The purpose of this application is to seek support for a Gordon Research Conference on Wound Repair. The first Gordon Conference On this topic was held 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. Both national and international societies devoted to this topic have formed and there is 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 and 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. Pathological states representing over and under responses of the host to injury are well known but poorly understood. 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, 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. In particular, we hope to encourage persons not directly involved in wound repair to move into this area because of natural collatoral interests. Important areas to -be considered include mechanisms of growth factor and lymphokine action, the regulation of matrix biosynthesis and degradation, and the origin and nature of stem cell populations participating in wound healing in various organs. Additionally, we hope to illuminate the expanding relationship of gene products that function in early development and tissue regeneration. The last conference had 95 attendees, with balanced participation from academia, government and industry and received an above average critique from the participants compared to all Gordon Conferences. 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.
