The 2013 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Polyamines will present groundbreaking studies on the regulation and roles of polyamines in biology and disease. The Polyamines GRC is the preeminent meeting in the field and will cover a wide range of topics in basic, translational and clinical research. Topics will include the control of polyamine transport, the roles of polyamines in regulating transcription, RNA turnover, translation and ion channel function, and in controlling cell growth, metabolism, survival and development. An emphasis of the 2013 Polyamines GRC is targeting the polyamine pathway in pathogenic and infectious diseases and in cancer. Invited speakers represent a variety of scientific disciplines, including molecular genetics, cell biology, structural biology, biochemistry, drug development, cancer biology, infectious diseases and clinical trials. The Conference brings together a collection of top-tier international and national investigators, and provides an outstanding forum for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to share and present their work in poster format and in short talks selected from these posters. The highly collegial and collaborative atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion sessions and ample opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides the perfect environment for scientists from different disciplines to discuss and share ideas and to foster collaborations in the research areas represented.