Insights into Gene Networks, Disease Models and Evolutionary Mechanisms in Craniofacial Morphogenesis

The ultimate aim of craniofacial research is to understand the causes underlying craniofacial malformations and to develop diagnostics and therapies for these disorders. An in-depth, interdisciplinary understanding of the developmental biology and disease processes is an essential foundation for insights into the mechanisms of craniofacial morphogenesis and the translation of scientific outcomes to the clinical management of developmental disorders of the head and face. Such in-depth work probes the cellular events and molecular switches that control tissue patterning and the morphogenetic processes that shape craniofacial tissues and organs. The scientific program will highlight recent advances in the knowledge of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that control the specification of craniofacial cell populations and tissue architecture and the functional output and the evolutionary changes in gene networks. This will be accompanied by discussions on how these processes drive tissue diversity and the formshaping process, and how distinctive features of the vertebrate head evolved. There will be invited presentations by leading researchers on new findings in craniofacial morphogenesis, with specific focus on the functional attributes of the gene network and the intersection with signalling activity. The meeting will also feature sessions on the functional genomics of craniofacial syndromes, development of animal models and the disease-causing mechanism and on the application of tissue engineering in regenerative repair.

The conference will be attended by researchers who have diverse expertise to foster stimulating discussions and productive collaborations across different fields. The conference will also provide unique opportunities for junior investigators and graduate students to present their work either in poster format or as a short talk selected from submitted abstracts. The collegial atmosphere of the main conference and the associated Gordon Research Seminar, and the informal setting of poster sessions and platform presentation, will facilitate personal interactions and sharing of knowledge, and will help to identify future directions in basic and clinical research of craniofacial morphogenesis.