Headlines: Letter from the President 1-2 Kang Tsou Lecture 3 Awards/Grants: Mechoulam 4-6 Young Investigator 7 Student Achievement 8-9 2006 Business Minutes 10 ICRS Sponsors 11 Students’ Remarks 12

papers, which would be a great pity. On the other hand, it would be good if more of our younger authors requested oral presentations, since many excellent scientific studies would reach a wider audience in this manner. Don’t be shy! There were two obvious differences at this year’s meeting. Firstly, the abstract book, expertly compiled by Jason Schechter, was printed by Semmelweis University Press in a smaller size (9 x 6½” or 23 x 16 cm) than previously, and this ‘tabloid’ format was generally preferred, if the comments at the well-attended Business Meeting are taken as representative. Secondly, the presentations were preloaded into what can best be described as Jason’s “mean lean multimedia machine”, which meant that the joy of watching Rik Musty try and find files on a desktop (or of following the switching between computers of different persuasions) was replaced by →

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L e t t e r f r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t Newsletter

of the

International Cannabinoid

Research Society

W i n t e r 2 0 0 6

Dear Colleagues,

In the cool of the late autumn, it is good to think back to the warmth of last June, both in terms of the ambient temperature but also of the atmosphere at the 16th Annual Symposium on the Cannabinoids, held at Club Tihany on Lake Balaton in Hungary. All in all, there were 350 registrants, an increase of ≈18% from the 2005 meeting, thereby continuing the trend that the European meetings attract more delegates than their American counterparts. Hopefully, that trend will be reversed for the upcoming meeting, to be held at the Manoir Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Sauveur, Canada, next year between June 26 and July 01. If you want a sneak peek at the conference location, follow the link on our website (http://www.cannabinoidsociety.org).

The Programme Committee, comprising Tiziana Bisogno, Vincenzo Di Marzo, Richard Musty, Daniela Parolaro and the undersigned, had a busy few weeks last April both vetting and organizing the 226 accepted abstracts into a viable and multifaceted programme. The “rules” for abstract submission, particularly the requirement that results are presented in the abstract in a concrete manner, together with a short time period between abstract submission and printing deadlines, meant that the process was quite stressful, and we are grateful to those authors who followed the guidelines and/or who rapidly and constructively responded to our requests. We were doubtless perceived as bothersome by some, but in view of the need to maintain a high quality of presentations in the face of an increasing number of specialised competing meetings, it is important that we continue to be vigilant in this respect. Indeed, it can be argued that with the current meeting format, abstracts containing relatively preliminary data, although of course welcome to the meeting, should automatically be assigned poster presentation regardless of the preferences of the presenting author. It is of course necessary to be flexible, since the risk otherwise is that some presentations will become essentially review

C h r i s F o w l e r

V o l u m e 1 6 , N u m b e r 2

ICRS President: Chris Fowler

President-Elect: Roger Pertwee

Past President:

Daniela Parolaro

Secretary: Tiziana Rubino

Treasurer:

Jenny Wiley

International Secretary: Roger Pertwee

Executive Director: Richard Musty

http://www.cannabinoidsociety.org

2

/ C

→ a seamless transition between presentations. This may sound banal, but the 2 minutes of time saved between talks represented about 3 hours in total, which was used not only to allow additional discussion, but for the sessions to finish on time. The meeting was a praiseworthy potpourri of participation, perceptivity, presentations, posters, perspective, prizes, personalities, pharmacodynamics, palatable potation, paprika, pörkölt, postprandial philosophy, pantisocratism and science. The scheduled 91 presentations and 135 posters underline the strength of our meetings, namely that they cover the entire spectrum of research into the cannabinoids and related bioactive lipids. Bioactive lipids and analytical lipidology were a theme in themselves, being the subject of a session organised by Dr. Rao Rapaka of NIDA to whom we are exceedingly grateful. With respect to prizes, the 2006 recipients of the Mechoulam award were Drs. John Huffman and Alex Makriyannis. Without their dedication and ability, resulting in a number of key chemical probes, we would know much less as to what the cannabinoid system in the body iscapable of, and how it can be harnessed. Previous presidential letters have detailed the scientific content of the meeting, which has been most useful for those who couldnot be there in person, and a useful reminder for those who were there. This year, I have decided not to do this, mainly as a resultof the decision made at the Business Meeting to make the Abstract Book an open access document. This decision was made primarily to facilitate the citation of abstracts in the scientific literature, but it has the advantage here that I can cover the entire meeting by suggesting a visit to the website! Just click on the “Symposium 2006 - Fact File” link, and refresh your memories. Of course, there are some personal favourites, such as the Kang Tsou Memorial Lecture held by Dr. Miklós Palkovits, entitled “Neuroanatomical and neurochemical organization of the central regulation of food intake”, and the Young Investigator Award Plenary Lecture held by Dr. Angelo Izzo, entitled ”Cannabinoids and the gut: focus on intestinal motility and secretion” to mention but two. It was a good meeting. What cannot be downloaded from the website are the various happenings, be they advertant or otherwise, that contribute to the character of a meeting. Such as…

