Gordon Research Conferences

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-08

Non-Technical Abstract This award will support the registration fees for selected early career participants, specifically graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, to the 2026 Colloidal, Macromolecular, and Polyelectrolyte Solutions Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) to be held at the Four Points Sheraton/Holiday Inn Express in Ventura, California from 1 – 6 February 2026. The GRC and GRS will be relatively small gatherings of scientists from academia, national labs, and industry, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students from multiple disciplines across science and engineering who are interested in the behavior of solutions and dispersions of colloids, macromolecules, and polyelectrolytes. Colloids are small particles, typically less than five microns in diameter; macromolecules are large molecules that are built up of multiple repeating units, including biopolymers such as DNA, actin, and microtubules as well as the polymers found in plastics; and polyelectrolytes are charged polymers. At these meetings, scientists at all levels will share their unpublished work through talks and posters. The rapid communication and collaboration of this format will enable new scientific breakthroughs both in the science of these liquid phase materials and their use in applications in health, medicine, energy, and numerous other diverse material systems. The meeting will provide training opportunities for early career participants, including poster sessions for students to present their work, professional development sessions, and as well and mentoring from senior scientists working in both research- and teaching-focused academic institutions and in industrial and national laboratories. Technical Abstract The scientific objective of the Colloidal, Macromolecular, and Polyelectrolyte Solutions GRC and GRS is to gather scientists and engineers working on all aspects of the behavior of complex solutions and dispersions, including the fundamental science underpinning the self-assembly, dynamics, and transport of colloids, macromolecules, and polyelectrolytes as well as their innovative applications in medicine, health, and energy to address urgent societal challenges. Both meetings will bring together researchers from multiple science (Chemistry, Physics, Polymer Science) and engineering (Biomedical, Chemical, Environmental, Materials, Mechanical) disciplines to accelerate discovery of next-generation materials by sharing new results, fostering discussions, and providing mentoring to participants at all career stages. This award will support the mission of both meetings to educate and mentor the next generation of scientists and engineers working on these complex solutions. The GRS will provide opportunities for students and postdocs to present talks and receive feedback from their peers and from senior mentors. The GRC will promote interactions between early career trainees and senior scientists through informal discussions as well as through the poster session and a new mentoring initiative. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and the associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on “Hormone-Dependent Cancers” build on the success of five prior GRC conferences on this topic in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2023. No meeting was held 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. The 2025 GRC “Hormone-Dependent Cancers: A Place in Time, from the Global to the Cellular, the Significance of Environment and Tumor Dynamics on Disease Progression” will provide the stimulating and engaging format for interaction and fruitful exchange of knowledge to allow new ideas, collaborations, and projects to develop, with the ultimate goal to decrease suffering and casualties from the disease. We will cover varied perspectives on hormone-dependent cancers through the voices of early stage and experienced investigators, as well as investigators from academia and industry. The GRS entitled “Next-Generation Approaches in Basic Science and Clinical Data Integration” will precede the GRC, and is specifically geared towards early-career scientists (ECS) including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical fellows. Leading national and international speakers will present research that represents the entire spectrum, from basic biology to clinical application of their biological findings. The focus of the meeting is hormone-dependent cancers, with an emphasis on breast and prostate cancers, since 75% of all breast cancers and all prostate cancers are deemed hormone-dependent. The presentations will be divided among a total of 9 sessions: Keynote Session 1: Advances in Therapeutic Targeting; Session 2: Breast and Prostate Metastasis; Session 3 How Important is Location?; Session 4: Nuclear Receptors, Steroid Sisters, and Orphan Brothers; Session 5: Dynamic Actions, Epi-Genomic and Epi-Transcriptomic Plasticity with Disease Progression; Session 6: Immunology, Metabolism, and Next Generation Approaches to Targeted Treatment Strategies; Session 7: Hormone-Dependent Cancer Global and Population Outcomes; Session 8: Artificial Intelligence (AI), revolutionizing translational research; Keynote Session 2: Key Areas and Questions in Hormones & Cancer. The overall goal of the 2025 GRC/GRS is to encourage the stimulation of new projects and scientific collaborations across multiple disciplines and through informal means. With the discussion of state-of-the-art research and industry perspectives on hormone-dependent cancers, we hope to foster new discoveries, create improved therapies targeting these cancers and ultimately, improve patient outcomes.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

Cannabinoid signaling in the CNS is composed of the types 1 and 2 cannabinoid receptors and their cognate exogenous and endogenous ligands. Cannabinoid signaling is widely distributed throughout the CNS and it is implicated in a wide variety of important processes including neurodevelopment, pain, reward, addiction, regulation of stress and homeostasis, learning and memory, motor function, anxiety, and social function. Therefore, understanding the neurobiology of cannabinoid signaling could have broad implications for physiological CNS function and the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on “Cannabinoid Functions in the CNS” and its associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) are widely regarded as the best scientific forums in the field of cannabinoid function in the CNS. This GRC meeting has a strong reputation for attracting the most active and renowned scientists in the field and it is an extremely valuable meeting for trainees aiming to become the next generation of cannabinoid neuroscientists. In this application, we request financial support to partially cover expenses for predoctoral, postdoctoral and other trainees to attend the 2025 “Cannabinoid Functions in the CNS” GRS/GRC meetings. The primary aims of this conference are: 1) To provide outstanding scientific programs in the traditions and spirit of the Gordon Research Conferences. The conference will include cutting- edge unpublished data by leaders in the field; a community atmosphere that fosters informal discussion and stimulates new collaborations, and 2) To foster the development of early-career scientists and trainees in the field. For this aim, a GRS will precede the GRC and will focus on increasing professional networks of early-stage scientists, providing a venue for oral scientific presentations for trainees, and career development seminars. A second approach for this aim will be the implementation of a mentoring system during the GRC to increase 1:1 interaction between trainees and senior scientists in the field. The “Cannabinoid Functions in the CNS” GRS/GRC has several unique qualities including a: 1) focus on the CNS, which is not present at any other cannabinoid-centered meeting; 2) strong emphasis on cutting-edge, unpublished data; and 3) continuing commitment to trainees through the organization of the GRS, trainee mentoring program, and career development opportunities. We have incorporated several new scientific topics this year, including reports from ABCD researchers, and will emphasize the results of clinical trials, both successful and unsuccessful.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

