Relaxin

Researchers gathered at the University of Missouri-Columbia in October 1979 for the fifteenth Midwest Conference on Endocrinology and Metabolism, bringing together leading scientists from around the world to focus on relaxin. Each presenter examined their chosen area in detail, and some of the findings shared here had never appeared in a scientific journal. The meeting was the first ever held solely on this hormone, which was a fitting moment because the field had been moving quickly. The post-presentation discussions were lively, reflecting how actively scientists were pursuing relaxin research at the time. The conference followed the series' long-standing practice of covering a subject both broadly and deeply.

The sessions addressed the full range of current relaxin work: where the hormone arises in the body, how it is purified and what its chemical structure is, methods for measuring it through bioassays and radioimmunoassays, the receptors that respond to it, how it acts biochemically, and the physiological effects it produces. Progress was slow after Frederick Hisaw Sr. discovered relaxin in 1926, until purified preparations became available about seven years before the meeting. Activity grew sharply in the years that followed.

The volume is dedicated to Dr. Hisaw in recognition of his discovery. It is aimed at endocrinologists, physiologists and biochemists who want a detailed record of the research presented at this meeting.