13th International Copper Meeting: From Mechanisms to Therapy - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The International Copper Meeting has been held biennially for the past 24 years. Unlike organic
nutrients and metabolites, such as amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleotides, that can be
synthesized de novo or mobilized from intracellular stores in response to deprivation, transition metals
are unique micronutrients that can neither be created nor destroyed. Therefore, proper dietary intake
and strict homeostatic mechanisms to monitor metal abundance are vital. Traditionally, the redox-active
transition metal copper functions as a high affinity catalytic cofactor within the active site of copper-
dependent enzymes necessary for a diverse array of biological processes.The essentiality of intact
mechanisms of Cu homeostasis to cellular physiology was firmly established when human disorders
associated with aberrant copper metabolism were identified including the well-studied genetic
disorders, Wilson and Menkes, along with MEDNIK syndrome, ATP7A-related distal motor neuropathy,
and Huppke-Brendel syndrome. Beyond hereditary disorders, fluctuations in copper levels have been
linked to neurological disorders, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and associated metabolic syndromes,
cancer initiation and progression, and host immunity against infection. infection, and immunity. There
are three specific objectives of the 13th International Copper Meeting. The first objective is to
disseminate and synthesize the most up-to-date knowledge and newest technologies surrounding
mechanisms of copper acquisition, distribution, utilization, and elimination and therapeutic targeting of
misbalances in copper homeostasis that contribute to human disease. To accomplish this goal, we
have planned a series of keynote and plenary speakers from many of the leading experts in the field,
multiple short talks selected from the poster abstracts, poster sessions, several focused workshops,
and informal discussions. Since the challenges in this field are daunting and will require collaborative
efforts to solve them, the second objective is to enhance interactions between academia, industry,
and clinical science. To this end, we have specifically invited speakers representing each of these
topics, and are planning a workshop to discuss career trajectories in different disciplines and navigating
productive collaborations. The third objective is to invest intellectually and financially in the future by
supporting promising young trainees. The goal is to encourage trainees to be successful and stay in
the field by providing intellectual support through discussions with senior scientists, poster sessions,
opportunities to speak, awards that recognize their achievements, and by providing financial support
with competitive travel awards. The expected outcomes are increased collaborations, promotion, and
training of young scientists in the field, identification of new approaches for identifying and developing
therapeutic targets and strategies to combat failures in copper homeostasis.
