COMS

Our understanding of the genes and mechanisms controlling the formation of the lymphatic vasculature has improved a great deal during the last decade. The availability of molecular markers and animal models with various degrees of lymphatic defects has been instrumental to the progress in this field. Also, work in the last few years had led to a better understanding of the functional roles of this vascular system in health and disease. Furthermore, recent work has also unraveled additional functional roles of the lymphatic vasculature in fat metabolism, obesity, inflammation, tumor lymphangiogenesis, and the regulation of salt storage in hypertension.

The 2012 Gordon Conference on Molecular Mechanisms in Lymphatic Function & Disease will bring together an outstanding group of basic and clinically-oriented interdisciplinary scientists to discuss their latest progress in a wide range of topics in this rapidly advancing field of research. The program contains sessions about lymphatic vascular development, lymphatics and inflammation, lymphangiogenesis and cancer, lymphatic-related diseases such as obesity, hypertension, immune suppression, congenital and secondary lymphedema, and therapeutic approaches. The goal is to discuss new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating lymphatic development and function, and the design of new interventions against pathological conditions affecting the lymphatic vascular system.

The Conference will bring together investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. Some poster presenters will be selected for short talks. This conference is intended to provide a unique format for the exchange of ideas and information, to discuss the latest research findings and technical advances in a collegial atmosphere.

The 2012 conference also features a pre-conference Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), organized by postdoctoral scientists, that will be oriented towards junior investigators to provide them with background on common mechanisms involved in protein transport, to discuss their ongoing research projects, and to facilitate interaction and networking with their peers within this scientific community. We fully anticipate that the talks, discussions, poster sessions, and other informal interactions at this GRC and GRS will contribute to advancing our understanding of molecular mechanisms of protein trafficking, which is essential to both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

The 2012 conference on DNA Damage, Mutation, & Cancer is designed to address diverse research areas focused on DNA damage, mechanisms of mutagenesis and genetic instability, and the relationships between genetic instability and human cancer. Cutting edge research will be presented on the molecular mechanisms involved in the repair and processing of DNA lesions, genome instability, and cancer etiology. Topics to be covered include DNA structure and mutagenic mechanisms, telomere biology and genetic instability, DNA repair deficiency syndromes and cancer, pathways for damage repair or tolerance through lesion bypass, chromatin-mediated genomic instability, and promising strategies for targeting DNA repair pathways in cancer therapy.

The invited speakers, who are at the forefront of their respective fields, come from a variety of disciplines, and the program will be designed to allow ample time for discussion following each presentation, as well as during the poster sessions. The conference will strongly encourage the presentation and discussion of unpublished results. We will also provide an opportunity for junior investigators to present short talks on exciting topics to be selected from submitted abstracts. We anticipate that productive scientific exchange at this conference will significantly impact cancer research and result in establishing novel multi-disciplinary collaborative efforts.

NADPH oxidases of the NOX family have in recent years been shown to comprise the predominant source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by most types of cells. It is abundantly clear that the science in this field is moving very rapidly, with many exciting advances in understanding of the basic biochemistry and cell biology of the NOX family of enzymes, particularly the contrasting properties and functional roles of the seven discrete isoforms comprising the family. Moreover, NOX-generated ROS are directly involved in a wide range of both physiologic and pathologic processes. Many linkages between NOX enzymes and disease pathogenesis are being elucidated and this knowledge is dramatically accelerating advances in the identification of new and often unexpected therapeutic targets and development of disease-modifying pharmacologic agents. The NOX Gordon Conference program has been clearly established as the top forum for the presentation and discussion of the latest advances in this field. Thus, the 2012 NOX GRC/GRS meetings promise to be timely, exciting, and paradigm-challenging.

The program for the meeting has been developed around the theme of "NOX Biology and its Translation to Human Disease and Therapy." The preliminary conference program comprises nine scientific sessions, four with basic themes and five with a disease-oriented translational emphasis, including one session devoted entirely to recent exciting advances in the development and testing of small-molecule NOX inhibitors. Each session features a discussion leader and three to four speakers, plus a few young investigator presentations to be selected from among an anticipated ~100 poster abstracts. There will be ample time for vigorous discussion after each talk. The GRS program will feature speakers selected from among trainee abstracts, as well as career development components and mentoring by senior scientists. Attracting a diverse group of participants is a major priority, as reflected for example in the high prevalence of women scientists (35%) listed in the preliminary GRC program.

To this end, the 2012 meeting will bring together world leaders and early stage investigators to facilitate the exchange of ideas and accelerate the pace of research in the signal transduction field. Sessions will cover recent advances in the study of heterotrimeric G protein and protein kinase signaling pathways, how these pathways contribute to disease, and how they might be targeted through translational research. There will be a strong emphasis on dissecting the molecular mechanisms of signal transfer and on new technologies being brought to bear on formerly intractable problems. Other sessions will include cutting-edge research in lipid mediated signaling pathways and desensitization mechanisms.

Topics of focus for the 2012 meeting include molecular mechanisms and cell biology of endocytic and degradative pathways, as well as their role in human health and disease. Sessions will cover molecular features of endocytic membrane traffic such as coat formation, membrane tubulation, and cell physiology including endosomal and lysosomal membrane traffic, autophagy and formation and function of specialized lysosome-related organelles. Other sessions will focus on the roles of endocytic pathways in infection and immunity, diabetes and metabolism and development. The conference will continue to feature a session on 'New Directions' in which novel technical and conceptual developments in the field will be discussed.

