The Gordon Research Conference on Lysosomes and Endocytosis covers recent advances in understanding the function of the endocytic pathway and lysosomes. Endosomes and lysosomes play important roles in the physiology of cells and organisms. Many inherited and somatic diseases result from defects in endocytic and lysosomal pathways. Some pathogens are destroyed by these pathways, while others subvert their function during infection. Moreover, these pathways play key roles in both the stimulation and implementation of immune responses. Recent developments reveal that endocytosis and endocytic organelles play critical roles in controlling oncogenesis, glucose metabolism and muscle and stem cell development.

Topics of focus for the 2010 meeting include molecular mechanisms and cell biology of endocytic and degradative pathways, as well as their role in human health and disease. Sessions will cover molecular features of endocytic membrane traffic such as coat formation, lipid regulation and motor activity, and cell physiology including endosomal and lysosomal membrane traffic, autophagy and lysosomal secretion. Other sessions will focus on the roles of endocytic pathways in infection and immunity, cancer, diabetes and muscle disease. The conference will continue to feature a session on 'New Directions' in which novel technical and conceptual developments in the field will be discussed.

The meeting will be divided into nine half-day sessions, comprising a mixture of invited speakers and those selected from abstracts. Attendance by under-represented minorities, students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, and faculty from primarily undergraduate institutions is encouraged. If you are a student or postdoctoral researcher, it is very important to identify the principal investigator of your laboratory in your application. This conference is usually oversubscribed, so early application is advised with a suggested deadline of April 1, 2010, after which the conference may be filled. Applications received after the conference is full will be assigned to a waiting list.