Developmental Biology at the Forefront of Congenital Anomaly Prevention and Regenerative Approaches

The craniofacial complex exhibits enormous diversity across vertebrate species and is also one of the most affected in human congenital anomalies. This high degree of variation in evolution and disease is reflected by the complexity of craniofacial development. Formation of the head and face involves interactions between cell types from all major germ layers. Subsequently, the structures that emerge serve to support the brain and sensory organs, features underlying the successful radiation of vertebrates. In recent years, innovations in genetics, genomics, and imaging have rapidly advanced our mechanistic understanding of craniofacial development. These insights into craniofacial development have in turn informed our understanding of how development is altered in evolution and disease, and how developmental principles can be applied to therapeutic interventions in craniofacial repair.

The scientific program will focus on how emerging technologies (e.g., single-cell approaches and human stem cell technology) are synergizing with classical embryological and genetic approaches to advance our understanding of craniofacial development, disease, and regeneration. A keynote session will explore the earliest stages of human craniofacial development, the study of which is being made possible by new single-cell approaches and human stem cell technology. We will discuss how these emerging technologies are being applied to animal models of major craniofacial anomalies, expanding our ability to study craniofacial development in diverse non-model organisms, and leading to new approaches to correct and repair craniofacial differences. The conference will encourage a range of scientific and technological approaches while fostering an inclusive forum for colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds. A goal of the conference is to bring together leaders in the field and early-stage investigators, including those who are new to the craniofacial field and those from underrepresented groups. In addition to enjoying presentations of cutting-edge, unpublished research, a goal is to form collaborations between researchers with complementary yet distinct expertise that will advance craniofacial research in the years ahead.