CMBN research seminar (forskerkurs):
Genome instability and neurologic disease

Thursday 22 April - Friday 23 April 2004
New auditorium 13 at Domus Medica, University of Oslo

Deadline for signing on the course: April 1st, 2004 to Den norske lægeforening, email koordinatorkontoret.oslo@legeforeningen.no

Information on the course: Peder Heyerdahl Utne, email p.h.utne@basalmed.uio.no

Scope

The objective of the course is to highlight key aspects of DNA damage and repair in the pathogenesis of neurologic diseases, and to improve our understanding of how nerve cells communicate in the healthy and diseased brain. Topics addressed will be relevant for neurologic diseases, genome instability and maintenance, stem cell biology, brain development, microbial model systems, synaptic communication and informatics/bioinformatics. The new information provided is aimed at building an innovative basis for the development of new approaches for the treatment of brain disease and age-related neurologic impairment.

Program

(Revised 27 February 2004.)

Thursday, April 22

09:30 Ole Petter Ottersen: Welcoming address

Introduction to genome instability and neurologic disease

09:35 Erling Seeberg: How do defects in DNA repair cause neurologic disease and ageing?

09:50 Ole Petter Ottersen: Neurodegenerative disease – why do neurons die?

10:30 Coffee break

Neurologic diseases

10:45 Karen Helene Ørstavik, Rikshospitalet: Epigenetic mechanisms and neurologic disease

11:30 Petter Strømme, Ullevål University Hospital: How mutations can cause X-linked mental retardation and epilepsy

12:00 Break

12:15 David Smith, Oxford, UK: On the role of homocysteine in the development of Alzheimer’s disease

13:00 Lunch

DNA repair in neurologic disease

13:30 Arne Klungland: DNA repair defects: Cancer or neurologic deficiency, or both?

14:00 Lars Eide: Mitochondrial (dys)function in Huntington’s disease

Molecular aspects of synaptic transmission

14:30 Johan Storm: Regulation of synaptic efficacy by pre- and postsynaptic potassium channels

15:00 Nils-Christian Danbolt: Neurotransmittor inactivation

15:30 Jon Storm-Mathisen: Providing the transmittor: molecular analysis of synthesis, storage and metabolism

Friday, April 23

Neurodegenerative diseases

09:00 Agneta Nordberg, Karolinska Institute, Sweden: Functional studies of cholinergic activity in normal and Alzheimer disease states by imaging techniques

09:45 Lars Lannfelt, Karolinska Institute, Sweden: Genetics and future treatment in Alzheimer’s disease (to be confirmed)

10:30 Coffee break

Genome instability and disease

10:45 Josef Jiricny, Molecular Cancer Institute,University of Zurich, Switzerland: Mismatch repair defects in DNA damage signaling and cancer

11:30 Lunch

Prokaryotic model systems

12:00 Michael Koomey: DNA rearrangements influencing host-pathogen interactions

12:45 Tone Tønjum: Genome instability and neurodegenerative diseases – what can we learn from prokaryotic model systems?

13:15 Break

Bioinformatics and neuroinformatics

13:30 Torbjørn Rognes: Bioinformatics tools for exploring gene relationships relevant for neurologic disease

14:00 Jan Bjaalie: Original research data, protocols, and tools, on the web. Will novel database strategies change the way we do neuroscience?

14:30 Break

Neuro-therapeutic potential of stem cells

14:45 Stefan Krauss: Stem cells: overview of stem cell biology and therapeutic potential

15:30 Course exam

16:30 Thank God it’s Friday: Servering

The program may be subject to minor changes.