2007 CARTILAGE BIOLOGY & PATHOLOGY GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCE

描述(申请人提供)：世界范围内日益增长的兴趣和今天对软骨研究的兴趣与软骨的两个方面有关：一方面，软骨是成人生物体中具有出色生物力学特性的永久组织，为关节提供弹性和高机械稳定性，并确保移动性。另一方面，软骨在进化中演变为一种短暂的组织，塑造了骨骼的模型。骨关节炎和其他退行性关节疾病并不是随着年龄的增长而不可避免的命运。几十年的研究已经显示了充足的证据表明遗传易感性以及环境或职业风险会导致骨关节炎。然而，对于骨性关节炎的发病机制，包括软骨破坏和关节重塑的机制，目前的研究还不够深入。因此，早期预防、治疗和诊断骨性关节炎的药物开发进展缓慢，将关节置换手术作为晚期的最终治疗方法。随着人们认识到关节软骨细胞的退变和重塑事件反映了关节软骨细胞分化、基因表达和代谢活动的变化，这类细胞的生物学已经成为研究的中心。通过组织培养和转基因动物的基础研究，我们对骨关节炎关节软骨退变、肥大和重塑问题的了解取得了重大进展。强有力的证据表明，这些事件的分子机制与骨骼发育过程中软骨细胞分化、成熟和软骨内成骨的调控机制非常相似。这种调控现象的重叠是戈登关于软骨生物学的前两次会议的主要理论基础。这两个非常成功的软骨生物学会议首次将软骨的骨骼发育、生物化学、生物力学、细胞和分子生物学领域与软骨病理学、人类骨骼疾病遗传学、整形外科研究和组织工程领域结合在一起。在为第三次会议设立计划时，特别注意为年轻科学家和少数族裔提供展示和讨论他们的新数据的机会。但也有人认为，如果没有这一领域的主要资深科学家的开创性和高度鼓舞人心的贡献，会议就不会成功，他们在确定前几届会议的形式和科学水平方面发挥了重要作用。已给予特别注意，以确保会议充分利用女科学家作为发言者和会议主席的实质性代表性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Worldwide increasing interest and the fascination which cartilage research is receiving today has to do with the two faces of cartilage: On the one hand, cartilage is a permanent tissue of outstanding biomechanical properties in the adult organism, providing joints with elasticity and high mechanical stability and ensuring mobility. On the other hand, cartilage has evolved in evolution as a transient tissue, shaping a model of the skeleton. Osteoarthritis (OA) and other degenerative joint diseases are not an inevitable fate coming with age. Several decades of research have shown ample evidence for genetic predisposition and for environmental or occupational risk for developing osteoarthritis. Nevertheless, there is still insufficient progress in understanding the pathogenesis of OA, including mechanisms of cartilage destruction and joint remodeling. As a result, there is only slow progress in the development of medication for prevention, therapy and diagnosis of OA in early phases, leaving joint replacement operations as the final therapy in late stages. With the recognition that degeneration and remodeling events in OA cartilage reflect changes in differentiation, gene expression and metabolic activities of the articular chondrocyte, the biology of this cell type has been moving to the center of research focus. Major progress in our understanding problems of cartilage degeneration, hypertrophy and remodeling in osteoarthritic joints has come from basic studies using tissue culture and transgenic animals. Strong evidence shows that the molecular mechanisms responsible for these events are very similar to mechanisms regulating chondrocyte differentiation, maturation and endochondral ossification in skeletal development. This overlap of regulatory phenomena was a major rationale for the first two Gordon Conferences on cartilage biology. These two very successful conferences on cartilage biology brought together, for the first time, the fields of skeletal development, biochemistry, biomechanics, cell- and molecular biology of cartilage with the fields of cartilage pathology, human genetics of skeletal disorders, orthopedic research and tissue engineering. In setting up the program for the third conference, special attention is being paid to offer young scientists and minorities the chance to present and discuss their new data. But it was also felt that the conference would not be successful without the seminal and highly motivating contributions of the leading senior scientists in this field who had been instrumental in shaping the format and scientific level of the previous conferences. Special attention has been given to assure that the meeting takes full advantage of substantial representation of woman scientists as speakers and session chairs.