The 17th meeting of the Barrier Function of Mammalian Skin Gordon Research Conference will be held at the Waterville Valley Resort, New Hampshire, USA from August 10-15, 2025. This conference has been held for over 35 years and remains to be the premiere scientific meeting that successfully integrates multiple disciplines and topics focusing on understanding the mechanisms of mammalian skin barrier and its maintenance in health and disease. The function of the mammalian skin barrier is to provide the interface with the external environment and protect the body from dehydration and entry of xenobiotics. As such, its function and maintenance are evolutionarily conserved and guarded by plethora of specific mechanisms. In addition to these biophysical, biochemical and molecular characteristics, the skin barrier presents the key challenge for topical and transdermal drug delivery, including dermatological therapies aiming to restore its function, which altogether brings a unique blend of researchers. The success of the meeting derives from commitment to promoting scientists in early career stages. The theme of the 2025 GRC is “Technologies and platforms for understanding, modeling and intervening in skin barrier function and disorders.” The overarching objective and long-term goals of this GRC are to present novel discoveries, discuss the latest developments in these fields of expertise through both formal and informal discussions, and to provide a platform for new collaborative opportunities of synergistic team approaches to facilitate future discoveries and novel therapeutic approaches that will advance this multi-disciplinary field. The conference will bring together young investigators as well as prominent leaders to present latest developments in cell biology and pathology, artificial intelligence and machine learning, microbiology, bioengineering, biophysics, physical chemistry, and drug delivery. The 2025 program will consist of nine sessions, eight of which will feature invited speakers presenting new results which will then be followed by a discussion and questions. In addition, each session will include 1-2 short talks selected from submitted abstracts (this approach helps ensure latest breaking scientific updates). In addition to providing insights into the forefront and innovative research developments, this Conference will provide many opportunities for formal and informal discussions – including very dynamic poster sessions throughout the meeting.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-08

The 2025 Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) and Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Catecholamines will take place at Grand Summit Hotel in Sunday River, Newry, Maine on August 23rd-29th, 2025. This small conference, held every other year, is an ideal forum for exploring new developments in the field of catecholamines. The major objective of the GRS and GRC is to provide a forum for trainee and investigators to learn about and discuss state-of-art and novel catecholamine neurobiology, to include both basic catecholamine function and dysfunction. The meeting will include topics spanning molecular, cellular, systems and behavioral levels of analysis with relevance to nervous system disorders that have major societal impacts including addiction disorders, mental health and neurological disorders. To meet this objective, the conference will include two keynote speakers, Dr. Patricia Janak and Dr. Veronica Alvarez who are leaders in the field of catecholamine neurobiology. Further, the preliminary program includes current topics: 1) Catecholamine Functions in Innate and Learned Behaviors, 2) Catecholamine Systems in Neurodegeneration and Aging, 3) Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms in Catecholamine Circuits, 4) Next Generation Technologies to Probe Catecholamine Systems, 5) Catecholamine Circuits in Psychiatric and Addiction Behaviors, 6) Synaptic and Neuromodulatory Mechanisms in Catecholamine Systems, and 7) Catecholamines in Pain and Nociception. While we include a session on next generation tools, catecholamines researchers have been on the forefront of applying novel technologies, thus, many of the talks and posters include the latest, cutting-edge-tools combined with conceptually innovative topics. Overall, the conference will provide a unique opportunity to discuss recent advances in the understanding of how catecholamine systems contribute to the pathophysiology and treatment of those conditions. Another major objective of the conference is to provide an outstanding environment for the next generation of scientists to be exposed to state-of-the-art research. To meet this objective the conference provides an opportunity for junior investigators and trainees to interact with established investigators in a relaxed and scientifically stimulating atmosphere. Additionally, career development is integral to all aspects of the program, including mentor-mentee matching, poster matching, and poster judging by senior investigators, and incorporating early career speakers and discussion leaders into the program. This objective ensures that the conference has a wide-reaching impact on how future generations of neuroscientists view these scientific topics in the catecholamine field.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

The 2025 Gordon Research Conference (GRC), “Angiogenesis and Social Interactions with Neighboring Cells and Tissues in Health and Disease”, and the accompanying Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) “Deciphering Intercellular Dialogues in Angiogenic Microenvironments” address the underlying hypothesis that by being deeply embedded within the context of tissues and organs, angiogenesis relies on intricate crosstalk with neighboring cells. Interactions with various cell types in different tissues influence blood vessel patterning and function. Conversely, ECs secrete organotypic angiocrine factors that control and maintain tissue homeostasis. Understanding these interactions is important for tissue regeneration and for treating diseases involving aberrant vascularization. The conference aims to bridge knowledge and communication gaps between researchers at all levels (students, postdocs, junior and senior scientists in academia and industry) who study angiogenesis and those focusing on different cell types in vascular diseases, including stem cells, immune cells, neurons, tumor cells and more. Their integration within the angiogenesis community is predicted to move vascular science toward the timely translation of basic discoveries. A complimentary GRS pre-meeting will be organized by and for trainees to present their work and receive feedback from their peers and from a select panel of senior experts who will attend both the GRS and the GRC. The GRC Chair and Vice-Chair are leaders in the field with substantial experience in organizing international scientific meetings. They are well-suited and keenly motivated to organize this meeting. The meeting will bring together a selected group of a maximum of 200 participants at Salve Regina University, Newport, RI, for a week. The venue and meeting structures are designed to foster presentations of largely unpublished data followed by extensive discussion to promote informal interactions and networking through shared meals and afternoon informal activities, especially benefitting trainees. Invited speakers are chosen based on excellence in research, relevance to the conference theme, and willingness to engage with trainees. Participants will be selected to reflect the broad demographics of scientists working in the field. Overall, this GRC/GRS will strongly foster lasting interdisciplinary interactions and collaborations among international researchers in angiogenesis with experts in immunology, neurobiology, stem cells and cancer research. The 2025 meeting also seeks to bridge the gap between academic and industry scientists and develop the next generation of scientists at the intersection of these fields to advance our collective understanding of angiogenesis in health and disease.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in phenotype not caused by changes to the DNA sequence. Epigenetic regulation is critical for normal cellular functions, including growth, development, and transmission of information across generations. Conversely, epigenetic dysregulation is associated with abnormal development, infertility, and disease. Epigenetic memory can be mediated by a variety of mechanisms, including DNA modifications, non-coding RNAs, histone variants, histone tail modifications, higher-order chromosomal structures, unique protein structures, and possibly other, yet to be discovered, processes. The objectives of the 2025 Epigenetics Gordon Research Conference (GRC) are to present a scientific program that brings together leaders in the field of epigenetic research working in varied model systems and to promote the careers of young investigators. The preliminary program includes speakers at a variety of career stages, ranging from early career investigators to senior leaders in the field. The program is balanced among speakers using a wide variety of models, including humans, mice, worms, fish, flies, yeast, protozoa, and flowering plants, with attention paid to both mechanisms and impact in the contexts of development and disease. The GRC program is designed to include significant dedicated time for networking and discussions. To promote exposure for early career scientists, the main scientific program will include short talks chosen from abstracts and additional micro talks in the form of poster previews. The 2025 Epigenetics Gordon Research Seminar will precede the GRC. This short student and postdoctoral scholar-focused meeting will provide additional opportunities for trainees to present their work, develop peer networks, and gain mentoring from select senior scientists. Together, the GRC and GRS programs will create a venue for cross-disciplinary, and innovative, science necessary to advance the field of epigenetics.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