• The trials and tribulations of the Italian Contingent who aged considerably before seeing their side to a memorable and historic victory over Australia in the World Cup.

• The pyrotechnics on the first day when the aforementioned multimedia machine caught fire. Luckily, it survived with

most of its functionality intact, although there was clearly some structural damage since it seemed only to be able to play alternative and underground music during the intervals. That is not necessarily a criticism!

• The boat cruise on Lake Tihany, where those delegates keen to dance, did so with enthusiasm, aided and abetted by a

musician with more than a passing resemblance to the late Sonny Bono.

• The abundance of food, which in my case has magically been transformed into an(other) alarmingly durable spare tyre around my waist.

• The success of any meeting is critically dependent upon the planning and the effort made by key individuals and

organisation. In this respect, we are indebted to Tibor Wenger, Zoltan Jarai and Gergely Cseplo, who, with their dedicated group of local student organizers (Csilla Csikos, Balazs Dezsenyi, Krisztina Grosz, Melinda Kiss, Adam Kreisz, Mark Olah, Eszter Paldy and Daniel Szekacs) welcomed us to Hungary and looked after us so well at Tihany. Thank you. In addition, it would be remiss not to thank all our sponsors (listed on page 4 in the open access abstract book) without who the meeting could not have taken place. Finally, we are as always indebted to the troika of Diane Mahadeen, Jason Schechter and Nicole Schechter for all the work they put into what was a thoroughly successful meeting.

See you next year in Canada!

