The 2009 meeting will be the 16th biennial Gordon Research Conference on Elastin and Elastic Fibers. In 1995, the conference name changed from Elastin to Elastin and Elastic Fibers not only to include the microfibril and microfibril-associated proteins but to reflect the complex structure that is assembled from these proteins. Over the years to follow, the breadth of the field has grown even more and now includes many additional molecules that influence the regulation, assembly, function and turnover of elastic fibers, particularly the various fibulin, emilin, lysyl oxidase, proteoglycan, latent TGF-beta binding protein and ADAMTS protein families. The 2009 Conference will cover many aspects of elastic fiber biology and diseases and will encourage presentations and discussions of the most recent data and diverse perspectives in the field. The Conference will continue with a popular theme of Poster Highlights in the morning sessions, consisting of three short presentations of 5 minutes each that are intended to showcase some of the exceptional posters that will be presented in the poster sessions. Speakers for the poster highlights will be chosen from the submitted abstracts. Conference sessions include Molecules of the Elastic Fiber, Microfibril & Elastin Ultrastructure & Assembly, Molecular Determinants of Elastogenesis & Elastin Destruction, Regulation of Elastic Fiber Gene Expression, Cell Signaling & the Elastic Fiber, Elastic Fibers & Vascular Development, Elastic Tissues: Disorders & Disease, Therapeutic Advances & Elastic Tissues, and New Advances in Elastogenic Tissue Repair: Biomaterials & Bioengineering. In 2009, the Elastin and Elastic Fibers Gordon Research Conference will be held on the beautiful campus of the University of New England on the stunning coast of the Atlantic Ocean near Biddeford, Maine. Information on the site can be found on the GRC web site using the links on this page.