Dear Colleagues,

The forthcoming international Symposium on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is intended to translate recent advances in basic sciences into clinical IBD management and to explore potential future strategies for treatment. This translational effort will refer to and encompass the orchestrated action of factors and processes eventually leading to the manifest disease: these include genetic and immunologic factors, an interaction of the enteric microflora with the underlying mucosa, and a disrupted barrier function. Please review this Program Announcement to learn more about this groundbreaking approach.

Our vision is to have a symposium that will build bridges between basic scientists and clinicians as well as provide a discussion platform for both internationally renowned senior investigators and young researchers dedicated to unravelling the intricacies of the diseased intestinal mucosa.

It is our personal wish and hope that the symposium participants will thoroughly enjoy the scientific and social program as well as the atmosphere of an old university town with its "heart", the Castle, serving as symposium venue.

Welcome to Münster, we look forward to seeing you there in early September 2005.

Sincerely,

Wolfram W. Domschke
Martin F. Kagnoff
Torsten F. Kucharzik
Lloyd Mayer
Stephan R. Targan