Basic Science and Disease Mechanisms in Multiple Organ Systems

The Gordon Conference on Lymphatics has been running since 2004 and uniquely brings together scientists who think about lymphatic vessels and interstitial fluid clearance from multiple perspectives. The meeting involves and attracts physiologists, engineers, developmental biologists, immunologists, cancer biologists, geneticists, and clinicians, allowing for a high level of cross fertilization between disciplines. The 2016 conference builds on the rapid growth in the field of lymphatic biology that the first decade of conferences fostered. Sessions have been designed to center around a theme that integrates speakers from various disciplines to further promote cross-disciplinary interactions. For example, a session on the lymph node in lymphatic biology will bring together presentations from the field of immunology to physiological analysis of how the organization of a lymph node and where it is placed in a chain of lymphangions affects lymph flow within the lymphatic system. Whereas the skin has been the traditional organ in which work in the field has focused, the 2016 conference will also bring in talks and even whole sessions that consider interstitial flow and lymphatic vessels in different organ systems. These include a talk on glymphatics in the brain and a session devoted solely to mesenteric lymphatic development, function, and roles in intestinal disease. New disease perspectives will be discussed, including a session devoted to the molecular and clinical features of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) a disease that primarily involves the pulmonary system. Throughout the conference, talks will consider the emerging connections between lymphatics and the cardiovascular system, from platelets to arterial disease and lipid metabolism.

Many speakers will be first time participants to this conference, representing the growth in the scope of lymphatics research and the number of scientists focusing on lymphatics. The meeting remains, as always, committed to fostering interactions between international scientists at all career stages. Following on the success of the 2014 Gordon Research Seminar, the 2016 conference will also have a companion GRS, being organized by Drs. Joshua Scallan and Amelie Sabine, and the incorporation of seelected short talks into the sessions of the main conference. Please join me in Ventura, CA for a wonderfully interactive and impactful meeting on the lymphatic vasculature.