Angiogenesis and Angiostability in Development, Disease and Engineered Tissues

This Angiogenesis Gordon Research Conference (GRC), “Angiogenesis and angiostability in development, disease and engineered tissues”, and the accompanying Gordon Research Seminar (GRS, organized by and for trainees) “Harnessing developmental angiogenesis to instruct cell therapies and regenerative medicine” are designed to explore the underlying hypothesis that the vast heterogeneity of blood vessels is driven and supported by unique molecular and cellular mechanisms ensuring their proper formation and stability. A better understanding of how and why blood vessels of different organs, sizes and morphologies grow and maintain their architecture, despite being under unrelenting hemodynamic assault, is critical to inform vascularization of engineered or regenerating tissues, and to normalize vascular malformations. The goals of the conference are therefore to bridge existing knowledge and communication gaps between researchers at all levels (students, postdocs, junior and senior scientists in academia and industry) who study angiogenesis and angiostability, and those focusing on vascular diseases, stem cell biology and disease-associated vascular dysfunction, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and stroke. These fields have recently developed paradigms, tools and models to aid this goal, and this integration is predicted to move science forward towards timely translation of basic discoveries. A complimentary GRS pre-meeting will also be included and will be organized by trainees and for trainees, with limited guidance from GRC Chairs and faculty mentors that will attend the GRS. The GRS will feature presentations of trainee work, to facilitate networking and provide them with a peer group as they transition into the larger meeting. The associated GRS will therefore support the overall goals of the meeting, with an emphasis on trainees.