In 1994 the first symposium was convened in Dallas Texas just prior to the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions. The symposium came out of a desire of four investigators, Masafumi Kitakaze, Robert Lasley, Matsasugu Hori and Robert Mentzer to promote research on the role of adenosine in cardioprotection. Accumulated evidence revealed that adenosine was a very cardioprotective agent. That first symposium was held at the Adolphus Hotel and featured presentations from Robert Lasley, Masafumi Kitakaze, Herman Van Belle, and Roberto Bolli. Robert Mentzer, James Downey, Masatsugu Hori and Rolf Bunger served as moderators. The format of an afternoon session followed by a lavish banquet was established at that meeting. The meeting was a resounding success with over 100 delegates.
Although we have used the same title for the symposium every year "Adenosine, cardioprotection and its clinical application” the actual theme changes dramatically from symposium to symposium and has covered the entire spectrum of cardioprotection including “late preconditioning", mitochondrial transition pores, ATP-sensitive potassium channels, Kinases, and adenosine receptor subtypes. Each year the theme has been chosen to highlight new discoveries in the field. We have made a strong effort to recruit new speakers that have not previously participated in the symposium. This year, the symposium has been renamed "Cardioprotection and Clinical Application", with a research focus on autophagy, apoptosis and stem cells.