4th ESEM Conference Warsaw, May 24-28, 1997

There were 346 registered participants for the conference from 25 countries (including one day registrations). 79 listeners participated in the pre-conference courses. About 200 to 300 listeners participated in the plenary and parallel scientific sessions. Thanks to the financial support from European Commission (Directorate General XII, Science, Research and Development) 22 scientists from the Central European countries and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union were able to participate in the conference.

On May 25 the Project Leaders Meeting of EC funded BIOMED program took place. The day before, May 24, the following pre-conference courses were realised:

  • Internet in medicine (Marc Nyssen, Bruxelles, Belgium)
  • Time frequency distribution techniques and biomedical signals (F. Grandori and Sergio Cerutti, Milan, Italy)
  • Functional electrical stimulation in rehabilitation technology (Tadeij Bajd, Slovenia)
  • Gene therapy - Technological Challenges (A. Mackiewicz, Poznan, Poland)

In the conference itself, invited lectures were given together with parallel scientific sessions, including poster sessions. Additionally symposia and workshops were organised. The Invited Lectures were:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (Peter Boesiger, Zurich, Switzerland)
  • Future of biochemical sensors and sensors systems (Pieter Bergveld, Twente, Netherlands)
  • Electrocardiogram signal acquisition, preprocessing and parameters measurement (Ivan Daskalov, Sofia, Bulgaria)
  • Recent advances in Doppler ultrasonography - colour Doppler, power Doppler, tissue Doppler and contrast agents (A. Nowicki, Warsaw, Poland)
  • Telematics in health care programme (J. Roberts, Maccles Field, United Kingdom)
  • Trends and goals in computer aided surgery (K. Rademacher, Aachen, Germany)
  • Internet in medicine: attempting and overview (Marc Nyssen, Bruxelles, Belgium)
  • Machine learning in medicine (Ivan Bratko, Ljubljana, Slovenia)
  • Molecular approaches relating to the design of cell-based bioartificial devices (S. Makohliso, Lausanne, Switzerland)
  • Metallic implant materials (H. Plenk, Viennna, Austria)
  • Liver support systems (J. Gaylor, Glasgow, United Kingdom)
  • Trends in development of artificial heart and heart assistive devices (V. Shumakov, Moscow, Russia)

The titles of the symposia and workshops were:

  • Policy on high technology medical equipment in Europe (chaired by Pierre Rabischong, Montpellier, France)
  • Biomedical technology in EC research programs (chaired by Jan Beneken, Eindhoven, Netherlands)
  • Artificial organs versus natural heart transplants (chaired by A. Werynski, Warsaw, Poland)
  • Surgical and prosthetic voice rehabilitation postlaryngectomy (chaired by H.F. Mahieu, Amsterdam, Netherlands)
  • Making decision support system work for patients with diabetes: DIAS System (chaired by R. Hovorka, London, UK)
  • The use of stable isotopes in biomedical research (chaired by A. Coward, Cambridge, UK)
  • Information technology in conformal radiotherapy, INFOCUS (chaired by D. R. Burton and M.J. Lalor, Liverpool, UK)
  • Microengineering in biology and medicine (chaired by C. Depeursinge, Lausanne, Switzerland)

In total, 147 oral presentations and 86 poster presentations were included in the conference program. Of these, 91 originated from Western countries and 142 from Central and Eastern European countries and New Independent States of the former Soviet Union. Representatives of 25 countries were present in the conference.

All the abstracts accepted for the conference were printed in Abstract of the 4th European Conference on Engineering and Medicine, Warsaw, Poland, 25-28 May 1997 (eds: Pierre Rabischong, Jacques Melin, Maciej Nalecz). Each abstract was allocated a maximum of two pages. The book was available at the start of the conference.

The particular goal of the conference, which was to establish a bridge between Engineering and Medicine was achieved. The conference participants were engineers and medical doctors in nearly equivalent numbers. The conference gave them not only the possibility of information exchange at the scientific sessions but also the possibility of common discussion of some general problems at the symposia and during EC BIOMED Project Leaders Meeting.

The major achievement was in the emergence of collaborative links which were established between colleagues in Eastern and Western Europe. The 4th ESEM Conference in Warsaw has clearly demonstrated, that a real bridge has been built between these two parts of Europe. Very good contacts were established with specialists from Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovenia and Ukraine. It was very encouraging to observe that one of the major objectives of this conference, bridging East and West, was a success. The two symposia on policy and high technology medical equipment in Europe and on biomedical technology in EC research programs, has emphasised that real and practical possibilities exist to associate clinical research teams from the East, into projects presented by Western groups and also to find some possible financial support.

WOJCIECH ZMYSLOWKI