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Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering

Gordon Research Conference

Multidisciplinary Approaches to Tackling Musculoskeletal Problems Across the Lifespan

August 4 - 9, 2024

Chair

Vice Chairs

and

Proctor Academy

204 Main Street

Andover, New Hampshire, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes an array of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

The 2024 Gordon Conference on Musculoskeletal (MSK) Biology and Bioengineering, themed “Multidisciplinary approaches to tackling musculoskeletal problems”, will integrate biological, engineering, and clinical approaches in development, aging, and disease in the musculoskeletal system. Each session will address different tissues or clinical problems, incorporating talks from biological, engineering, and clinical perspectives. Our goals are to increase the diversity of our field and advance the pace of discovery related to musculoskeletal disease. Areas of emphasis will include challenges to health equity in MSK research, emerging concepts in pain research, and strategies to retain or restore MSK function through the lifespan, while the Power Hour will identify strategies and approaches to make the conduct of MSK research (e.g., laboratory environments) more inclusive and equitable.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Health Equity in Musculoskeletal Science Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 7:50 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:50 pm - 8:15 pm	"Sex/Gender Differences in the Diagnosis of Pain"
8:15 pm - 8:25 pm	Discussion
8:25 pm - 8:50 pm	"Partnering with Community Based Organizations to Increase Genetic Diversity in the Pediatric Skeletal Muscle Cell Atlas"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm	Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:20 pm	"Exploring Intersectionality in Motion Analysis and Motor Control"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Impact of Aging on Musculoskeletal Health Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:10 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 am	"Mediators of Youthfulness in Skeletal Muscle"
9:35 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 10:10 am	"Endogenous Glucocorticoids and Their Receptors in Skeletal Aging"
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am	"A Deep Learning Model to Map Osteocyte Networks Can Successfully Distinguish Between Young and Aged Bone"
10:30 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:30 am	"Non-Pharmacological Strategies to Maintain Skeletal Muscle Mass and Function in Later Life"
11:30 am - 11:40 am	Discussion
11:40 am - 12:05 pm	"I Really Gotta Get Out More: A First Step Out of the Lab to Study Older Adult Falls in the Real World"
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	The GRC Power Hour™ The GRC Power Hour™ is designed to address diversity and inclusion in the scientific workplace by providing a safe environment for informal and meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages. The program supports the professional growth of all members of our communities, including ethnicity, race and/or gender identity by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring. Organizer:
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Multiscale Biomechanics and Mechanobiology Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:05 pm	"Mechanobiology of Bone Development and Repair"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:40 pm	"Predicting Disc Failure: A Finite Element Modeling Approach"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:15 pm	"Treatment of Meniscal Tear: Outcomes of Mechanically-Focused Interventions on a Pain Syndrome of Uncertain Origin"
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	Discussion
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Multi-Modal Imaging to Assess Musculoskeletal Health Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:10 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 am	"Imaging of Osteoarthritis: Insights and Open Questions"
9:35 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 10:10 am	"Can We Predict Outcomes of Joint Disease by Imaging Cartilage Biomechanics?"
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am	"Radiomics-Based Ultrasound Image Analysis for Evaluation of the Thoracolumbar Fascia in Patients with Low Back Pain"
10:30 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:30 am	"The Power of Synchrotron-Based Imaging for Unraveling Structure-Function Relationships in Musculoskeletal Tissues"
11:30 am - 11:40 am	Discussion
11:40 am - 12:05 pm	"I've Looked at Bones from Both Sides Now. Somehow, I Really Don't Know Bones at All"
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"Defining the Spatial Relationship and Interactions Between Different Tendon Compartments with Combined in situ Multiphoton Imaging and scRNA-Sequencing"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Impact of Spaceflight on Musculoskeletal Health Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:05 pm	"Interventions to Preserve Musculoskeletal Health During Spaceflight"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:40 pm	"Countermeasures to Protect Gait, Performance and Joint Health in Rodents During Spaceflight"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:15 pm	"Impact of Space Travels on Bones: Our Skeleton Adapts to the Conditions of Space Flight but the Return to the Earth is Challenging"
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	Discussion
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:10 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 am	"From Feedback to Function: Understanding Proprioception's Role in Musculoskeletal Biology"
9:35 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 10:10 am	"Cellular Dynamics of Skeletal Muscle Regeneration"
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am	"The Role of Joint Motion as a Mechanical Force in Tendon Development and Wound Healing"
10:30 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:30 am	"Designing Hybrid Photopolymeric and Degradable Biomaterials for Musculoskeletal Regeneration"
11:30 am - 11:40 am	Discussion
11:40 am - 12:05 pm	"Understanding the Development of Orthobiologic Products"
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"A Novel Role for CXCL16 in Joint Inflammation and Nociception"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Chronic Joint Pain and Lessons from the Knee, Spine and TMJ Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:05 pm	"Developing More Representative and Replicable Small Animal Models of Low Back Pain"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:40 pm	"Pain in Different Models of TMJ-OA"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:15 pm	"Exploring the Utility of Social Vulnerability Indices to Better Understand and Address Disparities in Osteoarthritis Pain Mechanisms and Outcomes"
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	Discussion
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Genetic Regulation of Musculoskeletal Disease Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:10 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 am	"Are Sex Differences in Chondrocyte Mechanoresponse a Link to Sex Disparities in Osteoarthritis?"
9:35 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 10:10 am	"Potential Mechanisms of Idiopathic Condylar Resorption of the Temporomandibular Joint"
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am	"A New Mouse Model to Understand Pathogenesis of Heterotopic Ossification in Tendon"
10:30 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:30 am	"Regulation of Tendon Regeneration"
11:30 am - 11:40 am	Discussion
11:40 am - 12:05 pm	"Systems Genetics Approaches to Unravel the Genetics of Osteoporosis"
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"Bone Loss and Bone Marrow Dysregulation in the Keratinocyte-Specific Tie2 (KC-Tie2) Mouse Model of Psoriasis"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Computational Methods and Big Data in Musculoskeletal Health Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:05 pm	"Multi-Omic Profiling in Osteoarthritis"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:40 pm	"Deciphering Cellular Atlases for Skeletal Tissues"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:15 pm	"Machine Learning-Based Analysis of Cells and Tissues following Joint Injury"
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	Discussion
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Children's Orthopaedic Surgery Foundation

Alayna Loiselle & Elizabeth Loomis

Carroll Laboratories for Orthopedic Surgery

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R13AR084258. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Conference History Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering (GRS)

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