2026 Autophagy in Stress, Development and Disease Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

About This Grant

Project Summary This proposal seeks partial support the Gordon Research Conference on Autophagy in stress, development and disease, to be held from March 15-20th 2026, in Ventura California, USA. Autophagy is a fundamental cellular homeostatic mechanism affecting normal tissue homeostasis and age-related human diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer. The overarching aim of this GRC series is to explore the expanding role and regulatory mechanisms of autophagy in both physiological and pathological processes, with a particular focus on its impact on human diseases such as cancer. Notably, differences in autophagy activity have been associated with distinct diseases — elevated autophagy is often observed in cancer, while diminished autophagy is linked to neurodegeneration and aging. Given its central role in these prevalent diseases, understanding the fundamental regulatory mechanisms of autophagy holds promise for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. The long- term goal of this GRC series is to highlight the expanding role and regulation of autophagy in physiological and pathological processes that underlie human diseases, such as cancer. The specific aims of the 2026 GRC meeting will be to convene 30 invited speakers and discussion leaders in key areas of autophagy research along with ~200 participants for a five-day conference. The program will include a keynote session with addresses from world leaders in the field. These will include presentations by internationally recognized experts on autophagy in cancer, autophagy and proteostasis with links to immune evasion in cancer, and mechanisms of autophagy activation. Approximately 16-20 short talks will also be selected from submitted abstracts, and two poster sessions will permit all participants to contribute. The significance of this application is that the GRC on autophagy has become the cornerstone of the yearly series of conferences that critically influence, direct and drive research in the international community of autophagy researchers. GRC meetings bring together a broad group of investigators who are at the forefront of the autophagy research field and provide ample opportunities for junior scientists and trainees to present their work and exchange ideas with leaders in the field, thus nurturing the next generation of autophagy research leaders. The health relatedness of this application is that autophagy directly impacts a wide spectrum of human health and diseases related to cancer, aging, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. The research highlighted by GRC meetings on autophagy will lead to a greater molecular understanding of a critical process and help develop new approaches to treat age-related diseases and improve health-span.