Presidents' invitation
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the Congress Organizing Committee, it is a great pleasure to invite you to the joint IFCC WorldLab and EuroMedLab Berlin 2011 Congress. It is a great privilege for us to host this major joint event of Laboratory Medicine in the capital of Germany in May 2011. The 21st International Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine will take place together with the 19th European Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine as well as with the 8th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.
An attractive scientific program will be developed together with the International Scientific Committee and the International Scientific Advisory Board which represent IFCC, EFCC and DGKL. In addition to the classical types of scientific sessions including plenary, symposium, workshop and poster presentation, we will also offer new types of scientific sessions such as "the year in review", pro-con-sessions, clinical case conferences. All of this is designed to develop a highly interactive forum to discuss cutting-edge science in our field.
Berlin is one of the most vibrant cities in Germany and Europe and is centered in the heart of Europe. Berlin is therefore an ideal platform to provide not only an international exchange of knowledge and ideas, but also to foster communication of participants from all parts of the world. The month May is among the best time of the year to come to Berlin. In addition to the scientific program and to the exhibition a rich social program which will provide the frame for relaxing, stimulating and exciting experiences for the attendees, families and friends.
The International Conference Center (ICC) is conveniently located to the airport (10 min from Tegel Airport), is easily accessible by public transportation and taxi and is almost in the center of the city.
One of the unique features of Berlin is the availability of a high number of hotel rooms, ranging from 5 to 2 star categories, all of them very reasonably priced. This will allow young physicians and scientists to come to Berlin at low costs. Therefore, one major focus of the conference will be aimed at young scientists and young physicians from around the world. Particularly for the next generation of specialists in the field of Laboratory Medicine and Clinical Chemistry, we will provide a forum for scientific and social exchange.
For all of these reasons, we are cordially inviting you and your colleagues to come to Berlin together with your friends and families. Your active participation in the scientific program will be the fundament for a successful event in 2011. Mark your calendar already now for this important meeting!
We are looking forward to welcoming you and your families in Berlin.
With warm regards,
President
President
Dear Colleagues,
A major focus of the scientific program will center around the post-genomic area and its impact on the patient. In this regard we are awaiting great advances and a much better understanding of genomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic regulation with regard to the pathophysiology of diseases.
With regard to laboratory diagnostic medicine, risk assessment of the patient, prediction of disease development and evaluation of preventive strategies represent major challenges. Furthermore, (sub)phenotyping hand-in-hand with the introduction of individualized and tailored pharmacotherapy are already visible at the horizon. Subsequently, pharmacogenomics and theragnostics represent novel emerging fields in laboratory medicine. All of these advances are only manageable with the dramatic and rapid development of technologies all of them requiring a new dimension of bioinformatics.
We are observing worldwide dramatic increase in non-communicable disease such as chronic inflammatory conditions, autoimmunity, allergy, diabetes, obesity, cardio-vascular disease, neuro-degenerative conditions and others. The prevalences are certainly highest in industrialized countries; however, developing countries around the world are currently observing the same trend. Therefore, concerted actions are worldwide required to obtain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms, particularly with regard to gene-environment / lifestyle interactions. Therefore, our field of laboratory medicine stands not alone, but is closely linked with other fields in Medicine and Science such as molecular biology, biochemistry, haematology, microbiology, immunology, transfusion medicine and other neighbouring disciplines. The Berlin 2011 congress will provide the opportunity to look beyond our own field. It is the aim of the Scientific Program Committee to provide as many translational sessions as possible by including eminent representatives from clinical disciplines in the various types of sessions.
The International Scientific Committee will do its best to develop an interesting and stimulating scientific program together with the help of the International Scientific Advisory Board, the various representatives of IFCC and FESCC. All suggestions from the membership societies are most welcomed and strongly encouraged.
Yours Sincerely,
Harald Renz
Chair of the International Scientific Committee