PALKOVITS GIVES KANG TSOU MEMORIAL LECTURE

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By Tibor Wenger

Tihany, Hungary – One of the high points of ICRS conferences is the Kang Tsou memorial lecture. This year’s invited speaker was Miklos Palkovits, Professor of Anatomy, especially Neuroanatomy, at Semmelweis University, Budapest, and member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Miklos (Miki to all of his friends and colleagues) graduated as an M.D. at Semmelweis University in 1958. He became Ph.D, then D.Sc. He was elected as member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1990. At present he is Professor Emeritus at Semmelweis University, Budapest, head of the Laboratory of Neuromorphology at the same university, and head of the Human Brain Tissue Bank, too. In quotations, I have to say, he is the “youngest” Professor Emeritus at the University - in mind and in work, as well as one of the best lecturers. Those who were at his lecture in Tihany, I am sure, will agree with me. Since 1972, Miki has been regularly visiting NIMH in Bethesda, USA. Since 1980, he has had a laboratory there - first in Cell Biology, later in Genetics and, now, in Cell and Molecular Regulation. As chief of his Hungarian and USA laboratories, he travels a lot between the two countries. Amongst many other awards, he received the NIH Performance Award in 2004. Miki is a globetrotter – he has visited more than 100 countries, which is not surprising at all, because he has presented nearly 700 lectures/posters at international meetings and has given seminars at 137 universities or research institutes all over the world. Professor Palkovits has a very rich, long publication list. He has written 6 books, 80 book chapters, and has 600 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He was amongst the “Most Cited 1000 Authors in Science” in 1982, “Most Cited 250 Primary Authors in Science” in 1986 and, according to Citation Classics, one of the 120 most cited scientists in 1990. Miki’s main fields of research interest are neuroanatomy, with a focus on neuroanatomical pathways and chemical neuroanatomy, neuroendocrinology (stress, neuropeptides and neurotransmitters) and central autonomic regulatory mechanisms (pain, thermoregulation and food intake). Dr. Palkovits started his scientific work on classical “karyometry”, the relationship between the functional state and the diameter of the nuclei in neurons. He then discovered a brand new method - the punch technique - that truly revolutionized research on neuropeptides and neurotransmitters. One of his best-known collaborators, Eva Mezei, wrote: “… my research has its roots in the mid seventies with the implementation of the ‘Palkovits punch’ procedure. This methodology was introduced when radiochemical and radioimmunoassay methods became sufficiently sensitive to measure key molecules for chemical neurotransmission and metabolism in minute amounts of brain tissue. For the application of today's laser guided micro- dissection this knowledge of functional neuroanatomy is indispensable.” In 1968, Miki and I were both at a meeting in Reinhadrsbrunn, Germany (then part of the Democratic Republic), during which I had the opportunity, as a young post-Doc, to witness his discussion skills and his scientific commitment when an argument arosewith some French scientists over the function of the subcommisural organ (one of the brain circumventricular organs). At the time, it seemed that the French were correct. A couple of years later, however, further research fully justified Miki’s opinion. At the Tihany meeting, Professor Palkovits presented his ideas about the central regulation of food intake. He explained how different neuropeptides and neurotransmitters are involved in this process of regulation. His presentation was illustrated by several fantastic schematic drawings and immunohistochemical pictures. He dealt with the orexigenic regulatory effect of cannabinoid receptor (CB1) mediated mechanisms as well. After the lecture, we were left with the firm impression that pharmacology, physiology, and even psychology are difficult to understand without a good neuromorphological background. I am sure that the ICRS Executive Committee chose well when they invited Professor Palkovits to deliver the memorial lecture. Also, I am sure that we would be delighted if Miki were to present his latest findings at any of our future ICRS meetings.

Tihany, Hungary — This year the Mechoulam award for outstanding contributions to the cannabinoid field by senior scientists was given to medicinal chemists John Huffman and Alexandros Makriyannis. John Huffman earned his B.S. (1954) from Northwestern University followed by his A.M. and Ph.D. (1957) with the late Prof. R. B. Woodward at Harvard. He began his academic career at Georgia Institute of Technology (1957-60) and joined Clemson as assistant professor in 1960. He was an NSF Predoctoral Fellow at Harvard and received a National Institutes of Health Career Development Award (1965-70). He was a visiting professor at Colorado State University (1982). The principal emphasis in John’s research group is on the synthesis of analogues and metabolites of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal active component of marijuana. The long-term goals of this research are two-fold: the development of new pharmaceutical products and exploration of the geometry of both the cannabinoid brain (CB1) and peripheral (CB2) receptors. In addition to analogues of THC, John's research includes the synthesis of non-traditional cannabinoids, in particular cannabimimetic indoles and pyrroles. John started his professional career as a synthetic organic and natural products chemist and got into cannabinoids around 1982. He has been supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) since 1984. At this point in time, John’s research group has submitted over 400 compounds for pharmacological evaluation. He has published 126 peer-reviewed articles in these areas of research and received the most cited paper award from Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry for 2003-2006.

Previous and current Mechoulam Award winners. Back row, left to right: Raj Razdan, Alex Makriyannis, George Kunos and John Huffman. Front row, left to right: Francis Barth, Murielle Rinaldi-Carmona, Roger Pertwee and Allyn Howlett. Not pictured: Billy Martin.

