Dear Colleague:
 
We are pleased to invite you to our meeting on the Role of Nitrite in Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Therapeutics, September 8-9, 2005, at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Nitrite research is gaining momentum in many areas of medicine. A major focus of this research is on the role of nitrite in the regulation of hypoxic and ischemic biological systems through chemical and enzymatic conversion to nitric oxide (NO). Nitrite's abundance in vascular tissue as well as accumulating evidence for physiological mechanisms for its conversion to NO suggest therapeutic possibilities for its use as an inexpensive, efficient treatment for a variety of human orphan diseases.

Our meeting will bring together participants from the many walks of nitrite research to discuss the state of the art. Invited guests will speak on subjects ranging from the biochemical mechanisms of nitrite reduction to the application of nitrite therapy to pulmonary hypertension, cerebral vasospasm, and post-transplantation ischemia. In addition, poster sessions will provide the opportunity for one-on-one and small group discussions. This more intimate setting will allow participants to gain deeper insights into topics and issues most relevant to their own work.

We are grateful for the generous funding by NIH's Office of Rare Diseases, Office of the Director; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Critical Care Medicine Department, Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center; as well as the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Wake Forest University, and the Medical College of Wisconsin. This wide variety of sponsors reflects both the multifaceted nature of nitrite research and the growing consolidation and importance of the field.

It is our hope that this meeting will provide a forum for nitrite investigators from diverse disciplines to exchange new knowledge, findings, and ideas, and to lay the groundwork for future collaborations. To meet these goals, we need your participation. Please join us. We look forward to welcoming you to Bethesda in September.

Sincerely,
The Organizing Committee:

Mark T. Gladwin,MD
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH

Stephen Groft, PharmD
The Office of Rare Diseases, NIH

Michael Espey, PhD
National Cancer Institute, NIH

Bruce Freeman, PhD
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Neil Hogg, PhD
Medical College of Wisconsin

Daniel B. Kim-Shapiro, PhD
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC

Edward Oldfield, MD
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH

Rakesh Patel, PhD
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Ryszard Pluta MD
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH

Alan Schechter, MD
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH

David Wink, PhD
National Cancer Institute, NIH