Welcome

The first meeting on calcium-binding proteins was organised by Witek Drabikowski in Warsaw in 1973. The distinguished scientists present - among them Ernesto Carafoli, Setsuro Ebashi, Robert Kretsinger and S. Victor Perry - could not have foreseen the impact these proteins would have on many areas of contemporary biology, biophysics and medicine. Today, almost 40 years later, we are proud of our role and committed to making the 11^th Meeting of the European Calcium Society one of the most exciting in the field. The meeting will bring together a diverse group of researchers who use a variety of experimental approaches, including molecular and genetic techniques, advanced cell imaging, biochemistry and structural biology. The programme includes 7 symposia and two special events: Calcium and Motility - a symposium in honour of Witek Drabikowski, and the Sir Michael Berridge lecture. Additionally, two exceptional poster sessions will provide all participants with an unmatched opportunity to present and discuss their work and to explore collaborative projects. Selected poster presenters will be encouraged to give 15-min talks. And there will be poster and oral presentation competitions and all attendees will be allowed to vote.

And about Warsaw... "There is something about the city and Poland itself that I find magnetic," said the American novelist Alan Furst. "Even though Warsaw was completely destroyed in the Second World War, its past is still alive. It's there - you can feel it when you stand in the Old Town and look down at the Vistula and see the river winding through the city. It's like looking at history." But today's Warsaw, six years after Poland joined the European Union, is a city pulsating with life and new ideas, which combines its glorious and sometimes heroic past with contemporary life. We hope that, when attending our meeting, you will also take the opportunity to explore the city and the region and perhaps visit some of the research centres in Warsaw and elsewhere in Poland.

On behalf of the European Calcium Society, we invite you to join us in Warsaw in September 2010.

The Organising Committee