Bridging the Divide Between Megakaryocytes and Platelets

The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on the Cell Biology of Megakaryocytes and Platelets is the premier scientific meeting focused on the biology of megakaryocytes and the platelets that arise from them. This will be the 6th biennial meeting that was organized to bring together two groups of scientists with complimentary goals and interests.

Fusing new developments in basic science with high-impact translational research, the meeting will provide a stimulating program featuring an international mix of established and upcoming researchers. The meeting will start with two Keynote speakers, Drs. John Hartwig and Shaun Jackson, covering ground-breaking aspects of megakaryocyte and platelet biology. Meeting topics will include emerging roles for platelets in biology, including immunity, tumor metastasis, and lymphatic development. Identification of new signaling pathways that regulate megakaryocyte development and platelet activation will also be a key theme, including an original session focused on membrane biology. Novel mechanisms for growing platelets in vitro as well as innovative ways to visualize and study megakaryocytes and platelets will also come under the spotlight. The conference will also report on the latest findings in the regulation of platelet numbers. In addition, there is an entire session devoted to presentations of Late-Breaking Topics, selected from submitted abstracts. Building on the highly creative, congenial interactions that characterized the previous meetings in this series, this conference will provide the ideal setting for cross-fertilization of ideas, conceptual advances, and the promotion of synergistic collaborations.

This GRC is tied in with a two-day Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) for trainees interested in this field, which will give them the opportunity to present their research as well as gain insights from senior academic and industry investigators in this area. Abstracts submitted by trainees will be scored by a panel, and selected for oral presentations, of which some will also present under Late-Breaking Topics in the GRC. Additionally, a panel discussion on careers in academia and in pharmaceutical companies will provide mentoring to young investigators.