Electroporation based Technologies and TreatmentsInternational Scientific Workshop and Postgraduate Course at the University of LjubljanaNovember 19-22, 2003, Ljubljana, Sloveniahttp://www.cliniporator.com/ect From November 19 to 22, 2004 an International Workshop and Postgraduate Course on Electroporation based Technologies and Treatments was organized in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Course faculty members Lluis M. Mir from CNRS and Institite Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France and Damijan Miklavcic from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana who were also Co-Directors of the Scientific Workshop, together with Eberhard Neumann (Germany), Veronique Preat (Belgium), Gregor Sersa (Slovenia) and Justin Teissie (France) prepared exciting course on electroporation and its current and potential applications in biology, biotechnology, environment and medicine. It was the first time that top European researchers in the field of electroporation research were brought together to provide the most up-to-date information on applied research. In addition to the faculty members Maja Cemazar and Tadej Kotnik (both from Slovenia) and Igor Lackovic (Croatia) gave comprehensive lectures on tumor biology, cells and tissues in electric fields. The course covered different aspects of electroporation. From the basic level of electroporation on lipid bilayers, through to the cell electroporation in vitro and in vivo. Applications of electroporation like gene transfection, electrochemotherapy of tumors and transdermal drug delivery were presented. In addition, the course program was enriched by three invited lectures. The imaging techniques were presented by Bruno Gabriel (France), Srdjan Novakovic (Slovenia) was presenting a lecture on Current status of tumor vaccines, and E-Learning as a possible technological option for the next course was presented by Matevz Pustisek (Slovenia). The important part of each scientific event is also getting to know each other and finding differences in different countries. Social events were thus an important part of the program. On the first day we had a get-together party at the local inn Zabar, tasting the excellent Slovenian wine. On Thursday afternoon participants visited the famous Karst Postojna cave. The course was attended by 71 participants from 10 different European countries (Belgium, France, Ireland, Romania, Croatia, Germany, Lithuania, Italy, Bulgaria, and Slovenia). The Postgraduate Course will be repeated every two years. You can obtain more information as well as the proceedings of the course from the www.cliniporator.com/ect or damijan@svarun.fe.uni-lj.si. The event was supported by the Bioelectrochemistry Society and IGEA, s.r.l.
Peter Kramar
|