Dear colleagues,

We hereby invite you to the 13^th meeting of the European Society for Pigment Cell Research, to be held in Barcelona (Spain) 24-27 September 2006, at the Auditorium of Sant Joan de Déu and ABBA Garden Hotel (see venue site for details).

The European Society for Pigment Cell Research (ESPCR) is a scientific society that was founded in 1985. It aims at the promotion of interdisciplinary knowledge and research on the pigmentary system, including both normal and pathological conditions. The Society provides the forum for interactive discussions by bringing together basic researchers and clinicians from various disciplines, including developmental biology, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, immunology, pharmacology and toxicology, chemistry and physics.

We are based in Europe but are not exclusively European. We have members from various countries outside Europe, and we will be delighted to welcome new members or enquiries from any country in the world.

The Society organizes annual scientific meetings in various European countries. Last ESPCR meeting (12^th ESPCR04) was held in Paris (France), organised by Dr. Lionel LARUE and his colleagues, at L'Institut Curie. Together with its sister societies from America, Asia and Japan, the ESPCR forms the International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies (IFPCS), which organizes an International Pigment Cell Conference (IPCC) every third year. Last IPCC meeting (19^th IPCC05) was held in Reston (Virginia, USA), organised by Prof. Vincent HEARING and his colleagues from NIH. Next scheduled IPCC meeting (20^th IPCC08) is planned for May 7-12, 2008 and will be held in Sapporo (Japan), organised by Prof. Kowichi JIMBOW and his colleagues.

To stimulate further exchange of information and collaboration, the Society publishes the ESPCR Bulletin, which covers information on current literature and publications within the pigment cell research fields. It also includes review articles, news from the Society, notices of forthcoming meetings, various announcements, and other current items.

We hope that you and/or your colleagues will be able to attend our meetings to discuss your work and interact with our members, and hopefully to join our Society. Information about the current ESPCR Council members and about how to join the society can be found here.

Up to 300 participants are expected to attend the ESPCR06 meeting. In addition to lectures, there will be poster presentations that will cover some of latest findings on pigment cell biology and three Symposia dedicated to Albinism, Vitiligo and Melanoma, organised by Dr. Lluís Montoliu, Dr. Agustin Alomar and Dr. Susana Puig, respectively.

Invited speakers and co-chairs to ESPCR06 include: (all confirmed)

Agustín Alomar, Alain Taïeb, Alessandra Napolitano, Anja K. Bosserhoff, Bernhard Wehrle-Haller, Celia Bàdenas, Celia Jiménez-Cervantes, Colin Goding, Corine Bertolotto, Dorothy Bennett, Eirikur Steingrimsson, Elena Sviderskaya, Francisco Solano, Friedrich Beermann, Ghanem Ghanem, Glen Jeffery, Heinz Arnheiter, Inger Rosdahl, Irwin Davidson, Isidro Sánchez-García, Jean-Jacques Grob, Jo Lambert, José Carlos García-Borrón, Josep Malvehy, Juan A. Recio, Laurent Marrot, Lidia Kos, Lionel Larue, Lluis Montoliu, Manuel Serrano, María Blasco, Maria Victoria Schiaffino, Marjan Huizing, Marie-Dominique Galibert, Markus Böhm, Mauro Picardo, Miguel C. Seabra, Nico Smit, Richard King, Richard Marais, Robert Ballotti, Robert Kelsh, Shigeki Shibahara, Silvia Moretti, Susana Puig, Takahiro Kunisada, Valeria Marigo, Vincent Hearing, William Pavan, Yasushi Tomita, Zalfa A. Abdel-Malek

At the ESPCR06 meeting the Fritz Anders Memorial Lectureship will also be awarded. The scientist receiving this honour for the 2006 ESPCR meeting will be Dr. Manuel Serrano (CNIO, Madrid, Spain), for his outstanding contributions to our current understanding of the molecular basis of cancer, most particularly the molecular biology of tumor suppressors, such as p16Ink4a and p19Arf, both encoded by the murine Ink4a/Arf locus, whose human homolog, CDKN2A , is frequently associated with melanoma when mutated. A list of Manuel Serrano's selected publications can be found here.

The Fritz Anders Lectures were established by the ESPCR in remembrance of the prestigious German scientist, Fritz Anders (Berlin, 1919-Giessen, 1999), Professor of Genetics at the University of Giessen, who pioneered studies of genetics of melanoma using fish animal models.

Previous scientists honoured with the Fritz Anders Memorial Lectureship have been: Julia Newton-Bishop (at the ESPCR03, Ghent, Belgium) and Anton Berns (at the ESPCR04, Paris, France). More information about Fritz Anders' contributions to science can be found here.

Early registration is encouraged. The deadline for early registration is July 31, 2006. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. The number of participants is limited to 300.

Early Registration: 1 February 2006 - 31 July 2006

Abstract Submission: 1 February 2006 - 31 May 2006

Late registration: 1 August 2006 - 15 September 2006

The official language of the meeting will be English.

There will be different types of Awards, including Best Poster Award presented at the ESPCR06 meeting and a limited number of Travel Awards for young researchers and students funded by the ESPCR. Instructions for applications for these Travel Awards can be downloaded here and on the ESCPR WEB site. Deadline for Travel Awards applications: 15 June 2006.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Barcelona. Please do not hesitate to contact the organisers through the ESPCR06 dedicated e-mail account if you can't  find the information you need on the ESPCR06 web site.

On behalf of the ESPCR06 Organising Committee

Lluís Montoliu (CNB-CSIC, Madrid, Spain), Chair

Jose Carlos García-Borrón (University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain), Vice-Chair

All information regarding ESPCR06 will appear at the ESPCR06 meeting WEB page.

WEB last updated: 3 March 2006