Targeting Adenosine A2A Receptors in Parkinson’s Disease and other CNS Disorders

An international research conference presented by the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease on May 17-19, 2006, Shriners Auditorium, Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Compendia of reviews covering the major themes of our 2002 and 2006 ‘A2A and PD’ conferences have been published in special  issues of the journals.

• Progress in Neurobiology (Vol. 83[5], 2007, pg 261-348): “Targeting Adenosine
  A2A Receptors in Parkinson’s Disease and other CNS Disorders”
• Neurology (Vol. 61[Supplement 6], 2003, pg 1-111): “Translating Adenosine A2A Receptor Neurobiology into Novel Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease”

Monograph copies are available upon request.

This translational research meeting was designed to bridge together our knowledge of adenosine A2A receptor biology to improved therapy for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.  

Co-chaired by Thomas Chase MD, Jiang-Fan Chen MD PhD, Michael Schwarzschild MD PhD and Anne Young MD PhD, and under the direction of Dr. Schwarzschild, the conference explored the promise and pitfalls of developing A2A antagonists for PD and other CNS disorders. Platform presentations by an international spectrum of authoritative speakers covered five sequential themes – from basic science to clinical studies:

• Fundamental biology of the A2A receptor, in the CNS, vascular and immune systems, and its interactions with other adenosine, dopamine and glutamate receptors.

• Symptomatic motor benefits of A2A antagonists through modulation of dopaminergic transmission and basal ganglia circuits.

• Neuroprotective effects of caffeine and more specific A2A antagonists in models of Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, stroke and other disorders of neuronal cell death.

• Other CNS effects of A2A receptors on sleep, mood, cognition, psychosis, addiction and dyskinesias.

• Translating these insights into well-designed, safe clinical trials.

The keynote address was delivered by Nobel laureate Professor Paul Greengard, who's presentation was titled "Modulation of adenosine A2A receptor signaling".

Poster presentations, a travel fellowship program to encourage participation of young investigators and those from groups underrepresented in neuroscience, and interactive collegial activities further enhanced scientific exchange between investigators from from academia, government and industry.