Orthopaedic Tissue Engineering: Basic Science to Clinical Application

The Gordon Research Conference on Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering (formerly called, Bioengineering and Orthopaedic Sciences) has been the premier forum for more than 20 years for presentation and discussion of important new and previously unpublished information on the musculoskeletal system. All of the past conferences have been characterized by state-of-the-art information, a high scientific standard, excellent presentations by well-selected discussion leaders and speakers, and lively and free discussions. These conferences have greatly stimulated world-wide research and evoked new concepts and ideas about the musculoskeletal system.

The upcoming conference on Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering conference will examine topics relevant to multiple tissues, as well as individual tissues, including bone, cartilage, intervertebral disc, ligament, meniscus, and tendon. The topics cross-cutting multiple tissues include biomaterial fabrication, cell sources, integration at tissue/material interfaces, lubrication at surfaces, skeletal development, growth and regeneration, the in vivo environment, insights from total joint replacement, and translation of basic research to clinical practice. Skeletal structures to be discussed include the knee, hip, shoulder, and spine. Thus, the conference will address the scientific and engineering basis for tissue engineering-based repair, regeneration, and treatment of skeletal tissues and organs. This is described by the conference theme, "Orthopaedic Tissue Engineering: Basic Science To Clinical Application."

Within this context, the more general aims of this conference are: 1. To provide a premier forum for presentation and discussion of the latest information in the field of Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering, and thereby facilitate the development of new insights, new interactions, new collaborations, and new research directions; and 2. To encourage newly independent researchers and advanced trainees to embrace the field of Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering, not only through exposure to or dissemination of cutting-edge research, but also through collegial interactions with more senior colleagues in an environment that is conducive to formal and informal scientific discourse.