Huffman and Makriyannis Receive Mechoulam Award

5

By Diane Mahadeen

John has received many other awards over his career, including a National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship (1955-1956),a General Electric Fellowship (1956-1957), a NIH Career Development Award (1965-1970) and a NIH Senior Scientist Award (2002- 2005). Currently, John has a NIH/NIDA grant on the Synthesis of Cannabinoids, Analogues and Metabolites. He was Guest Editor for Tetrahedron Symposium in Print (1987) and has been a member of many NIDA and NIH review panels including: NIDA study section (Ad Hoc Member, 1994), NIDA Special Emphasis Panel (Member, 1988-1999), NIDA-K review panel (Member, 1999-2001), NIH special study section (Member, 2001) and NIH special study section (Member, 2001). John grew up in Evanston, Illinois and lived there until he started graduate school in 1954. He retired as a regular faculty member atClemson on December 31, 2005 and was immediately rehired as a Research Professor of Chemistry. He says, “This means I no longer teach classes or serve on committees or get paid more than a pittance. I spend about three days a week in Clemson and from late Thursday until Tuesday morning in Sylva, North Carolina.” Outside of science, John has been involved in scale model railroading since he was about eleven, is a serious stamp collector, and hastwo antique cars (a 1938 Buick Special and a 1948 Buick Super). In the past, he has also been involved in breeding and showing champion wirehaired dachshunds. John has four sons, who are scattered to the four corners of the USA (Newark, Atlanta, Stipule and Seattle) and four grandchildren, three boys (2 1/2, 5 and 14) and one granddaughter (16). In addition to his wife, Hollye, he resides with a 10-pound miniature longhaired dachshund named Harry John says is “very loud and also Hollye's protector - mostly from me.” Alexandros Makriyannis’ work has had a major impact on cannabinoid research. Beginning in 2004, he was appointed Director of the Center for Drug Discovery (CDD) at Northeastern University in Boston. His group was responsible for developing highly selective CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid agonists, as well as the first inhibitors of the endocannabinoid metabolizing enzymes and endocannabinoid transporter system. Other accomplishments by Alex include the design of highly specific PET and SPECT cannabimimetic probes for receptor imaging and the development of the first anandamide reuptake inhibitor. Currently, Alex’s lab has two promising preclinical programs. One involves the use of CB2 receptor agonists for neuropathic pain. The second involves the development of novel CB1 antagonists as appetite suppressing agents devoid of the side effects of other CB1 antagonists. Alex’s fields of specialization include drug design and synthesis, molecular recognition, membrane biophysics, membrane protein purification and characterization, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high throughput technologies. His areas of interest include cannabinergic agents, drugs of abuse, drug-membrane interactions, studies on the blood-brain barrier, drug transport and targeting, structure of G-protein coupled receptors and transporters, antineoplastic ether lipids, targeted antineoplastic agents, anesthetic and neuronal steroids and pharmacogenomics. Alex received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1960 from the University of Cairo, Egypt. In 1967, he received his Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Kansas. From 1967 to 1969, Alex was a post-Doctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley where he worked with the eminent synthetic chemist Henry Rapoport. He later worked at Tufts Medical School with HenryMautner, the acclaimed medicinal chemist who pioneered the use of biochemical and physicochemical methods for the study of the molecular mechanisms of action of drug molecules. During this time, Alex made important contributions related to the structure-activity relationships of psychotomimetic amphetamines and tryptamines and to stereoelectronic requirements for cholinergic and local anesthetic activity. He was one of the first medicinal chemists to focus on conformational aspects of drug action, mainly through the use of NMR spectroscopy. In 1974, Alex began his career at the University of Connecticut, Storrs as Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, then as Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in 1980. From 1980 to 1987, he served as a member of the Polymer Science Program and from 1981-1987 he served as Director of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at the School of Pharmacy. In addition to his teaching and research, he served from 1983-1996 as a Visiting Scientist at the F. Bitter National Magnet Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, he has been using advanced NMR techniques, including solid-state NMR →

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Executive Newsletter Editor: Brian Thomas

Newsletter Editor: Diane Mahadeen

Layout and Design Editor: Jason Schechter

Editorial Assistants: Richard Musty Roger Pertwee

Photographic Credit:

Lou Deutsch Fred Gardner

Michael Walker Christopher Fowler

Home Web Site: http://cannabinoidsociety.org

Office eMail:

ICRS@cannabinoidsociety.org

Office Telephone: 802.865.0970

Office FAX: 802.865.0970

Office Mailing Address: ICRS, Diane Mahadeen

55 Elsom Pky. So. Burlington, VT 05403

USA

ICRS Corporate Address: Department of Psychology

John Dewey Hall University of Vermont Burlington, VT 05405

USA

Corporate Office Contact: Richard Musty

Office Phone: 802.656.3453 Office Fax: 802.656.8783

eMail: Richard.Musty@uvm.edu

U.S. Federal ID Number 03-0345758

Cannabinoid Meetings of Interest from 2005

→ experiments, to study molecular processes involved in the interaction of drug molecules with membranes. This work provided information on the orientation of cannabinoids and other lipophilic molecules within the membrane bilayer. It lead to a hypothesis on how lipophilic molecules reach their receptors through the cell membrane, a model that is generally recognized by scientists working in the field of G-protein coupled receptors.

Since 1986, Alex has been an award winning Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. He has held a joint appointment as Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology since 1994. From 1997-2004, he served as the Director of the Center for Drug Discovery when it was based at the University of Connecticut, Storrs.

From 1990-1995 and from 1995-2000, Alex received the Research Scientist Award from NIDA. He received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the University of Connecticut Alumni Association in 1996. In 1997, Alex received the National Institutes of Health (Method to Extend Research in Time) MERIT Award, a highly prestigious recognition given only to the most productive and innovative scientists that receive research support from NIH. From 2000-2005, he received the NIDA Senior Scientist Award, which was recently renewed through 2010. In 2002, he received the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Research Achievement Award in Drug Design and Discovery. In 2006, he received the Inventorship Award from the University of Connecticut. Alex was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Athens, Greece in 2006.

Alex has been involved in a number of professional organizations. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. He also holds memberships in the American Chemical Society, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, the International Cannabinoid ResearchSociety, the International Society of Xenobiotics, the Society for Biomolecular Screening, the Society for Neuroscience and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). In 1993, Alex served as President of the International Cannabinoid Research Society. From 1999-2000, he served as Chair of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, Division of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry. Currently, Alex has 100 US and international patents pending. Thirty-six patents have been issued.

Since 1999, Alex has served as PharmaSci’s Senior Associate Editor for Medicinal Chemistry. Since 2001, he has served on the Editorial Board of the journal Il Farmaco. Since 2002, he has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistryand, finally, Alex has been a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Letters in Drug Design and Discovery since 2002. He has published over 270 works with many more currently in press, under review or in preparation. He has also published a number of books on cannabis and cannabinoid research.

Huffman and Makriyannis Receive Mechoulam Award

Continued from p. 5

http://www.cannabinoidsociety.orgmailto://icrs@cannabinoidsociety.orgmailto:Richard.Musty@uvm.edu