The 2025 Lung Development, Injury and Repair Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) will be held July 26 - August 1, 2025 at the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco, Italy. The theme for the 2025 Lung GRC is "Promoting Health Across the Lifespan in Developing and Aging Lungs". This meeting comes at a critical time, as the ascent of chronic respiratory diseases in the aging population, including COPD/emphysema, asthma and pulmonary fibrosis, has heightened our need to understand, and ultimately counteract, the dysfunctional remodeling that follows lung injuries. This growing global burden of lung disease continues unabated annually worldwide affecting hundreds of millions of people according to the World Health Organization. While investments in basic scientific research continue to accelerate substantial strides forward in understanding molecular, cellular, and tissue level mechanisms driving respiratory diseases, translation of these findings toward early detection and effective repair and restoration of lung function in chronic respiratory diseases remains a major barrier. Thus the 2025 Lung GRC topics span basic and translational aspects of the inductive developmental interactions that inform adult lung repair and regeneration. Meeting this challenge requires the integration of knowledge from experts spanning lung development and aging, including the fields of molecular biology, cell biology, complex physiology, and multiomic systems biology, as well as experts immersed in the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. The Lung GRC/GRS 2025 is uniquely positioned to bring this diversity of expertise together to disseminate and debate the latest findings in the fields of lung development, injury, and repair, and to formulate the new ideas, collaborations and approaches that will be needed to translate biologic discoveries toward meaningful advances in respiratory medicine. A major emphasis of the Lung GRC and GRS is to strengthen the pipeline of scientists and clinicians focused on lung development, injury, and repair. Funds from this R13 will be specifically targeted to promote participation in the conference by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career investigators. The unique attributes of this GRC (alternating between the USA and Europe, open scientific exchange, secluded location to maximize engagement, tradition of sharing unpublished data, abundant time for discussion) and GRS (close trainee interactions with peers and mentors) provide an opportunity for formal and informal interactions and collaborations that are likely to have significant and sustained impact on the field. The 2025 Lung Development, Injury and Repair GRC/GRS will thus promote accelerated progress in understanding and treating chronic lung diseases and help to ensure the vitality and growth of a broad pipeline of clinicians and scientists capable of addressing the burden of lung diseases.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

This grant supports the 2025 Gordon Research Conference on High-Throughput Chemistry and Chemical Biology (HTCCB GRC). Since its inception as Combinatorial Chemistry, the HTCCB GRC has convened regularly over the past 25 years to discuss cutting-edge technologies in chemical biology that advance the discovery of novel molecular pathologies and drug mechanisms of action, driving the development of new medicines. In 2025, high-impact technologies central to the conference includes mass spectrometry-based proteomics, targeted protein degradation and other induced-proximity medicines, encoded library technologies (such as DNA-encoded libraries, mRNA display, phage display, and SELEX), oligonucleotide and other beyond-rule-of-5 therapeutic modalities, and phenotypic cellular lead identification. With the advent of AlphaFold and the growing accessibility of generative artificial intelligence, the 2025 HTCCB GRC will thoroughly examine the impact and potential of these computational strategies. New for our 2025 conference is the sub-theme, “Harnessing Chemical and Biological Data at Scale in Pursuit of Generative AI for Drug Discovery,” reflecting the community’s interest in exploring how AI might yield novel insights from the complex, large-scale data sets in contemporary drug discovery. Like all GRCs, our conference will be “off the record” to encourage attendees to share their most compelling, unpublished work, and it will take place at a remote site in New England (Colby-Sawyer College) to foster cross-disciplinary engagement and in-depth discussions. The conference program includes nine sessions, each moderated by an expert discussion leader, focusing on these themes. We will proactively engage junior (untenured) faculty as speakers and discussion leaders to integrate them into our community of academic, industrial, and government scientists.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Enter the text here that is the new abstract information for your application. This section must be no longer than 30 lines of text. SUMMARY Significance, timeliness and rationale. NIBIB’s mission is to transform through engineering the understanding of disease and its prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Life would not be possible without liquid crystalline (LC) order. The most celebrated example is the unique combination of flexibility and confining ability of cell membranes which is possible because lipids cooperatively aggregate into a lamellar LC phase in water. Many viruses, e.g., SARS-CoV-2, are enveloped in a lipid membrane and they may employ LC order for packing their nucleic acid cargo. Non-biological LCs have turned out to be sensitive in detecting and reporting on the presence of pathogens and toxins, making them highly interesting for autonomous bio-/chemosensors. LC formation is thus an integral component of what keeps us healthy, and they are emerging as a powerful tool for detecting disease agents. Although this connection is long known, it has until now been researched only marginally, constituting an under-explored opportunity in addressing societal needs. Today, the international LC research community is undergoing a rebirth, fully embracing these aspects. Interdisciplinary crossovers where LC science meets biological, life and pharmaceutical sciences, and engineering and materials science, play a groundbreaking role in leveraging the opportunities. Additional impact on the core fields of the NIH-NIBIB mission comes from, e.g., the exploration of LC elastomers in soft actuators or implants in the human body. Objective. Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) in Liquid Crystals, 2025: “Uniting disciplines for global challenges: Liquid crystals as active and learning materials” to take place July 6-11th 2025 (GRS July 5-6, 2025) at the Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH, US. The joint meetings will bring together US and international researchers at the forefront of today’s vibrant LC science, spanning its full breadth and connecting academia, industry and military labs, early career and established researchers, and harnessing every opportunity to promote scientific discussions and encourage collaboration between speakers, discussing leaders and participants. Approach. 23 prominent speakers have confirmed our invitations to present unpublished cutting-edge research. Our goal is to promote the participation of students, postdocs, and scholars at an early stage of their careers. We seek to promote scientific discussion among all participants who will fuel the future of Liquid Crystal Science in biomedical and biotechnology applications. Academic speakers are complemented by 2 industry and 2 military research lab speakers. Additionally, 5 speaker slots will be given to outstanding scientists selected from submitted poster abstracts. To further strengthen the voice of young researchers, the GRC is preceded by the GRS, catering only to students and post-docs and providing mentoring and career advice. During the GRC, young scientists will be given priority in all scientific discussions.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

