NIST A SPONSOR OF SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON OXIDATIVE STRESS AND AGING.

An international meeting entitled "Second International Conference on Oxidative Stress and Aging: Technologies for Assessment and Intervention Strategies," took place in Maui, HI, in April 2001. This international meeting, part of the Oxidative Stress and Aging Associations series, focused on the latest research on molecular gerontology with emphasis on oxidative stress-related mechanisms of aging and longevity determinants. The conference showcased the latest noninvasive methods designed to measure oxidative stress in humans for clinical purposes and provided a review of the latest intervention strategies designed to control oxidative stress through dietary and/or pharmacological means. Additionally, the need and criteria for the development of measurement standards, guidelines, and best practices in measuring human oxidative stress parameters and dietary/pharmacological supplements were addressed at the conference.

The conference was host to scientists from academia, government, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical organizations and was held in the state of Hawaii, where life expectancy is among the highest in the world, and where a quarter of state's residents will be at least 60 years of age within 25 years. The conference was sponsored by 17 organizations including NIST, and was attended by more than 200 people throughout the world. It comprised 48 invited talks, three poster sessions consisting of a total of 104 posters, and two oral poster presentations by postdoctoral students. A unique feature of the conference was the "Ask the Expert" luncheon roundtables where registrants had the opportunity for an informal lunch with one of that days lecturers and to submit questions and raise issues on the experts field of specialty.