EUROPEAN  TISSUE  REPAIR  SOCIETY

WELCOME TO BRUSSELS
FOR THE TENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ETRS
24 - 27 May 2000

The board members of our Society, the local organising team, the conference secretariat and a host of anonymous people, are all actively preparing the 10th Annual Meeting of the European Tissue Repair Society in Brussels, 24–27 May 2000. Attendants from several countries and continents will present the best of their work and results.

In selecting the topics for plenary and additional sessions we have considered the blend of disciplines and expertise represented by the members and the usual attendants of our conferences. New scientific findings and clinical problems in woundcare have also directed our choice. Please visit the conference website on www.timshel.be/etrs for more information and for updates on the programme, including the topics listed here.

In the opening lecture, Merton Bernfield will highlight analogous biological events during development and during repair of tissues. In the other sessions several aspects of tissue repair and regeneration will be presented: not only in different phases of life but also in the different tissues or cells involved in all phases of healing. We have invited authorities to present recent discoveries or comprehensive reviews of their field of research. One of the challenges we face today can be summarized as bridging the gap between laboratory bench and bedside. How far are we from applying the new scientific insights into clinical practice? What are the advances in gene technology or therapeutic angiogenesis related to tissue repair? Remodelling of matrix and bone and the use of engineered tissues are areas of fast new developments, of which some novel therapeutic approaches have be derived. As apoptosis is being unraveled, its role in tissue remodelling and scarring will be described. Control of scarring is every surgeon’s dream; the issue will be approached from several points of view. Advances in measurements are discussed in clinical situations as well as in models for healing. Evidence from clinical trials will direct future guidelines as well as new treatment modalities for chronic and acute wounds. The meeting will also tackle practical issues like organising a wound clinic.

As in previous years we hope to satisfy scientists and clinicians alike, offering many opportunities for mutual inspiration. Clinicians involved in the care of patients suffering from organ failure or from wounds will be exposed to current research and progress related to their field of interest. Researchers may get new inspiration from the very specific needs encountered in the daily task of caregivers. By allowing enough time to meet with industrial representatives we recognise and appreciate their role in supporting clinical and scientific progress, particularly in the fields of tissue repair and wound healing.

Country-specific differences or difficulties in legislation regarding engineered tissue are complex issues with which companies and researchers are confronted. Ethical and financial considerations concerning genetic manipulations of cells and organs used in repair will play a decisive role in the near future of our speciality. The same holds for guidelines for care, evidence-based medicine, cost-effectiveness and quality of life issues. It is, therefore, important to not only stimulate contacts between scientists and research teams in European centres, but also on a wider scale. Our society meetings traditionally offer this opportunity. The ETRS Annual Meeting features additional incentives for our members: young investigators are most welcome to present their current research to a broad audience, and may be awarded the ‘Young Investigators’ Prize’. We will also encourage dialogue with poster-presenters during ample poster viewing time and poster discussion sessions, setting the scene for what we hope to be lively and learning discussions. A jury will then nominate the winners of the Best Poster Prize.

And, last but not least, we will meet as friends to share the many joyful and interesting activities which a European Capital has to offer. 

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Brussels at our 10th Annual Meeting!

Mieke Flour
on behalf of the organising committee