The 13th conference of the International Society for Hyaluronan Sciences, Hyaluronan 2021, was held virtually on June 14th and 15th.  Conference organizers Larry Sherman and Paul Bollyky had lined up an excellent set of invited and selected talks, and the poster sessions were equally impressive.  

ISHAS president, Tony Day, opened the meeting with an award to a giant in our field of hyaluronan (HA) research, Vince Hascall.  Vince’s long-standing colleague, Carol de la Motte, highlighted memorable times and stages in Vince’s studies of HA which Vince elaborated on in his presentation of some of his key findings. Perhaps what stood out most was the vital role that Vince had played as a collaborator and cheerleader for innumerable scientists that entered into the HA field.  It all culminated with the awarding of the 2021 “Rooster Prize”. Established in 2003, the rooster prize honors individuals who have made a significant contribution to the HA field.  

Keynote speaker Gijsje Koenderink set a high bar for the meeting with her talk on “Biophysics of HA across scales”. Her laboratory has used rheology to examine the changing physical state of HA mediated by changes in interactions and bonding at different pH values.  This high standard continued to be upheld throughout our 5 sessions which covered HA Synthesis and Metabolism, HA in Signaling and Cell Biology, HA in Stem Cells, Development & Aging, HA in Disease, and Advances in HA Biotechnology.  

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AWARDS & PRIZES  |  ABSTRACT BOOK  |  MEETING STATISTICS  |  SCHEDULE