The 14th International BMP Conference: Multi-functionality of the BMP Signaling Pathway in Development, Health, and Disease

Summary The bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) and their downstream signaling pathways are critical regulators of key developmental and physiological processes and when altered, cause severe pathologies including developmental defects, organ failures and cancer. The International BMP Conference - now in its 14th occurrence - is a unique, unmatched and fundamental forum in which to assess the most recent research advances from national and international leaders and identify and discuss the most pressing questions moving forward. As its predecessors, it will offer the unique opportunity to bring together not only established physician-scientists and scientists but also young investigators, students and new-comers to the field who will spend several full days together to hear, assess and discuss the most advanced research, to consider the BMP field in all its facets and to envision its future. The conference will thus integrate basic and essential aspects of BMP signaling and function with the work of developmental biologists, cancer biologists, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and physician-scientists, structural biologists and computational biologists, all aimed at understanding the molecular, cellular and biochemical underpinnings of BMP family signal transduction and mechanisms of action in diverse physiological and pathological contexts. Attendees use a broad spectrum of approaches from human patient to model organisms and in vitro experimental methods, along with large-scale proteomic, transcriptomic and other genome-wide methods to unravel, define and understand the roles, regulation, fine-tuning and pathology of BMP signaling in these challenging and different contexts. The Specific Aims are: Aim 1: To assess and disseminate the latest, unpublished results in the BMP pathway signaling field, providing an exchange of knowledge and advice through talks and informal interactions at poster sessions. Aim 2: To foster collaborations, intellectual exchange, and interdisciplinary approaches by bringing together diverse investigators including clinicians, biochemists and cellular and structural biologists, and all those in between in order to promote integrative approaches to elucidate BMP family signaling and its components. Aim 3: Building the next cohort of BMP scientists by providing supportive and interactive forums for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, and junior faculty to meet and interact with senior scientists, providing networking opportunities and training and career development venues. In addition to invited experts, speakers will be chosen from submitted abstracts to highlight late breaking high-impact research, emphasizing work by early-stage investigators. The requested support for the 14th International BMP Conference would be a significant contribution toward fulfilling the conference's goals to stimulate creativity and collaborations in basic, translational and clinical research into a key cell and developmental signaling pathway, as well as to provide early career stage investigators with strong support to promote and develop their talent. Project Number: 1R13HD118734-01 | Fiscal Year: 2025 | NIH Institute/Center: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) | Principal Investigator: Mary Mullins (+1 co-PI) | Institution: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA, PA | Award Amount: $10,000 | Activity Code: R13 | Study Section: Developmental Biology Study Section[CHHD-C] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/1R13HD11873401