The Gordon Research Conference on Enzymes, Co-enzymes, and Metabolic Pathways was established in 1963 as a vehicle for assembling the best minds in the field of mechanistic and metabolic biochemistry to discuss new advances in the field and uncover the fundamental rules that govern a then blossoming discipline. At the time, the major emphases were on understanding the principles of enzyme catalysis and regulation, and elucidating primary metabolic pathways. Now, twenty-five years later, the field of enzymology enjoys a strong understanding of enzymatic reactions that proceed by polar mechanisms as they pertain to bond making and bond breaking, as well as a solid understanding of the function of common organic cofactors such as flavin adenine dinucleotide, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, thiamin diphosphate, biotin, and lipoic acid. Although there are yet exciting and important issues remaining in these areas, focus and momentum are now shifting towards new frontiers, such as understanding how enzymes catalyze reactions that proceed via mechanisms that involve unpaired electrons, and the in vivo study of enzymatic reactions and the pathways that they compose. The broader impact of this request for funding is that this conference will provide a forum for scientists at all career stages and working in diverse areas of biochemistry that are related to the themes of the conference to assemble and discuss issues at the frontier of the field. The overarching goal with respect to the broader impacts of this proposal is to provide an opportunity for scientists at an early stage in their careers to network and discuss strategies for success in this area of science.
