The Gordon Research Conference on Biomineralization is exploring the basic principles by which organisms synthesize, control and make use of minerals, as well as potential applications of these. Spectacular advances have been made in the last years and are impacting various scientific fields, from biology to geology, from medicine to materials science and from evolutionary sciences to engineering. The central goal of this GRC is to create a stimulating environment for scientists from all these disciplines to discuss latest ideas and recent advances on how minerals interact with biomolecules, on how cellularly driven biomineralization is regulated by extracellular matrix molecules, on how the structures of mineralized tissues relate to their function and on how these principles might influence our thinking in materials science and engineering. The conference will cover all kinds of biominerals, including carbonates, phosphates, oxides and silica, in vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. It will also address human health issues related to abnormal mineralization or diseases connected to mineral growth and homeostasis in the skeleton or in teeth.

The great success which this GRC experienced in the last years is largely due to its lively afternoon poster sessions, complementing the invited lectures. This provides the best opportunity to present latest research and exchange ideas in a more informal setting and all conferees are encouraged to submit and present posters. As done in previous conferences, 8-10 poster contributions will be selected for short oral presentations. All this has made this GRC very attractive for young scientists and - as the consequence of a vote in 2010 - the GRC on bimineralization 2012 will be complemented for the first time by a Gordon Research Seminar preceding the meeting.