International Conference Focuses on Form and Function in Biology

What does a molecule’s shape have to do with its function? How can this information be used to fight disease?

Scientists from around the world will gather at Rockefeller University to share new information about the architecture, design and function of biological molecules. The conference, Stereospecificity and Molecular Recognition, will be held Sept. 12 to 15, 1995, in Caspary Hall at the university, 1230 York Avenue, New York City.

Nobel laureate Arthur Kornberg, M.D., of Stanford University, will present the keynote address,Coalescence of the Biological Sciences, a discussion of how advances in chemistry have revolutionized biology and medicine and how the lack of funding for further investigations could damage the health of people the world over.

At the conference, investigators, including three Nobel Prize winners, will present recent findings from research such as how:

* nicotine receptors function,
* the architecture of DNA regulates cell activities,
* the structure of immune molecules affects protection from disease, and
* to design molecules to perform biological functions.

The conference is last of six held this year as part of the worldwide celebration of The Year of Louis Pasteur International Symposium, which honors the 100th anniversary of Pasteur’s death. The Rockefeller meeting is the only part of the Pasteur Symposium held in the United States.