Rockefeller University Centennial Symposium to explore biology of drug abuse and addiction

Why does the use of heroin, cocaine and alcohol lead to life-threatening dependency in some people, while others never become addicted? And why do some people succeed in treatment, while others continue to relapse? On March 30, 2001, six leaders in the field of addiction research will present an overview of the latest scientific findings on cocaine, opiate and alcohol addiction, exploring how genetic research and new brain-scanning technologies are shedding light on risk factors and treatments in a symposium entitled "The Biology of Drug Abuse and Addiction: More Tangled Than �Traffic.�"

Speakers include:
o Enoch Gordis, M.D., Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH;
o Nora Volkow, M.D., Associate Director for Life Sciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory;
o Charles O�Brien, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania;
o Mary Jeanne Kreek, M.D., Professor and Head of the Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, The Rockefeller University;
o Eric J. Nestler, M.D., Ph.D., Lou and Ellen McGinley Distinguished Professor, and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; and
o Chris Evans, Ph.D., Professor, University of California, Los Angeles.

Please see the schedule below for speakers� talk titles and times.

The modern field of addiction research was launched at The Rockefeller University Hospital in the 1960s, when Vincent Dole, M.D., began testing methadone as a treatment for heroin dependency. Today, many of Dole�s ideas serve as the foundation for research on drug addiction in laboratories around the world. At Rockefeller, cutting-edge research on addiction continues under the leadership of one of Dole�s former colleagues, Mary Jeanne Kreek, M.D., who heads the Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases and directs a major interdisciplinary center at Rockefeller funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

John D. Rockefeller founded Rockefeller University in 1901 as The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Rockefeller scientists have made significant achievements, including the discovery that DNA is the carrier of genetic information. The university has ties to 21 Nobel laureates, six of whom are on campus, including neurobiologist Paul Greengard, Ph.D., who received the prize in 2000 and cell biologist G�nter Blobel, M.D., Ph.D., who received the prize in 1999, both in physiology or medicine. At present, 32 faculty are elected members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, including the president, Arnold J. Levine, Ph.D. As it anticipates its centennial anniversary in 2001, Rockefeller � the nation�s first biomedical research center�continues to lead the field in both scientific inquiry and the development of tomorrow�s scientists.

The Biology of Drug Abuse and Addiction: More Tangled Than �Traffic�
Friday, March 30, 2001
9:00 a.m.--5:00 p.m.

Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University
York Avenue at East 66th Street
New York City

9:00 � 9:30 a.m.
Coffee

Morning Session on Ethanol Addiction Biology and Treatment

9:30 � 10:20 a.m.
Alcoholism: Research Progress and Promise
Enoch Gordis
Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH

10:20 � 11:10 a.m.
The Addicted Brain
Nora Volkow
Associate Director for Life Sciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory

11:10 � 12:00 p.m.
Science-based Treatment of Addictive Disorders
Charles O�Brien
Chief of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania

12:00 � 2:00 p.m.
Break For Lunch

Afternoon Session on Cocaine and Opiate Addiction Biology and Treatment

2:00 � 2:50 p.m.
Molecular and Neurobiological Role of Endogenous Opioids in the Addictions
Mary Jeanne Kreek
Professor and Head of the Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, The Rockefeller University

2:50 � 3:40 p.m.
Molecular Mechanisms of Addiction
Eric J. Nestler
Professor and Chairman, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas

3:40 � 4:10 p.m.
Coffee Break

4:10 � 5:00 p.m.
Cloning and Characterization of the Opioid Receptor Family
Chris Evans
Professor, UCLA