Project Summary We request partial support for the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) titled ““Wnt Signaling: Molecular Mechanisms, Development andTtissue Homeostasis, and Therapeutics” to be held August 1-6, 2021 at the Rey Don Jaime Grand Hotel in Castelldefels, Spain. This meeting will be chaired by Stephane Angers (University of Toronto, Canada) and Mariann Bienz (MRC, UK) with Ken Cadigan (University of Michigan, USA) and Madelon Maurice (UMC Utrecht, Netherlands) as Vice-Chairs., and will include presentations from many prominent scientists, at varied career stages, active in the field of Wnt biology. The GRS will be held at the same location July 31-August 1, 2021 and will feature talks from up and coming graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and will be led by postdoctoral fellows Rony Chidiac (University of Toronto) and Pooja R. Sonavane (USCD). The specific aim of the conference is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of recent advances and new ideas in all aspects of Wnt biology. Progress in this field has consistently accelerated and has touched on countless biological processes in all metazoan life forms. In addition, the Wnt pathway is widely recognized as a critical regulator of tissue homeostasis, and, consequently, its de-regulation is associated with many disorders, from early developmental abnormalities to age-related diseases, such as cancer. Session topics have been selected on the basis of their potential impact on the key current scientific questions in development, stem cell biology and cancer. The meeting is structured to include sessions on the mechanisms of Wnt signal transduction, structure and function of Wnt signaling, Wnt signaling in tissue engineering and organoids, Wnt signaling in diseases, Wnt signaling in Development, bcatenin-independent Wnt signaling, Wnt signaling in stem cells, tissue homeostasis and regeneration and Therapeutic targeting of Wnt signaling. Insights into the Wnt function will be gleaned from a broad spectrum of model organisms, including hydra, worms, flies, frogs, fish and mice. The diversity of scientists gathering at this meeting along with the broad spectrum of topics will not only provide a fertile learning environment that will certainly benefit all attendees, but will also lead to new insights, interactions and future collaborations that will push the boundaries of biomedical research. The main long-term goal of this GRC is to raise our understanding of this complex and critical signaling pathway and thereby contribute to the continuous development of methods to target and manipulate this pathway for eventual therapeutic interventions of currently incurable diseases.

Narrative The 2021 Gordon Research Conference titled ““Wnt Signaling: Molecular mechanisms, development and tissue homeostasis, and therapeutics” seeks to advance our understanding of how the highly conserved Wnt signaling pathway influences developmental processes and disease. The proposed meeting will cover a broad spectrum of biological systems, approaches and methodologies and bring together a diverse group of scientists, including structural biologists, embryologists, and stem cell and cancer researchers.