Izzo Receives Sanofi-Aventis Young Investigator Award By Vincenzo Di Marzo

Tihany, Hungary – This year the Young Investigator Award, sponsored once again by Sanofi-Aventis, France, went to Angelo A. Izzo. Angelo is an Associate Professor of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy at the School of Pharmacy of Naples (University of Naples Federico II). He graduated in 1991, received his Doctorate in Pharmacological Sciences in 1995 (with Professor Francesco Capasso) and then completed a post-Doctoral fellowship in the area of pharmacology of natural compounds at the University of Naples Federico II. During his Ph.D. he spent a training period at the Department of Human Physiology, Flinders University, Adelaide (Australia) and at the INSERM U200 (Paris, France). In Australia, under the supervision of Professor Marcello Costa, Angelo was involved in the physiology and pharmacology of enteric reflexes. At the INSERM, under the supervision of Dr. Jacques Benveniste, he studied the role of the lipid mediator platelet activating factor (PAF) in human ulcerative colitis. Angelo is mostly involved in the study of receptors for plant-derived compounds (cannabinoid, vanilloid and κ-opioid receptors) and their role in the enteric nervous system. His group’s research on cannabinoids includes the role of the endocannabinoid system in the digestive tract (with a special focus on intestinal motility), both in physiological and pathological conditions (diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases). Additionally, Angelo’s research includes the evaluation of the neuroprotective and the anti-inflammatory effects of plant-derived cannabinoids. He has co-authored about 110 articles in peer-reviewed international scientific journals (cited in JCI); among these, about 30 articles deal with cannabinoid research. Angelo’s first publication in the cannabinoid field dates back to 1998. In this paper, he reported the inhibitory effect of cannabinoid receptor agonists (via CB1 activation) on excitatory transmission in the isolated guinea-pig ileum. With this background in mind it was not surprising to see that Angelo’s plenary lecture at the ICRS meeting in Tihany was entitled “Cannabinoids and the gut: focus on intestinal secretion and motility.” After a brief introduction on the anatomy and physiology of the enteric nervous system, with a special emphasis on the location of cannabinoid receptors in myenteric and submucosal nerves, he described the effect of cannabinoids on the gut: he first focused on intestinal motility; then, he discussed the accumulating evidence that anandamide acts as an endovanilloid in the gut; and lastly he mentioned the cannabinoid receptor-mediated, protective and anti-inflammatory effects exerted by endocannabinoids in the gut. In the first part of his lecture, Angelo highlighted the importance of CB1 receptors in the control of intestinal motility and secretion. Accumulating evidence suggests that endogenous anandamide, through the activation of CB1 receptors, constitutes a physiological “brake” in the gut, by reducing intestinal motility and secretion. The endocannabinoid-mediated inhibitory effects in the gut seem to be due,mostly, to inhibition of neurotransmitter release (i.e. the release of neurotransmitters which stimulate intestinal secretion and contract smooth muscle) from enteric nerves. Interestingly, these inhibitory effects are enhanced in pathological conditions (e.g. gut inflammation, diarrhea), an effect likely due to up-regulation of enteric CB1 receptors. In the second part of the lecture, Angelo presented the experimental evidence that anandamide may activate vanilloid receptors in the gut. He hypothesized that anandamide might behave like a “Jekyll and Hyde” molecule in the gut. He presented support for this view by showing several experimental studies reporting that anandamide reduces intestinal motility, secretion and inflammation via CB1 receptors under physiological conditions, while it can have opposite effects via vanilloid receptor activation in pathological states. Because changes in intestinal secretion and motility are often associated with alteration of mucosal integrity, the last part of Angelo’s talk was devoted to a description of the anti-inflammatory effects of cannabinoids, mediated by both CB1 and CB2 receptors. Finally, he concluded his talk with the exciting prospect of using cannabinoids as new potential therapeutics in the treatment of gut diseases. Overall, Angelo’s research on the effect of cannabinoids on intestinal motility and secretion (as well as the protective effect on gut mucosa) may provide the pharmacological bases underlying the possible use of cannabinoid-based medicine in the treatment of widespread gut diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome (conditions for which clinical trials are ongoing). Angelo’s lecture was simple, clear, direct and enjoyable. It was greatly appreciated by the audience of students and senior scientists attending the conference, and achieved two important results as it: 1) summarized in a brilliant way the important role played by the endocannabinoid system in the gastrointestinal tract under both physiological and pathological conditions; and 2) put for once in the limelight a field that, in gastrointestinal research, is often neglected by the scientific and academic communities as well as by the “trendiest” scientific literature, despite having provided major discoveries in the past, relevant to the functioning and malfunctioning not only of perhaps the most important activity of the body (i.e. that of nutrient intake, digestion and assimilation) but also of “higher” brain-related processes.

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Tihany, Hungary – Students made almost half of the presentations this year. Wethank Dale Deutsch and a panel of 24 judges who selected the eight pre-Doc andfour post-Doc awardees out of a field of 110 presenters. The winners were selectedon the basis of scientific merit, originality and quality, as well as the students’ability to field questions from the audience. Each student received a $200 cashprize from the ICRS.

By Diane Mahadeen

Predoctoral Students Paul Berghuis: Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden [Oral Presentation] Neuronal Growth Cone Guidance by Endocannabinoids. Matilda Degn: The Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark [Poster Presentation] Regulation of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase and N-Acylphosphatidylethanolamine Phospholipase D in Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Mice. Sofia Gustafsson: Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden [Poster Presentation] Cytotoxic Effects of Cannabinoids On Undifferentiated And Retinoic Acid-Induced P19 Embryonal Stem Cells. Javier Fernandez Solari: University of Buenos Aires, Argentina [Poster Presentation] The Activation of Central Cannabinoid Receptors Inhibits Salivary Secretion. Simona Pisanti: University of Salerno, Italy [Oral Presentation] Anandamide Inhibits Endothelial Cell Sprouting Angiogenesis In Vitro and In Vivo. Zsuzanna Sidlo: NYU Medical Center, School of Medicine, New York, New York [Poster Presentation] CB1-Receptor Dependent Inhibition of Striatal Dopamine Release is Indirect via GABA Release Inhibition. Nashwan Shujaa: Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary [Poster Presentation] Cannabinoid CB1 Receptors May Mediate Gastric Mucosal Protection and Inhibition of Stimulated Gastric Motility in Rats and Mice. Lina Thors: Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden [Poster Presentation] Pharmacological Characterization of the Initial and Time-Dependent Uptake of Anandamide.

