeting on the last day of the meeting, participants were given a quiz prepared by Robert West. At the closing ceremony, the next SRNT Europe Conference was announced, which will be
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The final slide of the closing ceremony, prepared by TOPKON, the congress secretariat. |
in Madrid, Spain (October 3-6, 2007). The meeting will be hosted by Carlos Jimenez-Ruiz. The meeting concluded with another surprise audiovisual presentation by TOPKON (please visit the congress web site: http://srnt2006eu.org ), the final slide of which is presented to the left.
The quality of the program was evident by the excellent turn out of delegates at sessions, who managed to resist the very many tempting leisure and cultural attractions competing for their time! Overall the meeting reflected the collective efforts of a large group of people; the science was superb and, as we had indicated in our initial call, we hope that it will result in "long-term" pleasant memories.