The Ninth International Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues is planned for November 4-7, 2007, at the Lakeway Inn Conference Resort in Austin, Texas. The health of bones, cartilage, and teeth is essential for the activities of normal daily life in locomotion, mineral metabolism, organ protection, respiration, mastication, and proper nutrition and digestion, but the factors and their complex interactions responsible for the formation and maintenance of these major skeletal and dental tissues lie largely unknown. Indeed, so too are the factors that contribute to the degeneration of these tissues during aging and disease and to their repair and regeneration with healing. The purpose of this conference as with the previous eight International conferences it is to present the most recent results of important scientific investigations into these incomplete areas of our understanding, predict future directions of subsequent research, and ultimately design improved methods for the diagnosis, treatment and cure of individuals with mineralized tissue-related diseases. Participants to the Ninth International Conference, anticipated to number between 200 and 250, will include biochemists, cell and molecular biologists, crystallographers, structural biologists, engineers, geneticists, dental and orthopedic researchers, and invertebrate and plant biologists with a common interest in mineralized tissues. The conference will attract researchers in the areas of biomimetics, biomaterials, nanotechnology, tissue engineering, and paleontology; geneticists with interests in inherited diseases affecting mineralized tissues; and clinicians interested in diseases associated with mineralized tissues, such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, tooth remineralization, osteogenesis and dentinogenesis imperfecta, periodontal disease, and the repair/regeneration of these tissues. The meeting is organized with state-of-the-art presentations in these and other fields and will have significant time provided for discussions, breakout groups, workshops, and meals. To cultivate the next generation of scientists, junior investigators are encouraged to attend and several junior investigator awards are offered. These International Conferences have a history of attracting individuals with strong scientific backgrounds and this conference, as its predecessors, will pay strict attention and provide consideration with regards to gender balance, minorities, and persons with disabilities to be included in its final program. The Ninth International Conference will make every effort to bring women and under represented minorities into the meeting as speakers and participants. The major impact of the previous International Conferences has been measured by the increasing frequency with which its proceedings have been cited in subsequent publications, by the increasing number of original papers submitted for publication based on data and results presented at the conferences, by the increasing number of new and established investigators wishing to attend the meetings, and by the increasing number of new collaborations that are formed as a result of participation and interaction. The meeting differs from other specialized meetings covering topics related to bone and mineral metabolism because the intent of this meeting is to draw experts from a wide spectrum of disciplines under one roof. The ensuing """"""""cross pollenization"""""""" of perspective and expertise is the ideal venue to enhance the process of discovery in this important field. ? ? ?
