Welcome to the website for the tenth GRC on Tissue Repair and Regeneration! This conference addresses the basic science underlying the critical public health problem of inadequate and inappropriate wound healing, a problem that is estimated to affect more than 2 million persons in the US annually. A second major focus of the conference is tissue regeneration, an emerging field that has enormous potential to improve outcomes for patients who suffer substantial tissue damage due to trauma or disease. The program highlights the commonality of repair processes between different tissues and organisms and also considers the influence of disease and other complications on healing. The conference will highlight new concepts in the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie repair and regeneration, will explore links between wound repair, tissue regeneration, and development, and will emphasize emerging therapeutics and bioengineering approaches that might improve repair and facilitate regeneration.

Nine sessions are planned which include 1) Epithelium and Proliferation, 2) Innovative Approaches, 3) Bioengineering and Therapeutics, 4) Inflammation, 5) Regeneration, 6) Stressors of the Healing Response, 7) Genetic Regulation of Repair, 8) Fibrosis and Scar Formation, and 9) Stem Cells. The session speakers will emphasize novel unpublished results directly related to repair and regeneration and represent a wide range of disciplines. The combination of speakers and topics has been selected to stimulate cross fertilization and collaboration between the many disciplines relevant to the fields of tissue repair and regeneration. To provide young investigators with a forum in which to present and discuss their findings in a supportive environment, up to 12 additional speakers will be selected from submitted abstracts; four vibrant poster sessions will also be held. The selection of the speakers for the short talks will be based upon 1) scientific merit of the abstract, 2) Impact of the research on the field of tissue repair and regeneration, and 3) new investigator status. Young investigators who are selected for short talks will be provided with partial travel support.

Participation by underrepresented minorities will be encouraged, and eligible underrepresented minority applicants can apply for a Carl Storm Fellowship. This Fellowship Program provides an opportunity for URM graduate students, post docs, faculty and scientists to receive funding assistance to attend their first GRC. URM applicants who have attended prior GRC should contact the chair to learn about other partial support mechanisms. Throughout the conference, interaction among senior and young investigators will be promoted in both formal and informal settings, including hosted round tables at meal times. As for previous Tissue Repair and Regeneration GRCs, this will be an outstanding opportunity to learn about some of the newest and most exciting research in the field and the program should appeal to industrial and academic scientists as well as clinicians in the wound healing and regenerative medicine community.