The third Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Nox Family NADPH Oxidases will be held June 6-11, 2010, at Les Diablerets, Switzerland. The initial two Gordon Conferences (2006 and 2008) were held at Les Diablerets and New London, NH, respectively. Both meetings were highly successful, each attracting more than 135 scientists. The field of NOX research is evolving rapidly and NOX enzymes are now considered primary sources of reactive oxygen species across the plant and animal kingdom. The physiological functions of NOX enzymes are currently the subject of intense basic research and there is also rapidly progressive interest in the roles of NOX products in disease pathogenesis. Since the GRC NOX conference is the only established recurring meeting in this field, it attracts a large cadre of scientists worldwide. Similar to previous meetings, we expect at least 140 participants, comprising about a two to one ratio of established investigators and trainees. Following the format of Gordon Research Conferences, we plan to organize nine sessions wherein approx. 30 invited speakers will present their latest and most exciting unpublished findings. Each session will be chaired by discussion leaders, who are leading experts in the field. Furthermore, following the tradition of previous meetings we also plan to select 8 to 10 junior scientists to make 10-minute presentations based on submitted abstracts. Each lecture will be followed by ample time for vigorous discussion. In addition to the oral presentations, we expect about 100 posters to be displayed at the meeting. This multi-year proposal also requests funds to support the 2012 and 2014 Gordon Research Conferences on Nox Family NADPH Oxidases to be held in the New England region of the US and in a European GRC site, respectively.
There are several sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in living organisms. Among them NADPH oxidases of the NOX family are particularly interesting because their dedicated function is to produce ROS in a regulated manner. Purposeful production of ROS by the phagocyte NOX has an essential role in host defense. Over the last ten years it has become clear that purposeful production of ROS is not an exclusive feature of phagocytes, as many other tissues express various NOX isoforms. These enzymes participate in diverse physiological processes, such as regulation of blood pressure, hormone biosynthesis, brain function, and epithelial host defense. Moreover, current evidence indicates that NOX-derived ROS play key roles in disease pathogenesis.