The biannual Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Tissue Microstructure Imaging provides a unique forum for researchers characterizing cellular and sub-cellular tissue structure using various biomedical imaging modalities. This GRC brings together leading imaging researchers, who would otherwise not meet in scientific meetings, to facilitate discussions, share knowledge, and collaborate on advancing the understanding of tissue microstructure in physiology, pathology, development, aging, diagnosis, and treatment response. The 2025 GRC “Function and Dysfunction within the Tissue Microstructure” covers microstructural imaging of various tissues, addressing both fundamental and clinical questions. The meeting objectives are: Fundamental: To offer a unifying outlook at the tissue microstructure based on complementary vantage points, and to stimulate cross-pollination and validation of different techniques, models, and analysis tools. Practical: To compare and contrast different imaging methods regarding providing an accurate assessment of tissue structure, function, pathological/development/age changes, and response to treatment. Social: To cultivate a vibrant, cross-disciplinary imaging community, and present unpublished findings, discuss, and foster collaborations between established and young investigators across imaging modalities. The conference will include 9 scientific sessions (each with 2 to 3 speakers and a discussion leader), poster sessions, and discussions designed to facilitate close interaction between participants. By design, GRC meetings are small (~150 attendees) facilitating interactions and community feeling. Still, participants will be recruited to ensure a rounded group of junior and senior investigators representing academic, government, and corporate research programs. Students and postdoctoral fellows will be specifically encouraged to attend. Junior investigators will be included in the oral presentations. The support requested herein will facilitate the attendance (conference costs) of trainees and junior investigators, fostering the future of the field. The 2025 Tissue Microstructure Imaging GRC will be held July 13-18, 2025, at Stonehill College, Easton, MA. The 2025 Chair (and 2023 vice-chair) is Olivier Couture PhD (Research Director, Sorbonne University), pioneer in super-resolution ultrasound. The vice-chairs are Ileana Jelescu PhD (Assistant Professor, Lausanne University), expert in brain microstructure imaging using diffusion MRI and Marios Georgiadis PhD (Instructor, Stanford University), expert in X-ray phase contrast and combination with MRI and optics. To promote the participation and professional development of trainees, the GRC will be preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) (July 15-16) organized by trainees: Mariam Andersson PhD (postdoctoral fellow Copenhagen University) and Sovesh Mohapatra (PhD student, U Penn). The multifaceted program will benefit scientists at all levels and will promote participation of junior investigators, trainees, and newcomers to the field.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Lipids play a pivotal role in nearly all aspects of cellular function, including cell membrane construction, energy metabolism, hormone synthesis, nutrient transport, and regulation of the inflammatory response. Underscoring their importance, perturbation of lipid metabolism leads to cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and numerous other disorders that constitute a key focus of the NHLBI mission. Innovative research to elucidate the unique functions of lipids and mechanisms that regulate their synthesis will continue to discover new pathological mechanisms and potential treatments for these disorders. The Molecular and Cellular Biology of Lipids (MCBL) Gordon Research Conference continues to be the premier meeting in the lipid research field. It provides a forum for networking, collaboration, and the dissemination of new, predominantly unpublished research findings and breakthrough analytical tools in the fields of lipid biology, biochemistry, and biophysics. The 2025 MCBL Gordon Conference will place a particular focus on “Re-Envisioning the Fluid Mosaic Model of Membrane-Lipid Interactions with Cutting Edge Approaches.” The fluid mosaic model revolutionized our understanding of membrane-lipid interactions when it was proposed about 50 years ago. While the fundamental structure proposed by this model remains valid, re-envisioning the model in light of the wealth of knowledge made possible by new analytical tools is essential to advance our understanding of the role of membrane lipids in cellular function. The 2025 MCBL will incorporate and build on the major successful strategies of previous meetings to explore this unique focus. The specific aims of this meeting are to: 1) present unpublished exciting interdisciplinary data that highlight emerging concepts and hypotheses in lipid research; 2) disseminate knowledge about cutting-edge tools and approaches; and 3) provide an exciting environment that encourages the free exchange of ideas among researchers at all career levels. The anticipated impact of this meeting will be: 1) the dissemination of the latest discoveries that fine-tune the fluid-mosaic model and the exciting new approaches that will continue to advance lipid research, and 2) the generation of new relationships and collaborations among junior and senior scientists that fulfill the NHLBI mission to further develop, and sustain a scientific workforce committed to lipid research.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY The purpose of the conference support request is to enable the participation of early career attendees and key invited speakers to the 2025 Physical Metallurgy Gordon Research Conference (GRC), which has a long history of catalyzing new directions and sparking critical discussions of fundamental concepts in the science and engineering of metals in complex, heterogeneous applications. The Physical Metallurgy GRC is a key network- and community-building event for all metallurgists and materials scientists, from graduate students, post-docs, and other early career scientists, to senior scientists and engineers. The unique format of Gordon Research Conferences with: in-depth presentations at the forefront of science with equal time for discussion; integrated poster sessions where all attendees, regardless of their career levels, are encouraged to present their work; and informal discussion sessions and workshops, provide a forum to probe our scientific understanding and share knowledge and expertise. The 2025 Physical Metallurgy GRC is subtitled “Metallurgy to Enable Next Generation Engineering”, reflecting the community’s commitment to the principles of the National Science Foundation’s efforts to support fundamental science that will lead to a better future for generations to come. The GRC will be preceded by an associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) where early career researchers present and discuss their work and participate in mentoring and career-building activities. The GRS will be held on July 5-6, 2025 and the GRC will be on July 6-11, 2025, at Stonehill College in Easton, MA. TECHNICAL SUMMARY One of the most pressing challenges and opportunities for the physical metallurgy community lies in our ability to harness the latest scientific advances to have positive impacts on the environment, economy, and society. The community must learn to design, produce, and implement metals and alloys in a rapid and sustainable manner. Therefore, the principal research objective of this meeting is to explore the complex relationships between processing, structure, properties, and performance that are needed to overcome acute barriers to discovery and implementation of sustainable metals in a wide range of applications. Advances in physical metallurgy are needed to enable forward-looking concepts in light-weighting, recycling, extreme environments, magnetic/energy applications and others. The technical approach for this meeting will focus on the fundamental scientific underpinnings (material defects, thermodynamics, kinetic interactions and microstructure) necessary to achieve these goals. The oral and poster sessions at the GRC and GRS will provide a robust venue for discussion of the fundamental science advances, methods, and tools, with the anticipated outcome of providing a vision for using physical metallurgical sciences to enable discoveries. The impact of the meeting will be realized through the engagement of the research community to harness the dialogs of the meeting toward accelerating design and development of advanced metallic materials. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

