2023 Cartilage Biology and Pathology Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar - ABSTRACT
This is a request to support the 2023 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and associated Gordon Research
Seminar (GRS) on Cartilage Biology and Pathology, which will be held at the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco,
Lucca Italy, March 19-24, 2023. The GRC will be the tenth in a series of highly successful biennial
conferences, and it will be preceded an associated GRS, a pre-meeting exclusively dedicated to and organized
by trainees. The GRC and GRS will cover broad basic and translational research topics with the theme of
“Cartilage biology, structure, and function: From development to regeneration”. The GRC on Cartilage
Biology and Pathology owes its success to three major principles. First, it is the only conference that brings
together basic-science researchers, clinicians-scientists and biomedical engineers, and covers a broad
spectrum of cartilage biology, cartilage pathology and scientific disciplines relevant to cartilage research.
Second, and exemplifying the GRC tradition, the conference emphasizes forward thinking, unpublished cutting-
edge findings, state-of-the-art technologies and open discussions. It alternates formal presentations with poster
sessions and informal discussions, and limits attendance to 200 participants to promote collegial interactions
and the establishment of productive collaborations. Third, it is open to researchers at all career stages and
encourages mentoring, networking, and collaborations among aspirant, young and senior investigators. This
principle is emphasized with the inclusion of a GRS, which has been highly successful in the past. The
GRC/GRS on Cartilage Biology and Pathology covers a broad range of topics and new technologies as
cartilage is not only the earliest skeletal tissue that supports skeletal development from embryos to adulthood,
but also serves an essential skeletal component of a functional adult skeletal system. In this regard, diseases
that result in cartilage malformation or degeneration significantly affect the lifespan and quality of life of a large
part of the population. The GRC will highlight recent advances and challenges in understanding cartilage
biology and diseases. Established scientists and talented new investigators will report and discuss their most
recent exciting findings according to this theme and will provide insights into the remaining challenges towards
understanding the various aspects of cartilage biology, disease, and translational approaches. We expect the
2023 GRC/GRS on Cartilage Biology and Pathology to empower researchers across disciplines to make
significant progress towards understanding cartilage biology and improving human health.
