The Don S. Fredrickson Lipid Research Conference

ABSTRACT
The Don S. Fredrickson Lipid Research Conference (FLRC) brings together scientists and
trainees investigating the impact of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism on the development and
treatment of Cardiometabolic Disease. The FLRC is named after the late Don S. Fredricks who
as the director of the National Heart Institute (now the NHLBI) from 1966 – 1974 and later the
NIH, developed the clinical classification for dyslipidemias (Type I-V), described Tangier’s
Disease, and made seminal discoveries in lipoprotein metabolism. Most importantly, he trained
both basic and clinical scientists and practitioners who have had a tremendous impact on the
field of lipoprotein metabolism.
Since 2016 the FLRC has employed a rotating institutional host model, the first of which was
held at the University of Kentucky in conjunction with the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center
Research Day. The FLRC has since been hosted by Vanderbilt University, the University of
Cincinnati. The 2022 conference will be hosted by Duke University and the University of North
Carolina in conjunction with the North Carolina Diabetes Research Day. The FLRC will be
hosted by Vanderbilt University in 2023 and the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2024.
Keynote Lectures at the 2022 Fredrickson conference include Karen Mohlke, University of North
Carolina and Deborah Muoio, Duke University on Days 1 and 3 of the conference. The scientific
sessions include Novel Models in Lipid Metabolism, Adipose Tissue, Lipoprotein Metabolism,
and Lipids and Body Composition. Day 2 of the conference will be sponsored by the North
Carolina Diabetes Research Center. The agenda includes additional scientific sessions; multiple
“Poster Pitch” sessions (5-7, 90-second presentations by trainees) and two judged poster
sessions. The FLRC places a strong emphasis students and fellows, early career faculty, and
underrepresented groups. The combined agenda affords every trainee in attendance the
opportunity to present their research on stage, network with leaders in the field, and broaden
their scope and understanding of research in lipid metabolism and Cardiometabolic Diseases.
Our format encourages informal interactions between scientists at all levels, providing an
innovative approach to the exchange of ideas and synthesis that will move the field of lipid
research forward. The conference will have high impact as the program spans basic science
discovery to clinical significance. It is therefore expected that the meeting will provide new
insights not only into basic aspects of lipid metabolism, but also how to treat, and ultimately
cure, a wide variety of Cardiometabolic Disease states.