The purpose of this application is to seek support for a new Gordon Research Conference on Wound Repair. The overall design of this conference was recently approved by the Gordon Research Conference advisory board and the meeting is presently scheduled for June 13 - 18, 1993. The field of wound repair has undergone a rapid phase of modernization in the face of recent discoveries in the area of intracellular signaling and cell matrix interactions. In the last five years, we have witnessed the formation of national and international societies devoted to this topic and an expanding literature in the discipline. While a number of symposia convene to address topics in wound repair, the Gordon Research Conference provides a unique and intimate atmosphere for the exchange of state-of-the-art information on the biology of this phenomenon . Wound repair is both a clinical problem and a biological discipline. It is a process which proceeds from hemostasis and inflammation through the formation of a temporary granulation tissue characterized by fibroplasia and angiogenesis, to a healed wound or scar. Obvious pathological changes during the course of wound repair include, on the one hand extensive fibrosis, and on the other hand various forms of ulceration. Wound repair is hardly a process confined to the cutaneous domain, but is most frequently studied in experimental models using skin lesions. Other specialized organs and tissues show important variations on the repair theme and need to be considered in the broadest context of wound repair. This conference was initially conceived in 1990 with the hope of bringing together basic scientists, clinical scientists and industry into a form where informal contacts could be optimized around a core of state-of-the-art lectures. The conference, as outlined, will deal with soluble and insoluble mediators of the repair process, specialized repair processes in tissues such as bone, lung, and liver, the control of excess fibroplasia, and the biological basis of nonhealing wounds. A special session on Thursday evening of the conference will be devoted a more historical view of the concepts of regeneration that have developed over the last four decades. This conference is designed, in particular, to encourage persons not directly involved in wound repair to the area because of important collateral interests. Important areas to be considered include mechanisms of growth factor and lymphokine action, the regulation of matrix biosynthesis, and the nature of stem cell populations participating in wound healing in various organs. This conference is expected to have, 120 to 130 attendees, with balanced participation from academia, government and industry. Wound repair is a complex biological phenomenon. Treatment modalities, even using the most sophisticated molecular approaches, will not succeed unless a closer connection is made between the biological reality of the wound and the biochemical behavior of participating cell populations. The Gordon Research Conference, represents an important opportunity to create an ongoing venue for discussions on the biology of wound repair.
