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The Giovanni Armenise-Harvard Foundation About the Symposium In his opening remarks, Dr. Stephen C. Harrison of Harvard Medical School reminded participants of the historic past of the Mt. Washington Hotel. It was here that representatives from 44 nations convened, in July 1944, for the landmark Bretton Woods Conference. With World War II drawing to a close, international financial and policy experts gathered to plan for post-war economic stability. They created the International Monetary Fund as a means for stabilizing currency and exchange rates, and the World Bank as a lender to help member countries rebuild and develop after peace was restored. "It is therefore a totally appropriate site for a conference sponsored by a foundation set up by the generosity of a banker," said Dr. Harrison, paying tribute to Count Giovanni Auletta Armenise, who along with his late wife laid the groundwork for the Foundation in 1994. A few days before this symposium began, a building at Harvard Medical School was named for Count Armenise as a permanent reminder of his contributions to international scientific advancement. For the past four years, the Foundation has been the catalyst for new collaborations among Harvard Medical School's basic science departments and between HMS and scientific centers in Italy. Much as financial programs born at the Bretton Woods Conference benefited millions of people during the last half of the 20th Century, international scientific cooperation now promises to make life better for future generations. Since its inception, the Foundation's philosophy has been that basic science discoveries will have far-reaching impact on fields as seemingly disparate as medicine and agriculture. During this year's symposium, a series of presentations on the common defense strategies of plants and animals demonstrated that this promise is being fulfilled. Findings from Armenise-supported research are shared not only during the annual symposium, but also at other conferences focusing on basic biology topics. The Foundation also underwrites a broad range of joint ventures, including exchanges of technology and personnel. Five leading Italian institutions conduct Armenise-sponsored research: the European Institute of Oncology in Milano, the University of Padova, the Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment at the University of Torino School of Medicine, the Dipartimento di Ricerca Biologica e Tecnologica (DIBIT) at Scientific Institute San Raffaele in Milano, and Universita' Di Roma La Sapienza. At HMS, the four Armenise centers are structural biology, neurobiology, cell signal transduction, and human cancer viruses. All were represented on this year's scientific program. The Fourth Annual Symposium featured 20 formal lectures and 32 posters grouped into five sessions:
The organization of this report mirrors the symposium program. Each section begins with introductory remarks on the general topic, followed by summaries of individual presentations.
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