Phagocytic cells like monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils, play an essential role in innate immune defense. The Gordon-Kenan Graduate Research Seminar (GRS) on Phagocytes was initiated to provide a unique opportunity for young researchers to share in the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) experience. The two-day GRS immediately precedes the GRC on Phagocytes and is for graduate students and post-doctoral attendees. Young scientists will meet and present their work to each other and some of the leaders in the field, including the Chair and Vice Chair of the Phagocyte GRC, in a quiet and contemplative setting. The theme of GRS is "Innate Immune Cell:Pathogen Interactions".

We anticipate 35-45 graduate students and post-doctoral participants, who are expected to stay for the following GRC. From these participants, twelve speakers will be selected by the organizing committee from the submitted abstracts. We encourage all attendees to present a poster and participate in the poster sessions to be held as part of the GRS. We anticipate having funds to help offset the registration of all 35-45 GRS attendees and some travel costs for the GRS speakers and Discussion Leaders.

The GRS will start on Saturday afternoon and end on Sunday after lunch. Science sessions will be held on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, and a poster session will be held before and after the Saturday evening session. One senior scientist (who is also attending the Phagocyte GRC) and one of the student/postdoctoral invited speakers will serve as Discussion Leaders for the Saturday evening and Sunday morning sessions, respectively.

The deadline for abstract submission to be considered for oral presentation is March 15, 2009. The detailed program for the oral presentations will be posted on the GRS website in April. We encourage you to take this wonderful opportunity to network, to gain experience in presenting your research, and to learn the skills required in facilitating discussion.

Looking forward to meeting you next summer!

The theme of the 2009 Gordon Research Conference on Chemical and Biological Terrorism Defense is Integrating "Everyday" with "Maybe Someday". There are numerous challenges in developing defenses, particularly medical countermeasures, or detection systems, to address biological or chemical threats. If the products or systems address only a particular agent, and have no other application, the cost of development and preparedness is enormously high relative to the perceived benefit of having these tools at hand. This Conference will focus on an array of topics in which new research has been focused on broad spectrum and platform technology approaches to discovering and developing defenses for biological and chemical threats that both leverage and integrate "everyday" applications. Major topic areas will include: broad spectrum approaches to antimicrobials and antiviral drugs; platform technologies for diagnostics; integration of chemical and biological detection into general use platforms; early host responses to biological and chemical agents; translational research: animals to people; "magic bullets": immunomodulators and immune enhancers; "OMICS" for biological and chemical agents; and screening strategies: targets and opportunities for intervention. The Conference will provide a forum for interaction of scientists from a variety of disciplines, and afford an opportunity for junior scientists and graduate students to contribute to a robust interdisciplinary discussion of the topics and challenges presented.

Gradient sensing and directed cell locomotion, known as chemotaxis, is fundamental to the proper development and functioning of eukaryotic organisms. During early development, chemotactic movements are involved in gastrulation and generation of the trilaminar embryo. Later in development, neuronal guidance is critical for appropriate wiring of the central and peripheral nervous systems. After birth, directed cell migration is critical in normal physiology and in pathology. A crucial function for gradient sensing and directed cell migration is in immune responses. The migration of immune cells through the body during surveillance as well as directed migration towards sites of infection and disease is dependent on chemotactic responses. Chemokines are major regulators of leukocyte migration, and understanding the mechanisms by which their receptors are able to regulate cell motility and direction sensing is critical to understanding how the body enhances and controls immune responses. There are also many pathological examples of gradient sensing and directed cell migration. In the immune system amplified responses to signals can give rise to abnormal inflammatory responses in diverse disorders including asthma and rheumatic diseases. Uncontrolled migration is also a key factor in the progression of cancer. Tumor cells leave original lesions and migrate to distal sites guided by chemoattractants.

There are important parallels between the mechanisms that contribute to cell migration during development, leukocyte trafficking, wound healing and cancer. For many of these conditions, including tumor invasion and metastasis therapeutic options are limited. It is therefore important to have scientists from these diverse disciplines meet to discuss these questions and identify parallel mechanisms that contribute to directed cell migration in diverse systems. This conference will foster new multidisciplinary approaches, and will bring together international leading scientists and young scientists in an atmosphere that encourages scientific exchange.

Planned sessions include (1) Directed cell migration in complex systems, (2) Migration in development and wound healing, (3) Inflammation and leukocyte trafficking, (4) Cell signaling in chemotaxis, (5) Cell polarity and motility in the immune system, (6) Cell polarity and the cytoskeleton in directed cell migration, (7) Modeling and bioengineering in directed cell migration, (8) Directed cell migration in cancer, and (9) Neuronal polarity and growth cone guidance. The combination of speakers and topics has been selected with the specific intention of stimulating new ideas and collaborations in the field of chemotaxis research. The session speakers will emphasize novel unpublished results directly related to gradient sensing and directed cell migration in diverse fields. Young investigators will be encouraged to present and discuss their findings in a supportive environment, by inviting up to 15-20 additional speakers from submitted abstracts and by holding four poster sessions. Scholarships will be offered to encourage participation by young scientists, women and underrepresented minorities.

Apoptosis plays a key role in the morphogenesis during development and in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis in adults. Its mechanisms have been intensely studied, and early stages of apoptosis are about to be fully understood. The fate of later stage apoptotic cells remain to be characterized.

The 2009 GRC on Apoptotic Cell Recognition & Clearance will present up-to-date research on the molecular, cellular and immunological aspects of the clearance of dying cells. It will feature a wide range of topics, like tissue homeostasis, stress-response, inflammation, and immunology and will focus on the importance of the clearance of apoptotic cells when investigating development, morphogenesis, tolerance, autoimmunity, and immune privilege. The invited speakers represent a variety of scientific disciplines, including developmental research, genetics, signaling, immunology, medicine, and cell biology. Data on various multicellular organisms from worm to human will be presented. The conference will provide a platform for investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will welcome junior scientists and graduate students presenting their work in poster format to exchange ideas and hypotheses with leaders in the field. We encourage all poster presenters to give short on-spot talks during extended poster sessions. Some of the posters will also be selected for talks in the main auditory.

The conference provides a forum for:

• sharing the latest knowledge on fundamental issues how phagocytic cells recognize apoptotic cells and how pathways for the induction of phagocytosis are activated;
• clarifying implications of apoptotic cell clearance in morphogenesis and homeostasis;
• understanding recent progress in clinical applications;
• evaluating topics outside the main issues of this conference;
• exchanging questions/answers, opinions, ideas and data from ongoing experiments to create collaborations.

The collegial atmosphere of this conference, with opportunities for informal gatherings, promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented.

How and why do certain cells fuse their plasma membranes to form hybrid, multinucleated, or even giant cells? Cell-cell fusion occurs only under special circumstances during the life cycle of any organism. Yet cell fusion is seen in virtually all phyla of eukaryotes. In humans, cell fusions are critical to formation of the new embryo, placenta, muscle and bone, eye, and immune cells. However, we have little understanding of the mechanisms that allow such cells to undergo this profound developmental and cell-biological change, a transition that instantly alters their form, function, and fate.

The Cell-Cell Fusion GRC is a forum where multiple disciplines converge to attack this common problem from their various points of expertise: model biological systems where cell fusion occurs and models of the interactions of lipids and proteins that can lead to membrane bilayer merger. One major goal is to find where these systems share common features - molecules and higher-order structures - and where systems truly diverge, invoking unique approaches to the same ultimate task. Another is to comprehend the functional impact of fusion on the syncytial or hybrid cells that are formed: how polyploid, multinucleate or giant cells benefit survival of the organism. The ultimate goal is to find applications where the control of cell fusion will benefit human health, through controlled fertility, better healing, enhanced immunity, augmented food production, or other means.

The 2009 conference will feature advances in understanding of the diverse biological systems that were presented at the inaugural meeting in 2007, including model organisms where molecular details at the heart of the mechanism have begun to emerge. This meeting will also cover additional species and cell types, other newly found modes of plasma membrane fusion, and more of the physics behind the influence of proteins and lipids on the shape of membranes. Finally, we will learn of novel interventions in medicine where artificial cell fusion may enable treatment of devastating diseases.

The 2009 Viruses and Cells Gordon Conference, the premier conference in the field of virology, will cover all aspects of virus infection, from entry into the cell through replication and assembly, to uncovering the molecular basis of pathogenesis, to prevention and therapy. The 2009 meeting will held at the GRC conference site, Il Ciocco in Barga, Italy from June 7-12, 2009.

The invited speakers will present cutting edge findings on the dynamic interactions of viruses with the cells and organisms they infect as well as host counter responses to infection. Topics will include: entry and receptors; assembly, budding and release, dynamics of cellular trafficking, viral replication & gene expression, immune response & pathogenesis, cellular inhibition of virus replication; innate immune response & virus counter response; exploiting host functions, and epidemiology, prevention & therapy. Discussion leaders, who are expert in the topics covered in each session, will lead lively and open discussions following each presentation. In addition to the invited speakers, shorter talks will be chosen from among the abstracts that are submitted for poster sessions at the time of registration. Selections will be made to highlight exciting new developments in virus research with the emphasis on the selection of younger scientists for these presentations. The evening poster sessions are a prominent and important aspect of this conference providing yet another opportunity for participants to present and discuss their research findings in a congenial atmosphere. The conference will bring together investigators at the forefront of the field, young investigators launching their independent research careers, as well as postdoctoral fellows and graduate students and investigators from industry to discuss new ideas and to foster collaborations.

