Abstract

Developmental Biology lies at the crossroads of all the Life Sciences, integrating investigations at molecular, cellular, tissue and organismal levels. The 2019 Gordon Conference on Developmental Biology will present the most recent, cutting-edge research in the field. In keeping with this year’s theme of Identity and Diversity: Developmental Biology from Molecules to Cells to Organisms, we will have nine sessions of oral presentations covering cell identity and robustness in the era of single-cell -omics, developmental time, chromatin and epigenetic influences on cell identity, dynamic imaging (and imaging dynamics), new concepts of pattern, metabolism and growth control, developmental robustness in noisy systems and will feature a number of investigators working towards in vitro precision in vivo. This year we will also pay tribute to 50 years of “Positional Information”, recognizing the 1969 landmark paper and the work by Lewis Wolpert and others that led to this conceptual synthesis. All sessions will include extended time for discussion. A portion of each session time has been kept uncommitted to choose speakers from abstracts submitted by the participants, particularly junior investigators. Because progress in Developmental Biology depends on cross-fertilization of ideas from complementary organisms, presentations will include studies in invertebrates, vertebrates and plants, and will incorporate modeling, in silico and synthetic approaches. Afternoons and late evenings will be reserved for presentation of posters and informal interactions. The relaxed atmosphere and the rural setting of the meeting will encourage stimulating discussions between established and junior investigators in all aspects of the field.