From the Organism to the Atom: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Metalloproteinase Regulation in Development and Disease

Since Gross and Lapierre’s landmark description of the remarkable tissue remodeling activity inherent in amphibian metamorphosis, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have captured the scientific imagination for over 50 years. Since its inception, the field has been inherently trans-disciplinary, combining tools and approaches from structural biology and biochemistry, genomics and proteomics, cell and developmental biology, medicine and pathology to address key questions of basic and translational importance. Against the scenic backdrop of Maine’s White Mountains, the 2015 MMP Gordon Research Conference (GRC) will showcase innovative and integrative research on MMPs and related proteins in a comfortable and collegial setting. Opening sessions will provide a broad look at the far-ranging activities of MMPs in biology, from basic processes such as mechanical sensing in early development to metamorphosis, remodeling, regeneration and disease. Subsequent sessions will explore MMP visualization and control, to highlight new tools with which to image and inhibit MMPs and elucidate mechanisms of biological regulation. We will then examine the molecular-level details of MMP structure and function to better understand and appreciate the interactions of this complex family of enzymes with their extra-, peri-, and intra-cellular partners. Throughout, the conference will honor the contributions of MMP pioneers in the context of new discoveries catalyzed by their original insight. In addition to invited speakers, many oral presentations will be selected from the submitted abstracts. Lively poster sessions also contribute to the intellectual intensity of the conference and provide a format for productive discussions and new collaborations. The MMP GRC is pleased to partner with an affiliated Gordon Research Seminar designed by and for junior investigators and trainees, held immediately preceding the GRC. We are a collegial group of enthusiastic scientists ready to welcome you and your insight, intellect and curiosity to Sunday River Resort, August 2-7, 2015!