Metabolism supports many developmental processes, including programmed cell death, proliferation, migration and cell fate control, all of which are essential for development of complex organisms, including humans. The field of developmental metabolism aims to determine how nutrient availability and the regulation of metabolic pathways support and instruct processes such as tissue patterning, developmental timing, organ function, and cell fate control. Elucidating the role of metabolism in these processes requires new analytical approaches, rigorous models of developmental biology and a thorough assessment of the impact of metabolic anomalies on development.

This meeting will bring together researchers at the interface of metabolism and development with the goal of providing complementary perspectives in this emerging field. We will convene investigators studying the mechanisms that link nutrients and metabolic pathways to normal development and developmental anomalies, connecting discoveries across humans, mice and other model organisms. The program will cover modern tools for metabolic analysis that are now enabling the dissection of mechanistic connections between metabolic pathways and developmental biology. Integrating these new technologies with genetic and epidemiological insights will provide a holistic understanding of how nutrition and metabolism safeguard development, and how these processes can go awry. This meeting will drive new research frontiers in the exciting field of developmental metabolism, outline pressing questions in the field, and showcase the powerful role of metabolites in establishing and maintaining cell fitness across developmental timescales.