Convergence of Biological and Technological Frontiers of Skin Barrier

The 15th meeting of the Gordon Research Conference on "Barrier Function of Mammalian Skin" will be held at the Waterville Valley Resort between August 13th and August 18th, 2017. This Gordon Conference is focused on the scientific topics broadly related to skin barrier properties.

Mammalian skin, the largest organ of the body, forms the principal protection against exogenous threats. At the same time, it offers an active interface to communicate with the external world through exchange of materials and signals. Skin also offers a platform to harvest diagnostic signals from and deliver therapeutics into the body. Thus, skin has received significant attention in the scientific community for fundamental as well as translational research. A large community of researchers representing biologists, clinicians, physical and chemical scientists, engineers, pharmaceutical and cosmetic scientists are actively engaged in skin barrier research. This Gordon Research Conference serves as a platform to bring together this diverse community around this scientifically stimulating topic. The general theme of this conference is "Technology meets Biology", and the focus is on convergence of technology and biology to meet unmet needs in dermatological/transdermal research and patient/consumer interests. Speakers will represent technology and biology within the same session with the goal of providing an interface between the two and promote an active dialog.

Six general scientific themes will be highlighted in the conference: UV and the Barrier, Atopic dermatitis and Ichthyosis, Skin hydration, Wound healing, Follicular disorders, Itch and sensitive skin, and Tools and Technologies. These areas represent some of the most urgent and unmet clinical needs in the field. Significant advances have been made over the years to understand the underlying biology that defines the pathophysiology of clinical conditions related to barrier defects in terms of their origin as well clinical implications. At the same time, technologies that make use of tools such as wearable devices, high throughput screening, therapeutic devices, spectroscopy and mathematical models have also developed to understand, detect or intervene barrier related problems. This conference aims to explore the convergence of these approaches and bring together communities of biologists and technologies to pave the way for future discoveries and innovation.