State-of-the-art cellular analysis comes to Saxony

FASEB Society Management Services Client, International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC), has announced that the latest in state of the art biomedical technology and applications for cellular analysis will be highlighted later this month in Leipzig. CYTO 2012, the 27th Congress of the International Society of Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC), will be held June 23-27th at the Congress Centre Leipzig. The annual CYTO event features more than a thousand attendees including scientists, engineers, and physicians who are developing and using cell analysis technology to improve human health. Five days of presentations by internationally known experts, interactive workshops, educational programs for both beginners and advanced cytometrists, and a commercial exhibition featuring more than 60 companies and organizations, make CYTO the premier international event in the field of cytometry.

Following on the most recent CYTO Congresses held in Seattle and Baltimore, CYTO 2012 comes to Leipzig with the generous support of the Free State of Saxony and enthusiastic promotion by biosaxony, the Saxon biotechnology industry association. Leipzig is a fitting locale for CYTO 2012 because of both its longstanding history as a centre of trade and industry, and its role in laying important foundations of for the field of cytometry itself. As is elaborated in an editorial article in the June 2012 issue of Cytometry, the official journal of ISAC, Paul Ehrlich, a winner of the Nobel Prize and pioneer in the development of early methods to study cells, received his medical degree in 1878 from the University of Leipzig.

Ehrlich's thesis, entitled "Contributions to the Theory and Practice of Histological Staining," featured the concept of chemical specificities in cells and came at a time when our understanding of the key chemical constituents of cells was just beginning to emerge. Though the sophisticated instrumentation of modern cytometry did not appear until decades after his death, Ehrlich's work on chemical stains and chemotherapy inspired a generation of researchers developing methods to diagnose and treat malaria, tuberculosis, and other important infectious diseases of the time. While progress in disease detection and treatment has been remarkable, these diseases and others still affect too much of the world, and the editorial concludes by wondering what directions Ehrlich's work and cytometry might take today.

CYTO 2012, supported by the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts of the Free State of Saxony, will assemble more than a thousand scientists, engineers, and physicians who are setting the direction of modern cytometry. According to Professor Attila Tarnok of the Department of Pediatric Cardiology at the Heart Center Leipzig and Editor in Chief of Cytometry Part A, the official Journal of ISAC, "This cutting edge conference is a must for all involved in quantitative cell analysis."

Herbert Weinreich, CEO from biosaxony Management GmbH, also emphasizes the significance of the congress for Saxony. "The CYTO congress offers a unique chance for Saxons SMEs to exchange experiences and knowhow and initiate promising cooperation with international players."

The conference will feature more than 80 plenary and platform presentations, and more than 300 poster presentations, plus interactive workshops on a variety of cytometry topics. Wednesday June 27th will feature the highlighted CYTO Symposium on Regenerative Medicine focusing on the challenges and opportunities for cell analysis technologies in this important and exciting area. Prior to the opening of CYTO 2012, Introductory and Advanced Courses as well as a set of Scientific Tutorials will take place on Friday and Saturday, June22-23rd. Also on Saturday, June 23rd, ISAC and biosaxony are pleased to present CYTO-Innovation, a forum and showcase for entrepreneurs and their technologies in the area of cell analysis and biotechnology.

Provided by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology