Funds are requested to provide partial support for the International Conference on the Biology and Pathology of the Extracellular Matrix to be held at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO on October 12-15, 2000. The objective of this new 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 extracellular matrix proteins. Because of models of molecular function and pathology transcend isolated systems, there is a critical need to bring together the more narrowly defined disciplines of matrix biology to promote cross-fertilization. This meeting will assemble scientists, clinician-scientists, trainees, and students from a variety of disciplines to present and discuss the most recent information on matrix biology. This conference will act as a major stimulus for international research into the nature and function of connective tissue proteins. The format will be designed to encourage interdigitation between scientific fields of interest and interactions among scientists. This meeting will integrate the latest research on important matrix molecules, their mutations causing disease and developmental abnormalities, and their gene regulation into common themes in disease, molecular control, and techniques. Topics will cover cancer, diseases of the lung and cardiovascular systems, skin, and the musculoskeletal system (such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis), and oral biology. State-of- the-art research will be presented to further the understanding of the basic functional and developmental biology of extracellular matrix proteins. Participants will be recruited from around the world including women and minorities, and the speakers will be of international reputation. This new conference will have a major role in stimulating interest and influencing the direction of research in the matrix field. Funds from the NIH will be specifically used for scholarships for students, fellows and postdocs, minorities, and invited speakers.
