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This international symposium is being held in 2003 to mark the 50th
anniversary of the discovery of aldosterone, unquestionably a major triumph of the 1950s.
The discovery exemplified the interdisciplinary approach that modern science aspires to
today, with interactions and collaboration between Medical School departments, research
institutes, and the pharmaceutical industry, utilising multidisciplinary approaches and
characterised by superb technology transfer. It stimulated the flowering of basic science
and clinical research work, focused on the role of aldosterone in sodium metabolism and
hypertension, that has lasted for 50 years. In the 21st Century, research
in aldosterone is undergoing a remarkable renaissance. There is increased clinical
recognition of inappropriate aldosterone production in a higher proportion of essential
hypertensives than was previously recognised. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated an
important critical role for aldosterone in cardiovascular disease, especially heart
failure, not only attributable to its secretion by the adrenal cortex, but also to its
synthesis as a paracrine agent by the heart and the vasculature itself. Additionally, the
discovery that some of its actions are mediated by non-genomic means, through the actions
of membrane located receptors, offers huge opportunities both for research and for novel
therapies
The meeting will be held on 27-30 April 2003, at the Royal Society, London UK. It is being held in liaison
with the Serono Foundation for the
Advancement of Medical Science Workshop on Molecular Steroidogenesis (24 - 27 April
2003). |
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Then, here and now - state of the clinical
art
Origins and biosynthesis
Receptor structure and function
Downstream effector mechanisms
Mineralocorticoids, cardiovascular disease and hypertension
Therapy today - the antagonists |
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