We are fast approaching our annual meeting in Cardiff, 5-8 September. Keith Harding has informed me that abstracts continue to come in and there has been much interest in the programme. Keep in mind that the meeting is being preceded by clinical sessions in the 'Wound Care in Context' meeting, from Sunday September 2nd to Tuesday 4th, followed by a specialised symposia on Wednesday 5th, leading into the main ETRS Meeting from the evening of Wednesday 5th to Saturday 8th. Registration details can be obtained from emap healthcare.* In this issue, Keith Harding gives a full update on the programme which looks extremely stimulating.

In this issue of the ETRS Bulletin we have a number of interesting articles including one on cost-effectiveness by Alex Macario of Stanford University who will be on sabbatical in Spain for one year from September. As its remit since its founding, the ETRS has had to study all forms of tissue repair, and in this issue we have an update on peripheral nerve repair by Professor Gregory Evans from the University of Irvine, California.

We also have a report from the Burns Center in Xi'an which has a major wound healing programme lead by Professor Chen Bi who is one of the founders of the Chinese Tissue Repair Society as well as being the co-host of the First Joint Meeting of the Chinese Tissue Repair Society and European Tissue Repair Society held in 1996 in Xi'an, China.
A recent article by Professor Fu, in Beijing (President of the Chinese Tissue Repair Society) entitled: 'Advances in Wound Healing Repair in China: from antiquity to the present' is published in our journal Wound Repair and Regeneration (Jan/Feb 2001 vol. 9.1, p.2). The amount of research being carried out in tissue repair in China is impressive as well as the quality of the work and their recognition of the role of traditional medicine in wound healing.

Local European Wound Healing Associations are highlighted by the new Italian group in which Professor Giovani Micali is President and Dr Marco Romanelli, a member of the ETRS, has the office of Relations with Foreign Wound Healing Societies. Dr Romanelli, who is incoming President of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and who hosted the very successful 4th annual meeting in Pisa, has also been active in establishing a tissue repair course through the Department of Dermatology, University of Pisa. The first course was held this year.
Lastly, abstracts from the ETRS Satellite meeting on the Pathobiology of Scars, Masterclass on Scarring, held in Montpellier, France in April and hosted by Luc Téot, are included in this issue. Luc has informed me that the planning for the Second World Wound Healing Congress in Paris in 2004 is progressing well and further information about this congress may be obtained from him.

I look forward to seeing you in Cardiff, and please visit the ETRS Booth.

George W. Cherry
Editor