5^th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society for Experiment Hematology

September 27-30, 2006, Minneapolis, Minnesota For detail please go to http://www.iseh.org

ISEH was founded in 1972 and continues to be the forum for basic as well as translational studies in hematopoietic stem cell biology, cytokines, cutting edge experimental hematology and clinical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, underpinning innovative therapies for lymphoma, myeloma, lymphoma and genetic disorders.

The annual meeting of the society in 2005 was held in the very attractive environment of The University of Glasgow, Scotland. The beautiful setting of the meeting was inspiring as were the many excellent plenary lectures and other presentations. The number of submitted abstracts this year was very high and represented a large increase from last year. The scientific quality was excellent as always and the high participation by young scientists was very encouraging. The New Investigator session was well attended and represented some of the best science in the field. The growing participation of young investigators in the annual meeting and in the running of the society is a healthy sign as is evidenced by the participation of young investigators in the emerging leaders task force that will soon organize their own meeting in Vancouver, supported by The Leukemia Society.

The ISEH journal, Experimental Hematology, continues to be a big success thanks to the excellent work of the current and past editor. The impact factor has now increased to 4.7, a substantial increase for the second year in a row. The journal continues to publish high quality original articles as well as interesting key reviews and commentaries in the field that have been very well recieved by the scientific community.

The next Annual meeting will moved to the fall of 2006 to avoid an overlap with the main summer holiday season. The meeting will be held September 27-30, in Minneapolis. Minneapolis has been selected this time because it is the home of The University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute and The University’s hospital has a very strong bone marrow transplantation program. The meeting in Minneapolis will emphasize the presentation of high quality translational research and include sessions where members from industry and academia will discuss how best to advance translational research in order to develop novel therapies for hematological disorders. As in previous years, young members will be encouraged to participate in the meeting and a special effort will be made to feature promising young speakers in the oral sessions.

I encourage all members of the society to participate in the operation of the ISEH and to support our excellent journal, Experimental Hematology. Please consult our homepage for details about the society and contact our office or Excecutive Committee members if you have ideas to improve our society.

Stefan Karlsson
Professor of Molecular Medicine
Lund Stem Cell Center
Lund University
Lund, SWEDEN