The Single Cell Approaches in Plant Biology Gordon Research Conference (GRC) with its associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), is an international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages through evening poster sessions and communal meals. Plant biology has important practical implications for society, including a major role in agriculture through its impact on plant defense and yield, as well as applications in biotechnology. The Single Cell Approaches in Plant Biology GRS provides a unique forum for doctoral and post-doctoral researchers to present their research as well as to build collaborative relationships with their peers. This seminar aims to provide a platform to explore molecular interactions within individual cells to the larger physiological functions driving plant growth and adaptation to the environment, highlighting the latest technologies on molecular biology of individual cells. The two-day seminar offers a conducive environment for participants to present their research, engage in stimulating discussions on innovative concepts, and establish collaborative relationships with their peers. This GRS includes a career mentoring discussion panel designed to offer insights and guidance from experienced mentors on navigating the journey from academic training to professional roles in science. The objectives of both GRS and GRC are 1) to advance our understanding of spatial organization of biological molecules, gene expression, and cellular processes across plant cells and their effects on plant responses, and 2) to grow and support the scientific community working in this research area. Many new technologies have revolutionized biology, including advances in high resolution imaging, in vivo protein interactions, computational modeling, and single-cell analyses. These technologies are being applied to plants to dissect the functions and interactions of specialized cell types and their capacity to respond to environmental changes, interact with other organisms, grow, and reproduce. The information provided by these new technologies needs to be shared and integrated to provide fresh insights into the functional connections among diverse biomolecules, suggest new hypotheses for cellular functions, and to model cellular processes. The GRC program includes speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and offers oral presentations, poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

This award supports conference participants in the 2025 Gordon Research Conference on Geochronology and associated Gordon Research Seminar on Geochronology. Geochronology involves the dating of geologic materials such as rocks, sediments and fossils. The field of geochronology strives to quantify geological time, to provide age models for geological records, and to constrain the rates and durations of fundamental geological processes and phenomena. The purpose of this year’s conference is to identify opportunities and challenges for future research by bringing together geochronologists (researchers who measure the ages of geologic materials) with a broad range of other scientists whose research relies on applications of geochronology to improve understanding of the timing, tempo, and drivers of Earth’s climate. The application of geochronology to the timing, tempo, and drivers of climate has wide-ranging implications for the resilience of life on our planet and geochemical processes governing solid earth-biosphere interactions. By engaging new researchers within the geochronology community, this conference will contribute to workforce development in geochronology and allied fields, as well as promote broad participation in research directions supported by the NSF Directorate for Geosciences. This award provides support for early-career researchers and participants from institutions with insufficient funds to attend the 2025 Gordon Research Conference on Geochronology from August 17-22, 2025, and the companion Gordon Research Seminar on Geochronology from August 16-17, 2025, in Sunday River, Maine. The conference sessions range from longer timescales– e.g., Planetary Habitability, Climate Extremes in Earth History– to short timescales, e.g., Climate and Hominin Evolution, Human-induced Climate Change, Glacier and Landscape Records of Past Climate. The overarching goal is to inform geochronologists of specific areas in which further research and development will be most fruitful, and to inform non-geochronologists of the capabilities and limitations of the diverse geochronometers applicable to their research problems. This award is co-funded by Programs in the Divisions of Earth Sciences (EAR), Ocean Sciences(OCE), and Atmospheric and Geospace (AGS) Sciences, as well as the Office of Polar Programs (OPP). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

The Neuroethology Gordon Research Conference brings together 200 scientists at multiple career stages and from various training disciplines to discuss how studying different animal behaviors reveals shared mechanisms of neural control. This fundamental research furthers basic biological knowledge with positive implications for technology and health. The meeting fills an unusual niche because it includes research on a range of animals, in natural and lab environments, assayed by a broad range of experimental approaches. This makes it an idea-generating engine for new research directions and collaborations. Expert speakers are invited but most attendees come from an open application process. Early career scientists are welcomed into a larger community with sustained time for discussion during the talks, poster sessions, and shared meals. NSF support is critical to maximize attendance. While there are many venues to share scientific progress, The Neuroethology Gordon Conference emphasizes unpublished research and cross-disciplinary approaches. Developmental biologists, comparative anatomists, animal behaviorists, evolutionary geneticists, and molecular biologists have a lot to share with each other if they can make the time to communicate. This meeting is specifically designed to foster new scientific ideas and directions by bringing together representatives of several intellectual lineages in an environment that facilitates the sustained discussions needed to find common ground. Expert speakers, both early career and established investigators, are invited, while posters are presented by applicants. The meeting was established in 1999 and this year’s focus is on current expression of influential ideas from the history of ethology. Topics include Krogh’s Principle, Extended Phenotypes, and Tinbergen’s Questions, along with sessions on specialized sensors, adaptations to extreme environments, and the cognitive capacities of invertebrates. This meeting is critical for the neuroethology community to flourish, maximizing its potential for innovation and discovery. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

