Biopolymers - In Vitro, In Silico, and in the Cell

The 2012 Biopolymers Gordon Research Conference will explore recent advances and future trends in understanding the relationship between structure and function of biological polymers (e.g. proteins, nucleic acids, macromolecular assemblies), with emphasis on physical and chemical principles underlying their behaviors in solution and in the cellular environment. Session topics will span multiple disciplines, including the consequences of macromolecular crowding, the mechanisms of macromolecular complex assembly and aggregation, structural dynamics and allostery, elasticity and mechanics, and protein folding and design. The sessions have been organized so that each topic is addressed using diverse approaches and techniques including simulation, spectroscopy, single molecule measurements, x-ray crystallography and a variety of biochemical and biophysical solution methods, with applications to basic and clinical science. The Biopolymers GRC is uniquely poised to foster multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary connections between chemistry, computer science, physics and biology. This meeting of scientists applying experimental and theoretical methods to study biological polymers encourages the exchange and discussion of results and ideas among participants with different backgrounds, thereby promoting interdisciplinary research activities.