Date
February 5 & 6, 2004
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Organizing committee
SJH van Deventer 
DW Hommes
GNJ Tytgat
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Faculty
M.A. Ainsworth,            Copenhagen, Denmark
S.J.H. van Deventer,      Amsterdam, Netherlands
A. Ekbom,                    Stockholm, Sweden
C.O. Elson,                  Birmingham, USA
B. Feagan,                   London, Canada
R.A. Flavell,                  New Haven, USA
P. Fockens,                  Amsterdam, Netherlands
D.W. Hommes,             Amsterdam, Netherlands
J.-P. Hugot,                  Paris, France
M. Neurath,                  Mainz, Germany
P.H. Reitsma,               Amsterdam, Netherlands
G.A.W. Rook,               London, UK
P. Rutgeerts,                Leuven, Belgium
W.J. Sandborn,             Rochester, USA
S. Schreiber,                Kiel, Germany
F. Shanahan,                Cork, Ireland
J.  Siegel,                     Rockville, USA
S.R. Targan,                 Los Angeles, USA
G.N.J. Tytgat,               Amsterdam, Netherlands

Conference is under the auspices of ECCO

Accreditation
8 points course only
12 points course + workshop
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Sponsors
Altana Pharma
AstraZeneca
Biogen
Centercor
Elan
ISIS
OTSUKA
PDL
Schering-Plough
Serono

Participants will be given a detailed introduction into the exciting and rapidly expanding field functional genomics and proteomics relevant for IBD. At the end of this workshop they will be able to understand the basics of the various technical approaches to identify genes that are differentially expressed between tissues. Moreover, they will study the fundamentals of the systemic analysis and documentation of proteins in biological samples, including an introduction into bio-informatics. They will be capable to appreciate future literature on genomics and proteomics, and initiate research in this area.

Recent developments of targeted immunotherapy and biological strategies in IBD pose special challenges to clinical scientists involved in IBD trial design. A proper evaluation and assessment of the effect of these agents is mandatory for future clinical management. Current FDA requirements for drug efficacy include steroid sparing as well as mucosal healing in IBD patients, and appropriate models to assess these effects and a possibility for new surrogate endpoints will be studied. Participants will be trained in optimising protocol preparation and trial design, and strategies to overcome frequent occurring methodological difficulties in IBD trials are discussed.

“With the availability of magnification and high resolution endoscopes, identification and detailed characterisation of IBD lesions at the surface of the gut wall has become an important diagnostic tool. New imaging techniques that could be of further value in IBD include Narrow-Band Imaging, Spectroscopy and Immunoscopy. Promising techniques for investigating submucosal regions include laser-scanning microscopy and optical coherence tomography. All these emerging techniques will be thoroughly reviewed and participants will receive hands-on training. The role of virtual endoscopy and MRI as alternative for colonoscopy will be discussed, and live-demonstrations of endoscopic mucosal resection are given. The aim of this course is to fully cover the wide range of diagnostic- and therapeutic endoscopic approaches in IBD.

      12.30 lunch

      13.30 Pharmacogenomics in IBD: TPMT and thiopurines
             William Sandborn
      14.00 Critical appraisal biological therapy 
             Brian Feagan
      14.30 Infliximab: mechanism of action 
             Stefan Schreiber
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      15.00 Tea
..
      15.15 Novel biological strategies in IBD 
             Paul Rutgeerts
      15.45 Targeting Signal Transduction Pathways 
             Daniël Hommes
      16.15 Keynote lecture: Apoptosis and innate immunity in IBD 
            Richard Flavell
      16.45 Closing
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REGISTRATION

Registration:
Participants can register by completing the registration form and payment of the fee. Registration fee covers course participation, coffee/tea and lunch.
Course fee:   €  350
                    €  300  (Thursday morning only)
We will reimburse 80% of the registration fee upon written cancellation before January 15th, 2004

Payment
By banktransfer, credit card (American Express, Euro/Master card or Visa), or cash at registration. The bank account of the EPGS:

ABN AMRO Bank, no 54.69.46.275 
Meibergdreef Amsterdam NL
(SWIFT no.: ABNA NL2A;  IBAN no. NL29ABNA0546946275 )

Information:
Further information, mailings and a registration form can be obtained through:

   Mrs. Joy Goedkoop
   European Postgraduate Gastrosurgical school 
   Meibergdreef 9
   NL-1105 AZ Amsterdam
   The Netherlands
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   E-mail: