2021 Neural Crest and Cranial Placodes GRC/GRS

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PROJECT SUMMARY Neural crest cells and cranial placodes share evolutionary and embryological origins and are of fundamental importance to vertebrate development, evolution and disease. Together, they form the cranial sensory ganglia, but individually they each give rise to an incredibly diverse array of cell types and tissues. Neural crest cells form most of the bone, cartilage and connective tissue of the head and face, the dentine-producing odontoblasts of teeth, the ciliary muscles and corneal endothelium of the eye, cardiomyocytes and aorticopulmonary septum of the heart, chromaffin cells in the adrenal gland, pigment cells in the skin, all peripheral glia, peripheral autonomic and enteric neurons, and most peripheral somatosensory neurons. Placodes form the sensory receptors, afferent innervation and support cells of the paired peripheral sense organs (nose, inner ear, lateral line system), the lenses of the paired eyes, cranial somatosensory (trigeminal) neurons and visceral sensory (epibranchial) neurons that transmit a wide variety of information from the heart, gut and other visceral organs, as well as taste buds, and the endocrine adenohypophysis which is important for fertility and homeostasis. Neural crest cells and cranial placodes provide experimental paradigms for studying cell and tissue induction, stem cell multipotency, patterning, morphogenesis, invagination, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, migration and differentiation. Neural crest cells and placodes are synonymous with vertebrate evolution, and defects in their development underlie a broad range of birth defects and diseases including craniofacial malformations, cardiac and gastrointestinal anomalies, sensory deficits, abnormal physiological function and cancer. This GRC and GRS on Neural Crest Cells and Cranial Placodes brings together a diverse group of leading scientists working on all aspects of neural crest cell and placode biology. The conference offers the chance to present unpublished data and novel approaches, form new collaborations, mentor junior scientists, and build professional networks in a supportive environment. The goals of the conference are to accelerate the exchange of interdisciplinary advances across different model systems, to promote technological innovations in the field, and deepen our understanding of neural crest cells and cranial placodes at genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic levels. Recent advances in generating neural crest cell and placode derivatives from human stem cells have major implications for our understanding of vertebrate development and evolution, the pathogenesis of congenital disorders and the promise of tissue engineering in regenerative medicine.