The 2003 Gordon Conference on Elastin and Elastic Tissue

申请者描述(申请人提供)：本申请书申请资助将于2003年8月3日至8日举行的第十二届戈登弹性蛋白和弹性纤维研究会议。本次会议的目的是为交流和整合关于弹性蛋白和微纤维的分子和细胞生物学、生物化学、生物合成、组装和病理生物学的新信息提供一种格式。拟议中的会议将汇集来自不同学科的基础科学家，介绍和讨论有关弹性蛋白和微纤维蛋白的最新信息。这次会议将对这些不寻常和重要的结缔组织蛋白的性质和功能的国际研究起到重大的推动作用。自2001年弹性蛋白和弹性纤维戈登会议以来，关于弹性蛋白和微纤维蛋白的许多新发现已经取得。其中包括弹性纤维在发育和其他生物过程中的作用，它们在生物材料和组织工程中的用途，以及从功能基因组学对它们在COPD等疾病中的功能和作用的洞察。此外，弹性蛋白酶的许多新的生物学功能也在很大程度上是通过基因打靶实现的。这些功能包括炎症功能以及宿主对肿瘤进展和微生物的防御。因此，2003年弹性蛋白和弹性纤维戈登会议将在结缔组织生物学的一个激动人心的时刻举行，并将提供一个机制来讨论这些新的发现。与过去几年一样，这些个人互动将导致新的合作研究，并刺激对这些重要基质蛋白的新的研究途径。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests funds to provide support for the twelfth bi-annual Gordon Research Conference on Elastin and Elastic Fibers to be held from August 3-8, 2003. The objective of this meeting is to provide a format for the exchange and integration of new information on the molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, biosynthesis, assembly, and pathobiology of elastin and micro fibrils. The proposed meeting will bring together basic scientists from a variety of disciplines to present and discuss the most recent information on elastin and microfibrillar proteins. This Conference will act as a major stimulus for international research into the nature and function of these unusual and important connective tissue proteins. Many novel findings related to elastic and microfibrillar proteins have been made since the 2001 Elastin and Elastic Fiber Gordon Conference. Among these include the role of elastic fibers in development and other biological processes, their utility in biomaterials and tissue engineering, and insights into their function and role in diseases such as COPD from functional genomics. In addition, much new biological functions of elastases have also been achieved largely through gene targeting. These functions include inflammatory functions as well as host defense against tumor progression and microbes. Thus, the 2003 Elastin and Elastic Fiber Gordon Conference will occur at an exciting time in connective tissue biology and will provide a mechanism to discuss these new findings. As in past years, these personal interactions will result in new collaborative studies and stimulate novel avenues of investigation of these important matrix proteins.