This is an application for partial support of the Gordon Research Conferences on Collagen in 2005 and 2007. The 2005 Conference will be held at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH, July 24th to 29th. The 2007 conference is expected to be at the same location during the last week in July, as has been the case for the last 5 conferences. The 2005 Collagen Gordon Research Conference will be the 35th anniversary of this premier conference. The conference has convened every other year and it is a unique forum for interaction of an international group of scientists with a common interest in the pathobiology of connective tissues. Major discoveries in extracellular matrix research are often reported for the first time at this conference in the basic biology, development, and diseases of collagen. The 2005/2007 conferences will emphasize new information regarding the interactions of collagens within extracellular matrices and with cells; the function and assembly of the extracellularmatrix; structure of the collagen genome; comparative genomics of collagen; posttranslational processing of proteins; the regulation of genes encoding these proteins during development; collagen as biomaterial in regenerative medicine and as a target for gene therapy; and the phenotypic and metabolic consequences of collagen mutations or gene deletion in humans and model organisms. Internationally recognized connective tissue biologists as well as up-and-coming investigators will be invited to present current work at the forefront of the field. The Conference has provided an invaluable opportunity for development of productive collaborations among established scientists and between established and new scientists; those collaborations have in turn, further enhanced the scientific progress in the field.
