The Gordon Research Conference on the Cell and Molecular Biology of Bones and Teeth originated in 1954 and has a distinguished history as a proving ground for new ideas in the field of skeletal research and the study of calciotropic hormones and how they relate to bone biology. The Bones and Teeth Conference is said to be unique in the breadth and depth of its coverage of new developments in the physiology and molecular biology of cartilage, bones, and teeth. The Gordon Research Conference format differs from virtually all other scientific meetings in providing an extensive opportunity for open, free, and informal discussion. The number of participants is limited to about 130, and attendees include international leaders in the field, young investigators, postdoctoral fellows and students. The success of the Gordon Conference as a forum for the discussion of state-of-the-art research advances is attributable to its limited size, geographical isolation and overall structure. The 2003 Conference will focus on areas in which important new developments have occurred within the past two years. It will include sessions on: vitamin D action, osteoblast signaling, osteoclasts and bone resorption, craniofacial biology and tooth development, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related protein, genetic determinants of bone mass, skeletal development, and bone extracellular matrix. The purpose of this proposal is to request funds to partially defray the costs of speakers' transportation and subsistence. These funds, if granted will aid in allowing the Gordon Research Conference to fulfill its function to stimulate further creativity in bone, cartilage and tooth research.
