2022 Bacterial Cell Surfaces GRC/GRS

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ABSTRACT This proposal seeks support for the 24th Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Bacterial Cell Surfaces, the only meeting that connects cutting-edge research on cell envelope biology to the medically important downstream consequences of the bacterial cell surface. The 2022 meeting will be held June 26-July 1, 2022 at Mount Snow Resort, West Dover, VT and will have an associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). The meeting will cover topics that are of great interest to the biomedical community, especially in the current climate of the increased threat of multi-drug resistant pathogens, the need for novel vaccines, and the influence of the microbiome on human health. This GRC presents a diverse program in topics, model systems, and approaches combining biochemistry, molecular genetics, structural biology, cell biology, biophysics, imaging and modeling. There will be 9 sessions encompassing: (1) Exploring the Bacterial Cell Envelope; (2) Modifying the Bacterial Surface; (3) Cell Division and Morphogenesis; (4) Stress Responses and Signaling Across the Cell Envelope; (5) Mechanisms of Surface Recognition; (6) Transport through the Envelope; (7) Type VI and Type VII Secretion; (8) How the Surface Influences Bacterial Communities; and (9) Biophysical Methods to Improve Antimicrobial Therapies. The conference will focus on the latest, largely unpublished, and most exciting research on the assembly and function of the bacterial cell surface. We have selected a group of leading scientists, including a number of rising stars, and have closely considered seniority, gender, and diversity. To enhance the 2022 meeting, we have included roundtable discussions for junior scientists to engage with leaders of the field, the GRC Power Hour to examine issues of inclusion and diversity, and additional travel awards to support minority trainees. Additionally, we have further integrated the highly successful GRS for postdocs and graduate students with the GRC. Participants of the GRS will select 2 talks from the GRS for presentation at the GRC and the GRS co-chairs will present a summary of their meeting at the GRC opening. The traditional format of GRC meetings, with programmed discussion sessions and opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, conveys a collegial atmosphere where interactions between attendees of all career stages are easily attained. The topics of this multifaceted conference are of practical interest to the biomedical community, and the mission of the NIH as it provides a platform for nucleating approaches to antibacterial strategies, vaccine development, and study of host-microbe interactions.