Annual Meeting 2010
| Start: | 18 November 2010 |
| End: | 20 November 2010 |
| Place: | City Hall Heiligenstadt |
| Aegidienstraße | |
| 37308 Heilbad Heiligenstadt |
Conference review
Review of the annual conference of the German Society for Biomaterials on 18-20.11.2010 in Heilbad Heiligenstadt.
This year Prof. Liefeith and his team invited the members of the DGBM and interested parties to the Thuringian Heilbad Heiligenstadt. The Institute for Bioprocess and Analytical Measurement e.V . (iba) together with Conventus GmbH had taken over the organisation of this year's annual meeting and put together a highly interesting programme. 270 participants wanted to inform themselves about the two major topics "Bioactive materials for tissue replacement and new in vitro/in vivo test strategies" and "Bioactive materials for tissue regeneration and new bioreactor-based cultivation strategies". However, of the 189 papers registered, "only" 153 came to fruition; unfortunately, due to lack of capacity, a number of abstracts had to be rejected. Despite the tightly packed program, it was not possible to listen to or view more than the 59 technical presentations and 94 posters offered in the time available.
The topics covered in the individual sessions ranged from the contact of different tissues with biomaterials to tissue engineering and bioreactor development. The concept of having internationally renowned scientists and clinicians introduce the various topics and combining this with lectures, some of which were given by young scientists, was a success. Lively discussions were initiated, and in some cases the lively exchange of ideas had to be interrupted by the chair of the meeting. During the coffee breaks and at the buffet of the first day, discussions continued in an informal atmosphere.
The two evening lectures held by Professors J. Vienken (Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg) and F. Schlottig (Thommen Medical, Waldenburg/CH) were a special feature of the program. The initial scepticism as to whether one would still be able to follow these speakers after a rich Thuringian buffet with corresponding, partly alcoholic drinks, gave way to unanimous enthusiasm. The choice of speakers, who gave exciting and informative lectures on the problems of biomaterial development in a more general context, convinced the still numerous audience. And especially the possibility to listen to the lectures in a relaxed way in the evening with a drink in hand was perceived by many participants as particularly atmospheric. Congratulations, Mr Liefeith, on this fine idea!
At this year's annual meeting, the new generation was not neglected either. Although most presented their work in the form of posters, there were also a number of very convincing lectures. Overall, it can be observed that the quality of the presentations has approached a gratifyingly high level.
As the program allowed a pleasant amount of time away from the sessions (coffee breaks and lunch were held in the foyer), technical talks or discussions could be held again and again at booths where some companies provided information on the latest apparative developments. The poster session was also very popular, and the crowds in the aisles were sometimes considerable. However, this did not detract from the general good mood.
The young scientists in the field of biomaterials presented themselves at the booth of the Young Scientist Forum YSF of the European Society for Biomaterials. They informed about the European PhD, the actions of the YSF and discussed about possibilities to develop a common platform for further education, networking and information exchange also in Germany.
The general meeting of the DGBM brought, in addition to the discharge of the previous board, above all the new elections. These had become necessary after the resignation of the first chairman, Prof. Rueger. A new team, consisting of Prof. Epple (first chairman, center), PD Dr. Rammelt (deputy chairman), PD Dr. Nebe (treasurer, right), Prof. Willumeit (secretary, left) and Prof. Worch (board member for special tasks), was unanimously elected.
Towards the end of the meeting the prizes were awarded: Poster prizes of 300 € each were awarded to Christian Greulich et al. (AG Köller), Kai Stuckensen&Uwe Gbureck and Anas Bouguecha et al. (AG Betancur).
Funding prizes of € 1,000 each for the best dissertations went to Dr. Ursula Mittnacht from Tübingen(left) for her work: "Biofunctionalization of neuro-implants using siRNA" and Dr. Roman Tsaryk from Mainz(right) for the work: "Effects of metal-induced oxidative stress on endothelial cells in vitro".
As already mentioned above, the culinary and social components were not neglected alongside the science. While a lively jazz trio provided the atmosphere at the "get together" on the first evening, the conference participants were whisked away to the world of the Middle Ages on the second evening. The visit to the historic Klausenhof inn at Hanstein Castle provided good entertainment with musicians, jugglers and natural hearty food and drink. And after this evening, the DGBM can probably boast of being the only professional society, at least in Germany, that has a freshly knighted First Chairman.