12 Students Receive Scientific Achievement Awards

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Heather Bradshaw: Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana [Oral Presentation] Novel Metabolism of N-Arachidonoyl Glycine by Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase. Fabian Docagne: CSIC, Madrid, Spain [Oral Presentation] Neuroprotective Effects of Cannabinoids Induce Therapeutic Properties in a Viral Model of Multiple Sclerosis. Isobel Lever: Imperial College, London [Poster Presentation] Chronic Delivery of WIN55,212-2 to the Site of a Peripheral Nerve Injury Attenuates Mechanical and Cold Allodynia. Katarzyna Starowicz: CNR, Pozzuoli, Italy [Poster Presentation] Endovanilloid Degradation: Comparative Analysis of FAAH, COMT and TRPV1 in the Mouse Brain.

Postdoctoral Students

• • • Lina Thors • • • Matilda Degn • • • Sofia Gustafsson

Heather Bradshaw • • •

Fabian Docagne • • •

Katarzyna Starowicz • • •

ICRS President Daniela Parolaro called the meeting to order at 1515 on June 28th.

Secretary’s Report Patti Reggio was unable to attend the meeting this year. Minutes from last year’s meeting were published in the ICRS Newsletterand have been approved.

Treasurer’s Report Jenny Wiley presented a brief treasurer’s report. The ICRS is in good financial standing. A full report will be posted in themembers’ section of the ICRS web page upon return from the meeting. Many students received travel awards to attend this year’smeeting. Largely through the efforts of Diane Mahadeen, a significant amount of money in grants from the pharmaceuticalindustry was received that was used to fund travel awards for non-U.S. students. The funding source for travel awards for U.S.students was a 5-year conference (R13) grant from the NIH National Institute of Drug Abuse. Dr. Rao Rapaka from NIDA wasinstrumental in obtaining funding for the competitive renewal of this grant.

Meeting Locations (2007 & 2008) Meeting locations for 2007 and 2008 were announced. The 2007 meeting will be held in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, approximately 50minutes from Montreal. (A location in Montreal was not possible because the Montreal Jazz Festival will be held during the sametime period, complicating hotel arrangements. Accommodations are also extremely expensive during this time). Meeting dates willbe June 27 – 30, with arrival on June 26 and departure on July 1. The 2008 meeting will be held in Aviemore, Scotland (nearInverness). Meeting dates will be June 25 – 28, with arrival on June 24 and departure on June 29.

Technology Update Jason Schechter presented Technology updates. An update of website changes, including the new ICRS logo (created by NataliaRealini) were presented, and it was announced that the Forum area will be moved to the members section of the website, to ensurethat it is used by members alone. Jason presented statistics on the meeting and on ICRS membership. There were 400 peopleregistered for this year’s meeting, with 93 oral presentations and 135 posters. The membership directory was not published in theabstract book this year, but is available to members in the members’ section of the website. Jason also provided information on thesecurity procedures for processing abstracts sent to the ICRS and discussed possible future technologies that might be used by ICRSfor its meetings and/or website.

Student Representative’s Report Alessia Ligresti, the student representative on the ICRS Executive Committee, reported that students had met this year anddecided that one of the items that they would find useful on the website is a source for general information about cannabinoidsand the latest findings from cannabinoid research. A format similar to that used by Wikipedia, the free web-based encyclopedia,was suggested.

Old Business None

New Business 2009 meeting location The 2009 meeting will be held somewhere in the Americas (North or South). Member suggestions on possible sites were requested.

Abstract availability The issue of abstract availability was discussed. Although the abstracts are now published in citable format, members expressedconcern that they were not readily available to nonmember scientists. Currently, the meeting abstracts are available only on themembers’ section of the ICRS website. After each meeting, the abstracts will be made available to all via posting on the website.