The Amygdala Function in Emotion, Cognition & Disease Gordon Research Conference (GRC) is the eighth biennial installment of a five-day meeting scheduled for July 13-18, 2025 at Rey Don Jaime Grand Hotel, Castelldefels, to be chaired by Prof. Kate Wassum, with vice chairs Profs. Jose Rodríguez-Romaguera and Anna Beyeler. The amygdala is a central node within brain systems subserving an array of higher-order behaviors that are disturbed in many psychiatric illnesses. The focus of the meeting reflects an ongoing shift in psychiatry towards framing the study of mental illness including substance use disorders in terms of aberrant neural circuit functions. Interest in the amygdala, a brain structure known to play a pivotal role in emotional and cognitive processes, has increased considerably in recent years. Indeed, there is marked overlap in the amygdala plasticity mechanisms found to be disrupted in models of, for example, addiction and anxiety. A central goal of the meeting is to integrate multiple emotional and cognitive processes and pathological states, including pain, addiction, anxiety, and depression into the permanent fabric of this GRC by including a number of the sessions that explicitly focus on these areas of research, with talks from NIDA-, NIMH-, NINDS-, and NIAAA-funded leaders. The objectives are threefold: 1) Foster interactions across disciplines from basic discovery research to translational research on the role of the amygdala in emotional, cognitive, and behavioral processes in physiological and pathological states. These functions range from fear, stress, reward, learning, and decision making to pain, substance use disorder, or anxiety disorders. 2) Highlight important new tools and techniques that may be applied to the study of the amygdala, with the hope of opening new scientific questions and avenues of research. 3) Mentor a new generation of scientists and scientist-clinicians, The meeting features oral presentations from recognized world leaders in the study of emotion, cognition, behavior, and mental illness such as anxiety disorders or substance use disorder. The GRC will be preceded by a GRS, a unique two-day forum for graduate students, postdocs, and other early- career scientists to present and exchange new data and cutting-edge ideas. In addition, we will continue our successful mentoring program that pairs junior and senior scientists as a means to invigorate interactions between scientists.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Enter the text here that is the new abstract information for your application. This section must be no longer than 30 lines of text. SUMMARY Significance, timeliness and rationale. NIBIB’s mission is to transform through engineering the understanding of disease and its prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Life would not be possible without liquid crystalline (LC) order. The most celebrated example is the unique combination of flexibility and confining ability of cell membranes which is possible because lipids cooperatively aggregate into a lamellar LC phase in water. Many viruses, e.g., SARS-CoV-2, are enveloped in a lipid membrane and they may employ LC order for packing their nucleic acid cargo. Non-biological LCs have turned out to be sensitive in detecting and reporting on the presence of pathogens and toxins, making them highly interesting for autonomous bio-/chemosensors. LC formation is thus an integral component of what keeps us healthy, and they are emerging as a powerful tool for detecting disease agents. Although this connection is long known, it has until now been researched only marginally, constituting an under-explored opportunity in addressing societal needs. Today, the international LC research community is undergoing a rebirth, fully embracing these aspects. Interdisciplinary crossovers where LC science meets biological, life and pharmaceutical sciences, and engineering and materials science, play a groundbreaking role in leveraging the opportunities. Additional impact on the core fields of the NIH-NIBIB mission comes from, e.g., the exploration of LC elastomers in soft actuators or implants in the human body. Objective. Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) in Liquid Crystals, 2025: “Uniting disciplines for global challenges: Liquid crystals as active and learning materials” to take place July 6-11th 2025 (GRS July 5-6, 2025) at the Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH, US. The joint meetings will bring together US and international researchers at the forefront of today’s vibrant LC science, spanning its full breadth and connecting academia, industry and military labs, early career and established researchers, and harnessing every opportunity to promote scientific discussions and encourage collaboration between speakers, discussing leaders and participants. Approach. 23 prominent speakers have confirmed our invitations to present unpublished cutting-edge research. Our goal is to promote the participation of students, postdocs, and scholars at an early stage of their careers. We seek to promote scientific discussion among all participants who will fuel the future of Liquid Crystal Science in biomedical and biotechnology applications. Academic speakers are complemented by 2 industry and 2 military research lab speakers. Additionally, 5 speaker slots will be given to outstanding scientists selected from submitted poster abstracts. To further strengthen the voice of young researchers, the GRC is preceded by the GRS, catering only to students and post-docs and providing mentoring and career advice. During the GRC, young scientists will be given priority in all scientific discussions.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are unintended consequences of adding chemical disinfectants/oxidants to drinking water. Since many DBPs are toxic (e.g., genotoxic and/or carcinogenic), water treatment processes must provide microbiologically safe drinking water while minimizing formation of DBPs. Despite significant effort over the last four decades, this challenge has not been solved satisfactorily, partially due to high variability in source water quality and in drinking water infrastructure. The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on “Water Disinfection, Disinfection Byproducts and Health,” which was initiated in 2006. The 2025 GRC, subtitled “Engineering, Biological, and Chemical Implications of Oxidative Water Treatment for Sustainable Futures” will be held at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA from July 27 – August 1, 2025. The objectives of the 2025 GRC include assembling invited speakers, discussion leaders, and poster presenters spanning several disciplinary areas of expertise to (i) advance knowledge associated with water disinfection, (ii) inform best practices associated with safe and sustainable drinking water, and (iii) enhance the professional development of trainees and investigators of all experience levels. The 2025 GRC is the 8th meeting of this successful series and will include nine sessions covering several principal factors of microbial drinking water quality, disinfection and byproduct formation, and human health implications. The program was developed to embrace a wholistic approach, including cutting-edge research and practical implications for sustainably providing drinking water in the 21st century and beyond. The conference will cover five key areas of water disinfection and DBPs: (1) public health and risk assessment, (2) engineering and regulatory aspects, (3) biochemical pathways and biological impacts, (4) chemical analysis of DBP formation and fate, (5) water reuse. The GRC will also include career mentorship programming. A Gordon Research Seminar (July 26 & 27, 2025) will precede the GRC and provide an opportunity for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early career scientists to present their research, participate in career mentoring, and interact in an informal manner, thereby catalyzing the education of the next generation of environmental health experts. Overall, this GRC/GRS aligns with the mission of the NIEHS to “advance research on environmental triggers of disease” and “foster training and development of young environmental health scientists and practitioners.”