The meeting will be divided into nine half-day sessions, comprising a mixture of invited speakers and those selected from abstracts. Attendance by under-represented minorities, students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, and faculty from primarily undergraduate institutions is encouraged. If you are a student or postdoctoral researcher, it is very important to identify the principal investigator of your laboratory in your application. This conference is usually oversubscribed, so early application is advised with a suggested deadline of April 1, 2010, after which the conference may be filled. Applications received after the conference is full will be assigned to a waiting list.

Prior to and in association with the Gordon Research Conference, new in 2012 there will be a Gordon Research Seminar on Lysosomes and Endocytosis, in which students and post-doctoral researchers can present their work to each other and attend instructional seminars prior to the arrival of senior investigators. Interested trainees are encouraged to view the GRS web site and consider attending.

A main goal of the meeting is to stimulate detailed discussions among all attendees, giving rise to new ideas and directions for the field. Interactions are promoted by programming a generous amount of time for discussion sessions and by providing opportunities for informal gatherings at meals and in the afternoons and evenings. The 2012 meeting will be held at Mt. Holyoke College in idyllic Western Massachusetts. Mt. Holyoke College is within easy driving distance from Boston's Logan Airport, and a shuttle bus will provide transportation prior to and at the conclusion of the meeting. Travel awards are available for selected postdoctoral associates, graduate students, and minority participants.

As initiated in 2010, the main Conference in 2012 will be preceded by a weekend meeting planned by and for pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees.

The meeting will convene approximately 45 speakers representing key areas of post-transcriptional gene regulation, with a total of 150-180 participants. The program will consist of nine morning or evening sessions that will broadly address cutting-edge issues in the following areas: Nuclear RNA Metabolism: The Transcription Connection; Bioinformatics: Gene Expression and RNAomics, including the evolution of RNA-processing signals and factors; RNA Splicing Catalysis, Regulation and Fidelity; Non-coding RNAs; RNA Transport and Localization; RNA Turnover, including nonsense-mediated mRNA decay and other types of quality control; Translational Control; RNA and RNP Structure; and RNA-processing Dysfunctions in Disease. Short talks will be chosen from abstract submissions. In addition, small (<50 posters) poster sessions on four late afternoons will enable all participants to contribute to, and learn about, the above-mentioned topics. Free early-afternoon and late-evening periods, and meal times, will also stimulate discussion. While the quality of science will be high, the atmosphere is aimed to be relaxed and interactive. Four poster prizes will be awarded: two to graduate students, and two to post-docs.

The Conference will bring together investigators at the forefront of their research field and will provide many opportunities for junior scientists to present their work and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. In addition to regular talks, a group of poster presenters will be selected to give short oral presentations. The collegial and inter-disciplinary atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an excellent opportunity for scientists from different disciplines to develop collaborations.

Early efforts of the single molecule community were almost entirely focused on developing new techniques. Now, and in large part due to this conference, single molecule techniques are rapidly occupying a central role in biological research at all levels. This transition was made possible by the availability and dissemination of robust techniques that use fluorescence and force probes to track the conformation of molecules one at a time, in vitro as well as in live cells. Single-molecule approaches have changed the way many biological problems are studied. These novel techniques provide previously unobtainable data on fundamental biochemical processes that are essential for all forms of life. The ability of single-molecule approaches to avoid ensemble averaging and to capture transient intermediates and heterogeneous behavior renders them particularly powerful in elucidating mechanisms of the molecular systems that underpin the functioning of living cells. Hence, our conference seeks to disseminate the implementation and use of single molecule techniques in the pursuit of new biological knowledge. In addition, the conference provides for a modern training ground for young scientists that wish to learn how to conduct interdisciplinary research.

The 2012 Conference will present major recent advances on a wide range of topics related to synaptic transmission including vesicle fusion, structure function relationships, novel forms of plasticity and integration of synaptic function into neuronal networks. The Conference will bring together a diverse group of investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will provide ample opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with world-class leaders in the field. Some poster presenters will be selected for short talks. In addition, keynote lectures will be delivered by two outstanding scientists whose work on synapses and networks is both highly influential and complementary. Past participants have lauded this GRC for the high quality of unpublished data being presented and for the collegial and interactive atmosphere where scientists at all levels felt welcome to join in the discussion of recent advances in synaptic physiology.

This conference is in its fourth cycle after three very successful meetings in the U.S. and Italy in 2006, 2008 and 2010. The highly international flavor of this meeting is reflected in the U.S.- and France-based chair and vice chair, respectively, and a diverse range of speakers from around the globe. Topics will include disulfide bond formation in intraorganellar protein folding, chemical biology of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and action, and how perturbations in the localized reactive oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur redox environment can alter signaling and lead to disease. Significant emphasis will be placed on cellular signaling dysfunction from environmental stresses and their link to cancer development. Participation by junior researchers in this conference will also be enhanced through a preceding Gordon Research Seminar with keynote speaker Mike Marletta and speakers and discussion leaders chosen from among the graduate student and postdoctoral community in this field.

The Conference will bring together investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. In addition, some poster presenters will be selected to give short talks in the different sessions. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with extensive discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an ideal setting for scientists from different disciplines to exchange ideas, brainstorm and discuss cross-disciplinary collaborations.