The 2011 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on “Collagen” will focus on the molecular, physical and cellular aspects of collagen biology in health and disease. As a fundamental component of extracellular matrix (ECM), collagen is relevant to diverse aspects of bioscience. The program will emphasise the broad scope of collagen research by including sessions on stem cells and regenerative medicine, transcriptional and epigenetic regulation, mechanotransduction in development and tissue organisation, and signal transduction receptors. The topics are relevant to all body systems and will cut across multiple disciplines including cell and molecular biology, biomedical imaging and bioengineering, tissue engineering and biomaterials, systems biology, and the translation of basic research to clinical practice.

The sessions will be chaired by leaders in the field who will encourage discussion among leading investigators, young research fellows, students and post-docs in a collegiate atmosphere. Some poster presentations will be selected for short talks. The scheduled talks, discussions, poster presentations and more informal gatherings in the afternoon and evenings are designed to encourage scientists to discuss and debate collagen-ECM research in health, disease and injury.

The conference will begin on Sunday evening with an open debate on the grand challenges facing new researchers joining this field. The conference will include a session on emerging technologies that are likely to influence future directions of collagen research and will feature a keynote lecture from Dr. Kevin Campbell (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Iowa City) on the importance and function of glycoconjugates in collagen-ECM biology and pathology.

This meeting will also be the 40th anniversary of the Collagen Gordon Research Conference. Since the inaugural meeting in 1970, collagen extracellular matrix has expanded into all aspects of hereditary and acquired diseases of the musculoskeleton, regenerative medicine, developmental biology, cell biology and biochemistry, and molecular genetics. The 2011 Collagen GRC is an opportunity to celebrate our past achievements and to build on this firm foundation to set the agenda for young scientists that are pushing the frontiers of collagen and ECM research.

The 2011 GRC program will feature graduate students and postdoctoral fellows selected from talks given at the first ever Collagen Gordon-Kenan Research Seminar (GRS), which will immediately precede the GRC. The 2 day GRS will provide a venue for young scientists involved in the diverse areas of collagen research to discuss their current work, learn from one another, network with their peers, and interact with leading scientists from the associated GRC. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are strongly encouraged to attend both the GRS and GRC.