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY The 2025 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Nanoporous Materials and Their Applications: Innovative Applications and Breakthrough Technologies for Nanoporous Materials, and the associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) will be held at Proctor Academy (Andover, New Hampshire) from August 3-8, 2025, and August 2-3, 2025, respectively. Porous materials, such as zeolites, metal-organic frameworks, covalent-organic frameworks, porous carbon, and related materials, are heavily utilized in today's most dynamic and diversified research fields. The program addresses important new findings related to the invention of novel materials, characterization of their unique properties, and the use of these materials in emerging applications involving catalysis, separations, gas storage, and other processes of commercial and environmental importance. Invited lectures, poster presentations, and general discussions focused on linking fundamental understanding to potential applications are core concepts of the Gordon Research Conference format. Beyond the technological aspects, the conference seeks to gather leading and emerging scientists in this field and bring them together to share ideas and foster new collaborations. This support from NSF's Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program in the Division of Materials Research enables the participation by U.S. graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and early-career researchers at the Gordon Research Conference and the Gordon Research Seminar through stipends for registration fees and/or travel support. PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARY The Nanoporous Materials and Their Applications Gordon Research Conference and Seminar focus on new developments in the field of nanoporous materials. For the 2025 iteration of the conference, emphasis is placed on intermingling different classes of nanoporous materials. The program balances theoretical and experimental approaches to addressing questions related to structure, properties and application with sessions on topics including “Engineering of Materials Assemply”, “Fundamentals of Structurs and Function”, “Advances in Synthesis and Characterization”, “Paradigms of Multifunctional Materials”, “Emerging Applications of Nanoporous Materials”, and more. With respect to this larger goal, the Gordon Research Conference seeks to provide a common language for all participants; to raise the comfort-level of student and postdoc participants; and, through these efforts, to develop a tightly-woven community held together by a common interest in nanoporous materials. This is facilitated by cutting-edge research presentations as well as opportunities for informal gatherings, and mentoring panels, and in general by providing a venue for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm together and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

The Gordon Research Conferences organization has a long history of providing a forum for the presentation and discussion of cutting-edge research in a variety of science and engineering fields, including in coastal ocean dynamics. This grant will provide a partial contribution toward attendee costs for the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) and Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Coastal Ocean Dynamics to be held at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire, from June 7–8 and 8–13, 2025, respectively. This GRC, convened every two years, brings together academic and federal researchers to share the latest advances and identify new challenges in coastal physical oceanography and related dynamics. NSF has a long track record of supporting attendee participation in this GRC and the funds will be used to support the attendance of US based students, postdocs, other early career researchers, invited speakers and discussion leaders, and other mid-career and senior researchers serving as mentors. This GRC and GRS support scientific advancement and workforce development that support societal well-being. Coastal oceans play important roles in the Earth system, for example by transforming freshwater discharges from land and by dissipating tidal energy. Understanding physical oceanographic and related processes occurring in coastal oceans is necessary to link ocean observations, models, and predictions to societal needs. By fostering collaboration among experts and mentoring of early-career scientists, the conference drives innovations in ocean modeling, observation, and prediction, improving our understanding of coastal systems, contributing to disaster preparedness and resource management, and benefiting coastal communities. The GRC chairs and vice-chairs, elected by attendees at previous GRCs, have designed the programs for the 2025 GRC and GRS on Coastal Ocean Dynamics to facilitate intellectual exchanges between researchers working in complementary areas of coastal physical oceanography and lead to new collaborations. The GRC plenary talks, given by invited speakers selected by the Program Committee, will cover topics including coastal ocean prediction, novel observing techniques, and machine learning. Scheduled session topics are: Coastal Extremes, Low-Latitude Regions, Ocean – Coastal Seas Interactions, Mid-Latitude Regions, Physical-Biogeochemical Processes, High-Latitude Regions, Observing and Predicting Multi-scale Dynamics in the Ocean, The Global Coastal Ocean, and Techniques and Technologies for Coastal Oceans. The poster sessions are open to presentations on any coastal physical oceanographic or related topic. Discussion Leaders have been recruited to stimulate and moderate discussion after each session. As session chairs, the Discussion Leaders work in advance with the speakers to ensure presentations address new, thought-provoking material and minimize review of existing work. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Project Summary: The 2025 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on "Spinal Cord Injury and Regeneration: Bridging Molecular Insights and Therapeutic Innovation" aims to provide an inclusive forum for researchers to share cutting-edge scientific data in central nervous system (CNS) injury and repair, with emphasis on spinal cord injury (SCI). SCI remains a major medical challenge, leaving millions paralyzed with various dysfunctions, including loss of sensation, cardiorespiratory issues, bladder and sexual dysfunctions, and chronic pain. Despite decades of efforts, effective treatments are lacking, let alone a cure. The consensus is that combinatorial approaches targeting multiple aspects of injury response and repair mechanisms are necessary for meaningful functional recovery. Building on three successful meetings since 2019, this GRC seeks to improve representation from individuals with lived SCI experience. The conference, scheduled for July 6-11, 2025, in Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco, Italy, with an accompanying Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on July 5-6, will focus on three key improvements: 1) Increasing participation of individuals with lived SCI experience, both as speakers and attendees, 2) Expanding dedicated discussion time after each session to foster more in-depth scientific exchange and potential collaborations, and 3) Introducing structured mentorship opportunities, including one-on-one pairings between established investigators and early-career scientists. The conference has three main aims. First, to foster a diverse and inclusive international scientific exchange on CNS injury and regeneration, ensuring full accessibility and integration of perspectives from attendees with spinal cord injuries. This includes not only physical accommodations but also the integration of their unique perspectives into the scientific discourse. Second, to facilitate cutting-edge research discussions and collaborations, featuring presentations by established and early-career researchers on innovative approaches across various animal models, experimental methods, and clinical studies. The program will cover a diverse array of topics, with speakers chosen based on their innovative approaches and the broad impact of their work. Third, to support career development and networking for early-career scientists through presentation opportunities, mentorship pairings, and guidance on career advancement. This includes providing ample opportunities for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and junior faculty to present their data, as well as offering insights on job applications, mentorship, faculty positions, lab management, and work-life balance. By bringing together diverse stakeholders from academic institutions, industry, patient associations, scientific charities, and publishers, and fostering robust scientific exchange, this GRC aims to bridge the gap between scientific theory and practical impact. The conference aspires to achieve equality in gender, ethnicity, disability, geographical, and age distribution among participants, ultimately enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of SCI research efforts and paving the way for innovative therapeutic strategies.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Collagens are superfamily of extracellular matrix proteins that are fundamental, but poorly understood, constituent of all tissues and organs throughout the animal kingdom. Cells that produce and deposit collagens have developed specialized adaptations for collagen biosynthesis and there are classes of enzymes that are dedicated to post-translationally modifying collagens. Mutations in collagens or collagen-modifying enzymes cause a broad range of human disorders affecting any organ. Given the significant role of collagens and collagen-related proteins to all manner of heath and disease, it is important that we fill knowledge gaps of how collagens regulated, what are their primary functions, and how different biochemical or biophysical states alter these functions. The 2025 meeting will build on rich tradition of continuous meetings since 1970, interrupted only by the global pandemic that caused postponement of the 2021 meeting. During this time, the Collagen GRC has become the preeminent international conference on the study of collagens. In conjunction with this, 2013 witnessed establishment of the associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) that has a specific focus on early career researchers. There are two main goals of the 2025 GRC/GRS are: 1) to share innovative and unpublished studies spanning the breadth of collagen research from biochemical and biophysical properties to understanding and treating collagen-related genetic disease; 2) to foster and empower the next generation of leaders in the field. We will accomplish these goals with a program that features (i) a plenary session that comprised of two early career researchers, (ii) two sessions on collagen biosynthesis, (iii) two sessions on collagen and collagen-related diseases, (iv) two sessions on collagen chemistry and biophysics, (v) one session on advanced imaging and model organisms, and (vi) a forward-looking session on big data and computational approaches. The program was designed to emphasize the role of early career researchers and with attention to a range of career stages and international interaction. The program represents invited speakers from 15 countries. The conference is held on the campus of Colby Sawyer College in New London, NH which fosters interaction among meeting attendees. The conference begins with an evening plenary session followed by four full days of invited and selected speakers. Each day also has a poster session and dedicated time for networking and social interactions. One afternoon has been set aside for the GRC Power Hour that is designed to address best practices in the scientific workplace by providing a conversation amongst colleagues of all career stages. The program supports the professional growth of all members of our communities by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

