This application requests partial support for the biennial Gordon Research Conferences on Phagocytes, to be held in June 1997 and in 1999 and 2001. The 1997 conference will explore the cellular and molecular biology of phagocytic cells and will communicate new developments in leukocyte biology pertinent to therapy. It will emphasize certain high priority scientific areas that were identified by those attending the previous conference and by a group of leading phagocyte biologists consulted by the chair and vice-chair. These areas are: host-microbe interactions, chemokines and chemokine receptors, myelopoiesis, signal transduction, protein biosynthesis, processing and targeting, the respiratory burst oxidase, the neutrophil cytoskeleton, phagocytes and tissue injury, and phagocyte adhesion, locomotion and vascular egress. The conference will include presentations by leading scientists in the field; participation by young investigators (including those still in training); presentations by attendees selected from a large pool of applicants; and a mix of scientists from private and public academic centers, government laboratories, industry, foreign countries, and traditionally underrepresented gender and ethnic groups. The conference organizers will reserve half of the programmed time for discussion.
