Chemokines, the structurally homologous, functionally distinct family of chemotactic cytokines together with their cognate classical signaling and atypical non-signaling receptors comprise a complex molecular network involved in nearly all aspects of human health and disease. The 2014 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Chemotactic Cytokines: Positioning Cells in Immunity and Disease is a world premier meeting devoted entirely to understanding these important molecules. This will be our 11th Chemokine GRC, which has been held every other year since 1994, when chemokines first burst onto the scene as the largest cytokine gene family in the human genome. Similar to each preceding conference in this series, Chemokine GRC 2014 will bring together scientists from a broad range of biomedical disciplines to showcase the latest unpublished research findings that cover all aspects of chemokine function and provide a high-quality scientific forum to discuss their potential implications, including translation to the clinic. The program of this meeting will cover basic biochemical and biological aspects of chemokines as related to their contributions to leukocyte migration and emigration, immune tissue organization and function, and their role in inflammation, infection, autoimmunity and cancer. In addition, due to the success of the first Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Chemotactic Cytokines in 2012, we will be having this satellite meeting for bench scientists at the graduate and postdoctoral level again in 2014 titled Frontiers in Chemokine Research. GRS provides a forum where young researchers (e.g., students and post-doctoral fellows) can present their work and receive feedback on their ongoing research projects from their peers and a selected panel of senior experts. GRS will promote grassroots level integration and networking within the field of chemokine research. NIH funding is requested to provide partial support for registration for participants. We fully anticipate that the scientific discussions, research talks, poster sessions, and informal interactions between the participants of this conference will contribute to advancing our understanding of molecular mechanisms of chemokine involvement in disease pathogenesis. This will lay the ground work for the development of new collaborative projects, which will lead to new discoveries and ultimately new therapies and approaches to treat debilitating human disease, including inflammatory, infectious and autoimmune diseases and cancer.
The Gordon Research Conference on Chemotactic Cytokines and the satellite Gordon Research Seminar will bring together chemokine scientists from a variety of biomedical disciplines at all levels of this endeavor, including established investigators, junior investigators, and future generations of chemokine researchers. Scientific presentations, discussions and poster sessions during this conference will expand our understanding of the mechanisms by which chemokines contribute to health and disease. It is anticipated that the collegial and cooperative atmosphere that has traditionally characterized these conferences will provide the perfect setting for the intellectual development, cross-fertilization and future collaborations that are so vital to keep this field at the forefront of scientific innovation and discovery.