This project seeks support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and specifically, from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), for broadening the participation of biophotonics and biomedical-imaging investigators in the 2025 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) in Photochemistry. Specifically, we aim to utilize the NIH finding for supporting: (1) the participants in a “Biophotonis and Optical Imaging” session, and (2) promote the dissemination of fundamental photophysics and photochemistry research for development of biophotonics and biomedical applications. The first aim will allow us to bring experts in biomedical imaging and biophotonics to the photochemistry and photophysics communities represented by vast majority of the attendees of these GRC and GRS. The highly interactive nature of this meeting will promote constructive discussions and the emergence of new ideas important for advancing the biomedical fields. The second aim will ensure the cross-generational transition of knowledge and ideas. The GRC informal environment fosters open interactions between investigators from all career stages, essential not only for mentoring and education, but also for commencing new fruitful collaborations between scientists and engineers. The Photochemistry GRC is a five-day prime international meeting attracting broad multidisciplinary participation of scientists and engineers working on various aspects of light-matter interactions. The preceding one-day GRS is organized and led by students and postdocs attending the GRC, aiming at encouraging independent thinking and discussions on topics similar and/or complementary to those covered in the GRC. Topics on the molecular nature of cell physiology and development of advanced optical tools for deciphering phenomena in biological systems not only are of immense importance for advancing health science but also resonate truly well with the attendees of Photochemistry GRC and GRS. These crossdisciplinarity settings will prove beneficial for the conference by broadening its scope, and for the biomedical field by involving physical chemists and photochemists in the discussions, thus, ensuring the success of this project.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2025-07

Microproteins, a recently identified class of proteins, play crucial roles in various diseases, including cancer, genetic disorders, metabolic issues, and neurodegenerative conditions. Recognizing their significance in health care, research efforts worldwide are focused on exploring microproteins for diagnostics and therapeutics. However, a comprehensive gathering of international experts in the field has been missing until now. Here, we describe the inaugural 2025 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Decoding Microproteins across Evolution and Disease (Microproteins-GRC), which seeks to fulfill this unmet need in the research community. Microproteins-GRC will engage a broad and interdisciplinary set of experts that represents biomedical communities, such as human genetics, oncology, and drug development, along with basic science fields, including evolutionary biology, cell biology, and emerging technologies. This conference will cater to a broad audience, including clinicians, researchers, trainees, and industry professionals, fostering collaboration and discussion to drive innovative microprotein research. The outcome of this conference will be to catalyze forward-thinking collaborations that propel patient-facing health solutions based on microproteins. To facilitate this goal, the Microproteins-GRC conference program was intentionally arranged to highlight cutting-edge topics in microprotein research that are critical to advance this research community forward towards novel solutions for patient care. We will immediately establish this theme through our opening keynote session that spotlights the medical relevance of microproteins in cancer as well as the healthcare-related microbiome. We will return to this theme in the closing keynote session which will describe immunologic-based microprotein therapies as well as drug development. In between, we feature seven sessions detailing microproteins in evolutionary model systems, cell biology, human genetics, immunology and cancer. We will achieve this conference program through an expert set of discussion leaders and speakers that showcases early-career investigators and senior faculty members. Additional opportunities for early-career scientists are available through late-breaking talks that are selected from submitted abstracts. Throughout this process, we emphasize the theme of scientific excellence through both conscientious decision-making as well as a GRC-led forums for substantive and open discussions addressing contemporary issues in science. The Aims of the 2025 Microproteins-GRC will therefore foster scientific excellence, cultivate mentorship for trainees, and disseminate dynamic research on microproteins to nurture collaboration and innovation that addresses pressing issues in human health and disease. As a result, this conference will have a direct impact on the mission of the NIH, especially the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).