Developmental Biology is at the center of the Life Sciences. Its goal is to understand how the fertilized egg grows and is transformed into an adult organism. Developmental biologists have uncovered the basic biological processes of embryogenesis and pattern formation that led to the Nobel Prize awarded in 1995. They also study the formation of organs, of the nervous system and how sex is determined. They have also discovered the process of aging and how cell death can be programmed to shape an organism (Nobel 2002). Developmental biologists were also the first to clone animals. They have discovered microRNAs (that led to the Lasker award in 2008) and have analyzed the major signaling pathways whose mis-regulation leads to cancer. Developmental biologists have also developed important technological advances, from genome manipulation (Nobel 2007) to RNAi (Nobel 2006) and in vivo imaging using fluorescent proteins (Nobel 2008). They have provided the foundations for stem cell biology and tissue engineering and have created the context to understand human birth defects and disease. The impact of the field is a result of the study of whole organisms (rather than isolated cells) using a wide variety of technological and intellectual approaches. As these studies expand into new areas such as tissue regeneration and systems biology, major contributions can be expected in the coming years. Developmental Biology is thus a core discipline of the Life Sciences and is transforming the Medical Sciences. Over 120 developmental biologists will meet on June 21-26 at the Gordon Research Conference to discuss recent progress in the field and exchange ideas. The conference will include minorities and a large proportion of women that reflects their high representation in the field. Emphasis was given to inviting a number of young speakers and to avoid repeats of previous conferences held in the same field.
