EUROPEAN  TISSUE  REPAIR  SOCIETY

In this editorial, I would like to emphasize the fact that the European Tissue Repair Society is concerned with all forms of tissue repair in many organs including not only the skin but also the kidney, lung, vessel, liver, etc. People working in fields concerned with the three steps classically described during tissue repair, inflammation, granulation tissue development and scar formation, must be represented in our society and should be present at our meetings. Furthermore, the notion of tissue repair must be considered in regeneration situations, in normal repair, in cancers (‘wounds that do not heal’, Dvorak, New England Journal of Medicine, 315: 1650–1659, 1986) and the stromal response to invasive cancers, in wounds that heal poorly (e.g., cutaneous ulcers), and in wounds with uncontrolled proliferation (e.g., hypertrophic scars, fibrosis, arteriosclerosis). In the next ETRS meeting in Brussels, sessions will be devoted to repair of organs and tissues other than skin.

Furthermore, I think that the ETRS must be, as a European society, able to combine all the societies involved in tissue repair which exist in different countries of Europe. For example, as underlined by Prof Dr L. R. Braathen in a previous ETRS Bulletin (6/3, 1999), ‘The Board of the Society [Swiss Tissue Repair Society] feels that the STRS should be associated with the European Tissue Repair Society, which, in our opinion, could serve as an umbrella society for national tissue repair societies throughout Europe’. The board of the French Wound Healing Society also agrees with this course of action.

Now, I would like to discuss some scientific aspects. Definitively, the potential of cytokine and growth factor treatment and of gene therapy is very important for the development of new therapies during the coming years. However, it is interesting to note that, for wound treatment in particular, old methods (honey, maggots, potato peelings, plant leaves, etc.) continue to be used. I know and understand that many of you (myself included) are very sceptical and critical about these types of treatment. Indeed, quite often, it is true that the protocols to test their efficacy are open to criticism and the analysis of the results is not strict enough. However, it seems that in some situations, these treatments are effective. Therefore, we have to test the efficacy of these products with protocols as strict as those used with more conventional treatments developed recently. Then, it will be necessary to try to isolate and to characterise the active principle of products (herbs in particular) which are used successfully in specific situations. Recently, for example, it has been shown that trans-resveratrol, a grapevine-derived polyphenol, possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties; furthermore, trans-resveratrol ‘deactivates’ myo-fibroblasts (Godichaud et al., Hepatology 2000, in press).

Lastly, I was concerned that my remarks in the previous ETRS Bulletin concerning the high quality standard that we must reach were interpreted in various ways. These remarks were mainly concerned with the fact that, during the Bordeaux meeting, the scientific program committee was (at least in some cases) not scrupulous enough in the selection of the presentations. Concerning the organisation of the sponsored symposia, I assume without any doubt that the companies agree with the organisers who want to plan high quality presentations. I know that the ETRS collaboration with numerous companies is very important for the society but I am also sure that the style of our society, associating together basic scientists and clinical researchers, is appreciated by the companies, not so much to contact potential prescribers of drugs, but to present their products in development and to obtain fruitful and up-to-date ideas which allow them to develop new and original treatments. With regard to wound management sessions, the organisation during our meetings of a more specific clinical day seems a good solution.

On behalf of the European Tissue Repair Society, I look forward to meeting you in Brussels for the 10th annual ETRS Meeting.

Alexis Desmoulière
President