AOCS has been a regular host to steroid symposia since 1970. The history of this symposium series has been published [1]. These symposia have focused on current research in the areas of steroid structure, biosynthesis, chemistry, regulation, and function.

The 2014 Steroid Symposium, “Recent Advances in Sterol Research,” was held at the AOCS Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. This year the symposium held special significance, for it hosted the presentation of the seventh G.J. Schroepfer Jr. Award for steroid research. The Award was established to honor the memory of Dr. George J. Schroepfer Jr., a prominent steroid biochemist and chemist who made major and lasting contributions to the steroid field. Much of his research dealt with the biosynthesis of cholesterol and its regulation. In addition, he maintained a strong organic synthesis program to support his biochemical studies. A biography describing many of Dr. Schroepfer’s contributions can be found in a previous volume of this journal [2]. Dr. Schroepfer was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the sterol symposium in Orlando, Florida, in 1999, but unfortunately, he passed away on December 11, 1998.

The 2014 recipient of the Schroepfer Award was Professor Erwin London, from Stony Brook University, USA, and his award address was “Using Sterols to Probe the Structure and Define the Function of Membrane Organization.”

Dr. London conducted pioneer research on the identification of “lipid rafts” in biological membranes [3]. Dr. London graciously agreed to provide the review which is the first paper in this volume. The review is followed by four additional papers which summarize papers that were also presented at the 2014 AOCS Sterol Symposium.

Previous recipients of the Schroepfer Award are:

  • Geoffrey F. Gibbons, Oxford University (2002)

  • Jan Sjövall, Karolinska Institute, Sweden (2004)

  • Ingmar Björkhem, Karolinska Institute, Sweden (2006)

  • Michel Rohmer, University Louis Pasteur, France (2008)

  • Cedrick H.L. Shackleton, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, and Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, USA (2010)

  • Michael R. Waterman, Vanderbilt University (2012)

Other papers in the 2014 Sterol Symposium included “Steryl Glycosides and UGT80 Enzymes in the Seed Coat Mucilage” by K. Schrick, Kansas State University, “The Major Cycloartenols of Sutherlandia frutescens (L) R.Br.: Possible Roles in Planta and in Human Health,” by W. Folk, University of Missouri, “On the Regulation of Isoprenoid Biosynthesis in Plant Systems”, by T.J. Bach, Université de Strasbourg, “Plant Sterol Biology, Specificities, and Functions,” by H. Schaller, Université de Strasbourg, “Novel Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors as Anti-trypanosomal Agents”, by D.J. Leaver, Texas Tech University, and “Interesting Effect of Phytosterol Structure on Antioxidant Activities of Phytosteryl Ferulates”, by J. Moser, USDA, ARS, NCAUR, Peoria, and “Sterol Profiles in Plant Foods Revisited,” by L. Nyström, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

The 2016 Schroepfer Award will be presented at the 107th AOCS Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City Utah on May 1–4, 2016.