This application requests support for the Fourth International Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues. The Conference is designed to engage laboratory and clinical scientists from federal, university and private sector laboratories and clinics with the objective of optimizing international scientific communication. The conference is particularly timely, based upon recent advances in understanding the metabolism of mineralized tissues, cell and extracellular matrix mediated biomineralization, structure/function progress related to mineralized tissue constituents, recombinant DNA technology strategies to define primary structure functions in mineralized tissues, transgenic models for human diseases, and clinical progress in medicine and dentistry using new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. To facilitate Conference objectives, a comprehensive four-day meeting is planned to provide a forum for approximately 400 scientists to exchange information in twelve unique symposia, with each symposium consisting of 3-4 20 poster presentations/session. To further enhance scientific discussions, the Hotel Del Coronado, an oceanside conference facility near San Diego, California, has been selected as the Conference venue. The hotel provides a conductive environment for both formal and informal scientific discussions. The proceedings will be published within 4-6 months following the Conference. A special feature of the Conference will be the provision of scholarships to enable young scientists to attend this valuable scientific event.