Adhesion: The Cellular Basis of Tissue Homeostasis and Dysfunction

Cell adhesion plays a vital role in many aspects of cell and tissue biology. From being first regarded as principally responsible for preserving tissue cohesion, we now appreciate that adhesion to the extracellular matrix and other cells affects processes as diverse as cell proliferation, differentiation and morphogenesis. The discovery that cell adhesion molecules are signaling receptors played a key role in this broadened understanding of the biology of adhesion. The 2016 GRC on Signaling by Adhesion Receptors aims to capture recent trends in this diverse field and focus attention on key issues that we still do not understand. The Conference will be organized in a series of thematic sessions that cover major broad topics and Focus sessions that will concentrate discussion on major open questions. Important issues for the meeting include understanding how adhesion supports tissue homeostasis; and tackling the problem of bridging the different biological scales (molecular, cellular, tissue) across which adhesion systems work. We aim to promote a multidisciplinary atmosphere that will encourage open exchange of ideas around long-standing problems and new problems in the field. Accordingly, the program includes contributions from new and established investigators in the field that span many disciplines. There will be poster sessions on the four afternoons of the conference to encourage discussion and debate and many opportunities for short talks to be chosen from submitted abstracts and from the accompanying Gordon Research Seminar on Signaling by Adhesion Receptors. Ample free time and communal meals are additional features of the conference designed to promote discussion, and facilitate new collaborations and relationships.