New officers The results of the ICRS election of new officers were announced. Chris Fowler will assume the role of ICRS President at theconclusion of the 2006 meeting. The new President-Elect is Roger Pertwee. The new ICRS Secretary is Tiziana Rubino.

The meeting adjourned at 1615.

Business Meeting Minutes2006

Recording Secretary: Jenny Wiley 10

ICRS Symposium & Young Investigator Award Sponsor

Sanofi-Aventis

Sponsors

GW Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Allergan, Inc.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute Cayman Chemical Company

Eli Lilly & Company Elsohly Laboratories

Gedeon Richter Pharmaceutical, Ltd., Hungary Merck & Co., Inc. – USA

Pfizer, Inc. SIGMA-ALDRICH, Hungary

Government Sponsors

National Institute on Drug Abuse NIH – National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Department of Drug Strategic Affairs, Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Hungary

Ministry of Health, Hungary Health Canada

Ambassade de France en Hongrie

Non-Profit Organization Sponsors

Kang Tsou Memorial Fund Sudden Cardiac Death Foundation, Hungary

Academic Sponsors

Semmelweis University Semmelweis Publisher University of Vermont

Tourism Company Sponsors

MALEV Air Tours Tourinform, Tihany

International Cannabinoid Research Society Sponsors 16th Symposium on the Cannabinoids

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Growing interest in cannabinoid research has dramatically increased the number of ICRS members, including the number of students. With the increasing number of scientists involved in cannabinoid research, and cannabinoid research rapidly expanding into many different fields, it would be quite difficult to keep up with research developments without the annual ICRS conference.

Most of the established scientists and repeat attendees are aware of the importance and value of attending the ICRS scientific meeting. However, it is important to allow and facilitate student participation, and recognize that one of the critical factors for a student who intends to participate at an ICRS meeting is financial support. The large number of generous travel awards from ICRS sponsors ensures student participation. Therefore, as a representative of the student membership, I’d like to gratefully acknowledge the Society for supporting student researchers. I would also like to suggest to the Executive Committee that if it is possible to also provide student accommodation at lower rates, it might allow even greater numbers of students and technical staff to attend future symposia.

The importance of student participation at scientific meetings extends beyond the obvious advantages, such as exchanging ideas, inspiring discussions or simply hearing about other techniques and approaches. For students it’s also important and a great pleasure to get to know in person the “PubMed names” which we may cite in our manuscripts or dissertation. It also inspires and motivates young people to do their best to be there once more at the next meeting. Finally, allowing student members the opportunity to make friends and present data in a supportive environment means that they find the presentations they go on to give at other meetings turn out to be much less stressful experiences than they might otherwise have been!

As already mentioned, the ICRS relies on and supports young scientists. A great majority of all scientific societies offer preferable registration fees for its student-members, but in most cases that is the sole benefit. In our Society, students not only have their representative on the EC to voice ideas and comments, but also the ICRS guides students on how to prepare a successful grant proposal or how to promote research funding initiatives (i.e. NIDA InfoLuncheon), and finally invites them to take on an active role at the “hot topics” sessions. I’m sure many noticed that during last year’s “hot topics” session, issues were presented by leaders in the field and by students. Last but not least, I have to mention the establishment of the “Young Investigator Award”, the special recognition of a researcher younger than 40 years of age with outstanding scientific achievements, that demonstrates again the society’s interest in young scientists.

These are just few examples, but I believe significant ones. As your ICRS student representative, I’d like to take the opportunity to encourage my colleagues, to “pay it back” and be more active in the society. Visit the forum on the society website and feel free to insert your personal comments or suggestions. Your presence could contribute to a special network of people with similar interests in cannabinoid research. Cooperatively we can also use the forum to discuss “hot” issues, to share our experience and scientific background, or simply to solve technical problems.

Finally, I hope that the scientific enthusiasm and support of all ICRS members will remain elevated. I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with my new colleagues and friends, and meeting many new student members at the next ICRS symposium.

See you soon!

ICRS SYMPOSIUM: STUDENTS’ REMARKS

Alessia Ligresti