8th international Conference and Workshop on Biological Barriers – in vitro Tools, Nanotoxicology, and Nanomedicine

The 8th International Conference and Workshop on Biological Barriers 2010 is committed to the pulsating questions in the triangle of in vitro tools, nanotoxicology, and nanomedicine. Due to the increasing need to investigate the safety and potential risks of new nanomaterials a new area of science - nanotoxicology - is currently emerging. Although the expected answers might be different, nanotoxicology in many cases asks similar questions as nanomedicine and the same in vitro tools of biological barriers are obviously most relevant. Substantial part of the programme will therefore be dedicated to this topic and addressed by well known international experts, making the conference and workshops most interesting to pharmaceutical scientists, material scientists, biologists, and toxicologists.

The topic nanomedicine will be addressed in collaboration with the EC FP 7 integrated project MediTrans. Furthermore, this conferences co-organised with the CRS Local Chapter Germany giving an outstanding platform for young researchers to present their work and to meet experts from the area of controlled release. The special session dedicated to pulmonary drug delivery will be organised together with the International Society of Aerosols in Medicine (ISAM).  The event is split into two seminars and two lab courses that can be booked separately for those only interested in specific parts of the programme. Keynote lectures by international experts will address the most recent scientific developments in their particular fields. In addition, attendees are encouraged to present and discuss their own research as posters. A few papers may also be selected for a short podium presentation. The organizers aim to provide an attractive forum both for experts and beginners to interact and discuss in a free and inspiring atmosphere. The laboratory courses offer outstanding value and a unique training opportunity, but have limited capacity (!). They will provide the attendants with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of advanced contemporary laboratory methods. Techniques include working with human skin and epithelial cell cultures, preparation and characterisation of nanoparticles, and important analytical and visualisation tools such as confocal, Raman, multiphoton, and atomic force microscopy.