2016 Kern Lipid Conference

Abstract The Kern Lipid Conference, first held in 1985 and held annually since then, focuses on the interactions between lipid metabolism and chronic human disease states, spanning atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and liver disease. Since its inception, the overall goals of the have continued to be: 1) promoting science relating to broad areas of lipid metabolism; 2) increasing understanding of the pathobiology of dyslipidemia; 3) providing an open forum for scientists from both academia and industry to meet and discuss the latest research findings related to lipid metabolism; 4) ensuring at least 25% of meeting participants are early career scientists (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and Assistant Professors); and 5) providing a unique meeting format in which 50% of the time is devoted to formal presentations and 50% is for open discussions of the presentations. The 2016 Kern Lipid Conference, entitled ?Targets/Therapies for Diabetes, Atherosclerosis and NASH: A Dialogue between Academia and Industry on Innovation? continues this impressive tradition and will be held August 8-10, 2016 at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort in Vail, CO. The Conference will be co-chaired by Luciano Adorini, Philipp Scherer, and Clay Semenkovich. The meeting will provide a forum for discussing novel pathways of lipid flux that affect the inflammation characterizing obesity- related disease and how understanding these pathways may be translated into new therapies for important and intractable disorders such as steatohepatitis. Salient features of the meeting include four scientific sessions with prominent speakers, three poster sessions, and a roundtable discussion involving accomplished scientists from academia and industry. The four speaking sessions will address; 1) Connections and Cross-talk in the Regulation of Lipid Metabolism and Immune Responses; 2) Atherosclerosis; 3) Obesity and Diabetes; and 4) NAFLD and NASH. Well-defined mechanisms for encouraging the participation of young scientists (including presenting prestigious awards to early career participants), a structure that facilitates interaction and discussion through both formal and informal means, and the confirmed participation of internationally recognized authorities makes it likely that novel insights leading to potential new translational approaches for lipid-related disease will emerge from the 2016 Conference.