SFBTM was founded in 1997 by 3 French researchers, Pierre Jurdic, Chantal Chenu and Luc Malaval with the aim of promoting scientific exchanges in the field of mineralized tissue biology. Thus, its initial goal was the organization of the French Days of Mineralized Tissue Biology. The first ones took place in Lyon, France, in January 1998 with more than 140 attendees.
After more than 20 years, SFBTM is the only French Society focusing on skeletal and non-skeletal calcified tissues as a whole. It has about 200 members including basic, translational and clinical researchers ranging from senior faculties to master students, PhD students, postdocs, engineers and technicians. Their themes of research cover all aspects of the biology of calcified tissues: from unicellular organisms to humans, from biomaterials and carbonate biology to osteoarticular and dental pathophysiology, from basic research to therapeutic development. This diversity is the major pillar of SFBTM ensuring its originality, strength and excellence.
Over time, the French Days of Mineralized Tissue Biology have become an unmissable event for all French scientists working in the field. They are organized each year in a different city by one of the affiliated teams, always in a friendly atmosphere. The program leaves an important part to presentations given by students and postdocs and also includes about 5 invited international keynote speakers. The conference program is built by the local organizing committee. The submitted abstracts rating and the selection of oral presentations are performed by the 12 members of the Scientific Advisory Board, nominated by the Board of Directors for 3 years. In addition, the Scientific Advisory Board awards an average of 8-10 prizes to the best oral and poster presentations. SFBTM also encourages postdocs to get involved in these evaluations and each year, a panel of volunteer postdocs also rewards 1 oral and 1 poster student presentation.
These last years, the Board of Directors increased from 3 to 12 members elected for 4 years and renewed by quarter each year. This allowed the missions of SFBTM to evolve. In addition to the organization of the annual meeting, SFBTM promotes collaboration between affiliated teams by attributing exchange grants and through the ongoing development of a forum for the exchange of know-how, tools and models. To support training and employment, internship, PhD, postdoc and employment offers are regularly posted on the website and by email. To make our field more visible for students and young researchers, an inventory of all university training related to mineralized tissue is under construction. And of course, SFBTM is strongly connected to other national and international Societies. Many of its members actively participate in the different ECTS Committees and Action Groups.
The activities of SFBTM will be presented during the National Day that will go virtually in the ECTS@home sessions starting late September 2020. Major research themes will be discussed in 5 sessions associating senior lecturers and recent junior awardees: non-mammalian calcifications, development and ageing, osteoarticular pathophysiology, cancer and osteoimmunology, regenerative medicine and biomaterials.
The next French Days of Mineralized Tissue Biology will be organized by 2 teams from Nantes in the beautiful seaside resort of La Baule, from March 31 to April 2, 2021. For more information please visit the meeting website.