The Gordon Research Conference on The Chemistry, Physiology and Structure of Bones and Teeth is now in its fortieth year. The conference has been and still is a primary driving force in accelerating research progress in skeletal/dental tissue biology and has, in the past few years, acquired a new vigor with the increasing interest in the treatment and the identification of the underlying causes of metabolic bone diseases. This meeting brings together many of the world's leading investigators as well as many of the bright young scholars who are active in skeletal research. It is unique by its limited size, the large amount of time for free discussion, and the geographical isolation, allowing a maximal extent of interactions. In short, the Gordon Conference on Bones and Teeth is known and recognized to be among the most influential research conferences in the field. This meeting is remarkably cost-effective, which is in part due to the unique administrative support provided by the Gordon Research Conference Organization and the modest, but unique facilities in which the conference is held. The purpose of this proposal is to request funds to partially defray costs of speakers' transportation and subsistence. These funds, if granted, will result in major benefits to those engaged in investigating bone and tooth physiology. It will stimulate further creativity in bone and tooth research in the coming years as it has in the past. The 1995 Conference will focus attention on each of the following areas of research: Molecular and cellular biology of skeletal and dental development, Osteoclast differentiation and regulation, Parathyroid hormone and calcitonin receptor function, Matrix protein function and regulation in bones and teeth, Steroid hormones and their receptors, Cytokine and growth factor effects on skeletal differentiation, Cell- matrix interactions, Genetic disorders of mineralized tissues.
