The cellular proteome is constantly exposed to a wide variety of toxic stresses. These include external stresses, such as elevated temperatures, radiation damage and pharmacological agents as well as physiological stresses encountered during cellular proliferation, differentiation, inflammation and aging. In all organisms, induction of the Stress Response is essential for the maintenance of protein homeostasis in response to stress. Modulation of the stress response plays a critical role in life-span regulation and aging-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s as well as cancer and cardiovascular disease. The 2013 Gordon Conference "Stress Proteins in Growth, Development & Disease" is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and important meetings in the area. This conference will highlight the many cutting edge advances in the field. We emphasize a broad range of topics, including exciting developments related to stress sensing, signaling, and gene expression, diseases of protein folding and conformation, roles of stress genes in metabolism, growth and development, stress gene modulation of infection and pathophysiological states, the cell biology of stress, and the roles of stress in aging. We also plan to pay tribute to the mounting appreciation of the roles of the ubiquitin proteasome system and autophagy pathways in remodelling cells under stress conditions. A conference covering such a broad spectrum of science and focusing on recent new scientific principles and novel approaches will bring together leading biochemists and cell biologists from a wide range of subdisciplines. As such, it offers an excellent opportunity for interactions and intellectual exchange beyond the confines of thematic peer groups. The meeting provides also excellent opportunities for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior group leaders to present their work either in posters or short talks. The formal scientific program together with more informal discussions will enhance the dissemination of new information and the formation of new collaborations, which are invaluable for deeper understanding of the versatile roles of stress proteins in human health, aging and disease.