Connecting Structure, Mechanics, and Function in Cells and Tissues

Adhesive interactions amongst neighboring cells and between cells and their extracellular matrix drive structural, mechanical, and biochemical changes that are critical to all aspects of biology including development, physiology, and the pathogenesis of disease. The main objective of the 2018 Gordon Research Conference on Signaling by Adhesion Receptors is to provide an interdisciplinary forum to share the newest knowledge on cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesions and their mechanochemical signaling in cells; advances in how these fundamental processes are engaged in development and disease; and emerging topics and technologies to advance new frontiers in adhesion signaling. This interdisciplinary meeting necessarily brings together researchers in diverse fields of biology, bioimaging, and bioengineering for both the understanding of cellular adhesions and how its regulation can be harnessed for therapeutic applications. This meeting also will promote the mentorship of trainees in this field, and features an associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) the weekend preceding the main conference.