The 2009 Glycobiology Gordon Research Conference will be held January 18-23 at the Ventura Beach Marriott Hotel in Ventura, California. Please note the earlier date relative to recent years. The Glycobiology Gordon Conference offers a unique opportunity, in a collegial setting, to both contribute to and keep abreast of the latest developments in our multidisciplinary field. Many new glycan functions are rapidly emerging from the studies of tissues and organs of humans and model systems, as well as in the area of parasite-host interactions, and these advances are fueled by equally dramatic developments in glycan structural analysis technologies. Thirteen scientific sessions are currently planned to cover diverse areas of the field, including Structural glycobiology of enzymes and receptors, Mechanisms of glycosylation, Nerve and muscle glycobiology, Chemical glycobiology, Immune cell glycobiology, Vascular glycobiology, Developmental glycobiology, Cancer and cell regulation, Metabolic regulation, and Parasite glycobiology. In addition to the approximately 31 invited talks, ~26 short talks will be selected from poster abstracts, and eight Conference Awards will be available for outstanding abstracts submitted by graduate students, post-docs and new faculty members. All applicants are encouraged to present a poster. The size of the conference has been increased this year to 150 participants but, since registration is limited, early application is advised. We encourage participation of researchers new to the glycobiology field, as well as junior investigators, scientists from developing countries, racial/ethnic minorities, and disabled persons. Please join us for what promises to be an exciting and interactive meeting.

Conference awards will be selected approximately 2 months before the conference (in November), and short talks will be selected approximately 3-4 weeks before the conference (in December). Poster sessions will also be organized at this time by the Poster Chair, Kelley W. Moremen (CCRC, University of Georgia).

For further information contact the Chair:
Christopher M. West
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104 USA
Phone: 405-271-4147
FAX: 405-271-3910
Email: Cwest2@ouhsc.edu

The 2009 Gordon Conference on Staphylococcal Diseases will present cutting-edge research on S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococcus. The Conference will feature a wide range of topics, including the evolution of antibiotic resistance; exoproteins; the immune response to infection; regulatory control mechanisms; biofilm production and metabolism; therapeutics and vaccines; and animal models and virulence. Invited speakers include representatives from both academic and industrial settings who are at the forefront of their field. The Conference will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the staphylococcal field. As usual, selected poster presentations will be selected for short talks. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with organized discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, fosters the development of interdisciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented.

Innate immune cells (neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells) play an essential role in host defense and inflammation. The theme of this meeting is Innate Immune Cell:Pathogen Interactions. Topics will cover the regulation and molecular basis of the function of these cells with a focus on the impact of their interaction with microorganisms, microbial products, and cytokines. The spectrum of phagocyte function, from diapedisis to phagocytosis and killing, as well as the role of innate immune cell responses to infection in the etiology of acute and chronic diseases, will be included. Invited speakers will be a mixture of leaders in the field and younger scientists, with an emphasis on the latest, most exciting findings. In addition to the invited lectures, there will be poster sessions for attendees to present and discuss their work, which are also a very important component of the meeting. There are slots in the program for late-breaking presentations and shorter talks, which will be selected from abstracts submitted for the poster sessions. We encourage early application for maximum consideration. There will be ample time for discussions and informal interactions among conferees.

We encourage the application and attendance of scientists from a diversity of backgrounds and experience. In particular, women, minorities and younger scientists in the early stages of their careers should consider application, and this Conference has funds to help support registration and travel for these attendees. For those scientists with disabilities, we also have funds to help support any extra costs associated with any special travel arrangements. Please contact the Chair to request consideration for these funds.

Our exciting program is under development and will be posted shortly.

The 2009 GRC-sponsored meeting on Antigen Cross Presentation will present cutting-edge research in the cellular and molecular pathways that regulate the transfer of antigens from the cells of the body to the professional antigen-presenting cells of the immune system. The focus of the conference will span several diverse scientific fields, including cell biology, cell death, dendritic cell biology, protein folding, lipid biophysics, signal transduction, antigen processing and presentation, and imaging. The conference will feature both basic and translational researchers, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. Some poster presenters will be selected for short talks. The structure of this conference, with programmed discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, and its remarkable location will provide a unique environment for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented. Advances in this field will facilitate the strategic manipulation of the immune system in the setting of vaccination, tumor immunotherapy, and chronic viral infections, as well as defining new approaches to the regulation of autoimmunity.

Carbohydrates are important mediators of many biological processes such as the development and differentiation of cells, cell adhesion and cell signaling, and cell-matrix interactions. Changes either in the structures of these glycans, or in the expression of carbohydrate-binding proteins, are associated with many diseases, including human genetic diseases such as muscular dystrophy or congenital disorders of glycosylation, viral and bacterial infections, parasite invasion and survival as well as metastasis and tumor progression. In addition, glycoconjugates are regulators of the immune system. The main goal of the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Carbohydrates is to bring together a diverse group of scientists who work in the broad area of glycoscience (carbohydrate chemistry, carbohydrate biochemistry, and glycobiology) to discuss recent progress and future challenges in the field. The meeting will have talks organized into six focus areas in nine sessions. Two full day symposia will anchor the meeting: synthetic carbohydrate chemistry, and glycobiology. In addition, half-day symposia will be held on: 1) structural biology, 2) renewable resources, 3) glycoengineering and 4) young glycoscientists.