The conference will focus on the converging roles of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and soluble factors for the repair of tissue lost due to degenerative disease, cancer, or trauma. Emphasis will be placed on the discussion of state of the art, unpublished research in tissue engineering and the molecular mechanisms by which the ECM regulates cell fate. Sessions will include three speakers and a discussion leader, poster sessions (most participants will be expected to present a poster), and roundtable discussion groups designed to facilitate close interaction between researchers working in the fields of bioengineering, biomaterials, ECM, and cell and molecular biology. Participants will be selected to insure attendance by a diverse group of junior and senior investigators representing academic and government institutions, as well as small and large biotechnology companies. Students and postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to attend; at least one speaker in each session will be a junior investigator. Our goal is to provide a platform for the development of long-term interdisciplinary interactions, and to expose students and young professionals to the latest ideas and opportunities at the confluence of molecular and cellular biology and tissue engineering.

The Highly Multidisciplinary Nature of Tissue Engineering
The great diversity in the structure and function of various tissues and organs is a primary reason for the highly multidisciplinary nature of tissue engineering research. The complexity of biological systems suggests that the manufacture of tissue engineered products will also be complex, and that their operating conditions, design, and specifications are intrinsically multifactorial. Thus professionals trained as materials scientists, chemical, mechanical, and electrical engineers, physicians and surgeons, molecular and cellular biologists, immunologists, and biochemists, all contribute meaningfully to tissue engineering. The highly multidisciplinary nature of this research creates a special need for communication and collaboration among researchers in each of its subfields, a need now gaining recognition by government health and technology organizations, academic institutions, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. These organizations have taken the first steps toward creating an infrastructure that promotes interdisciplinary research, communication, and the training of students and young professionals with interests in the future of this science.

The Sciences Involved: Bioengineering, Biomaterials, Extracellular Matrices and Scaffolds, Stem Cells, and Soluble Factors that Control Cell Fate
Tissues and organs consist of specialized living cells arranged within a complex structural and functional framework known generally as extracellular matrix (ECM). The great diversity observed in ECM composition contributes enormously to the properties and function of each organ and tissue: the rigidity and tensile strength of bone, the resilience of cartilage, the flexibility and hydrostatic strength of blood vessels, and the elasticity of skin, are examples of how different ECM compositions contribute to tissue function. Equally important is role of ECM during growth, development, and wound repair, where it provides a reservoir for soluble signaling molecules, and through its own dynamic composition, a source of additional signals to migrating, proliferating, and differentiating cells.

Artificial substitutes for ECM called scaffolds, consisting of natural and/or synthetic polymers, have been used successfully alone and in combination with cells and soluble factors to induce tissue formation or promote tissue repair. Cells are also central to many tissue engineering strategies, and significant efforts have been made to identify and propagate pluripotent stem cells, to identify signaling events important for proper differentiation, and to identify microenvironments for optimum cell function. These efforts that have led to a convergence of research in bioengineering, biomaterials, ECM, cell growth and differentiation, and soluble factors that control cell fate. Part of the infrastructure needed to assure continued its growth, foster new ideas, and train students and young professionals are research symposia like the Gordon Research Conferences.

While some degree of communication and scientific interaction has been established between specific subfields of tissue engineering, there are clearly wide gaps, such as that between academic scientists working in areas of cell adhesion, migration, growth, and differentiation, and scientists and engineers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors who are involved in the development of optimal bioactive matrices for tissue regeneration. These gaps create a critical need for an effective flow of information and ideas between prominent scientists working in these disparate areas in order to support continued progress in tissue engineering research, and to maximize the potential for conceptual leaps that can occur when diverse subfields are truly bridged.

The general goals of the proposed conference are:

1. to bridge existing knowledge and communication gaps between the wide range of professions that contribute to the progress of tissue engineering: students, trainees, and junior and senior investigators representing academic and government institutions, as well as small and large biotechnology companies
2. to foster the initiation and development of enduring interdisciplinary interactions
3. to expose students and young professionals to the latest and most important ideas, issues and opportunities at the confluence of molecular and cellular biology and tissue engineering.

To accomplish these goals, the conference is specifically designed to:

• Provide an overview of state of the art technology in the field of tissue engineering, and its application to wound repair and tissue replacement.
• Facilitate a comprehensive analysis of the molecular mechanisms by which the ECM regulates cell fate.
• Provide a detailed review of known and emerging signaling pathways that regulate the biological responses to soluble growth and differentiation factors.
• Actively explore the convergence of intracellular signaling pathways stimulated by growth and differentiation factors and the ECM, with the goal of identifying events that determine their overall impact on cellular differentiation.
• Establish sound scientific rationales for the development and optimization of the compositional and structural characteristics of grafting and implant biomaterials.
• Identify opportunities for the potential application of basic research findings in the areas of cellular adhesion, growth, migration, and differentiation, to the development of novel bioactive ECMs for tissue engineering.