The Red Cell Gordon Conference has provided an informal atmosphere for in-depth discussions on topics related to red cell biology, regulation of erythroid gene expression, hematopoiesis, and clinically related issues. The meeting, which is consistently oversubscribed, draws leading scientists and clinicians from around the world. The 2003 meeting should be especially noteworthy, given the major recent advances in several of the prominent areas. Nine individual sessions are planned, eight sessions will feature a short introductory lecture, four to seven full lectures, and several short talks. One session will be devoted exclusively to talks chosen from the submitted abstracts and late-breaking discoveries of major significance. A new component of this Gordon Conference will be a 10 min collective brain-storming period at the end of each session, in which conferees will be encouraged to identify the major unanswered questions in the field. The session topics are: Session 1. Red Cell Disorders; Session 2. Membrane Structure, Transport and Adhesion; Session 3. Membrane Structure and Mechanics; Session 4. Regulation of Erythroid Membrane Protein Gene Expression; Session 5. Erythroid Gene Expression: Globin/LCR; Session 6. Erythroid Gene Expression: Transcription; Session 7. Stem Cells; Session 8. Hematopoiesis; Session 9. Late Breaking Stories/Selected Talks from Poster Presentations. Two afternoon poster sessions will also feature a mix of presentations from all disciplines. The diversity of scientific approaches/interests combined with the richness of discussions of previous Red Cell Gordon Conferences has led to numerous productive collaborations and fostered new developments in these important areas of basic and clinical research