Spring is in the air and I am certainly kicking my heels to get started with the scientific programme of our 50th ECTS conference. This marks a return of the ECTS congress to the United Kingdom, where our society was funded sixty years ago.
The most important part of the scientific programme is always the new findings that will be shared with the research community for the first time. If you are one of those who submitted an abstract to the ECTS, I hope you will enjoy your presentation, the feedback and the discussions. We strive to make the ECTS the preferred forum for people to give their first scientific presentations in an international meeting but you are equally welcome as a seasoned researcher or as somebody who attends in order simply to be updated and to reconnect with colleagues and friends.
This year’s ECTS congress packs more than 400 submitted abstracts and we look forward to a total of 83 sessions and also 127 invited speakers. There will be more than 300 posters to take in and to discuss. Also, why not make use of the ten meet the expert sessions about exciting topics on Sunday and Monday – including diverse topics such as Single cell RNA seq analysis of bone, Paget’s Disease, IHC/Sectioning of bone, or how to assess the patient with normal BMD and a first vertebral fracture, among many others?
Make sure you check the congress website and app for last minute updates to the programme. For example, Professor Ian Reid, New Zealand, a highly skilled trialist and thinker, very kindly stepped in to give the talk on Acting after Fracture or Failure on Therapy in our start of the morning Clinical Tuesday Section on Redefining osteoporosis treatment success or failure at the individual level. The talk on evaluating treatment efficacy at the individual level will be given by Dr Elena Tsourdi(GER) and the session will be chaired by Heide Siggelkow and Stuart Ralston. Also on Tuesday morning, the Basic and Translational session will be on Osteocytes in Health and Disease with expert talks by Nicolas Bonnet (CH) and Tamara Alliston (US). Chantal Chenu and Kathraina Jähn-Rickert will chair the session.
As promised, the programme will have both the clinical ASBMR/ECTS debate and a basic/translational debate. These two debates are on vitamin D trials and on osteocyte cell lines, respectively, and will run concurrently on Saturday following the exciting plenary symposium on combining multi-omics approaches to understand bone in health and disease. This symposium features talks by invited top scientists from the United States, Yu Hsiang Hsu who will focus on the basic science and Charles Farber who will take us through the clinical implications.
Many thanks for being part of our 2023 conference – please dive deeper into the programme as we have a lot more to offer than the few examples listed above. For example, the Friday pre-congress programme offers a wide range of activities including the Mellanby course as well as Open Fora and other tailored activities. Do take a moment to engage actively with presenters and exhibitors and do not hesitate to drop by the ECTS booth if we can help you or if you are looking to become engaged in upcoming ECTS action groups or other activities.
ECTS 2023 – All you need to know to better plan your congress experience
No more mailings, zoom meetings, whatsapp messages, it’s time to meet in Liverpool, are you ready? To help you prepare your travel and enjoy the meeting at its best, we have put together a quick checklist:
- Registrations:online registrations are possible up till 14 April 2023 with the start of the pre-congress programme and opening of onsite registrations. You can register for the full programme, or separately for the educational pre-congress day and BRS Annual Meeting. Visit our registration page for more information.
- Reserve your spot for the ECTS Academy Fundraiser:the event has now become a not-to-be-missed event at the ECTS Annual Meetings. The initiative is a great opportunity for all participants to join in a common challenge, while fundraising for a patient group advocate in our field. This year, the event will be a game of darts, a popular indoor game in the United Kingdom. No experience or equipment is necessary, instructions are given, and all scoring is automatic. The registration fee is of 15€ and funds raised will be donated to the Paget’s Association UK. Register here.
- Download the App:interactivity will be at the heart of ECTS 2023, download now the ECTS Society App to access ECTS 2023. The App will give you access to the event programme, posters and speakers list, it will help you find your way around through the interactive floorplan, create your daily schedule, take notes and chat with other attendees. To download the App, please search for ‘ECTS Society’ in the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
- Access eBooks : Digital versions of the ECTS 2023 Programme Book, abstract book are now available for download. The paper version of the Programme Book will also be available on-site at the delegate help desk. Save paper by accessing the eBooks here!
- Last, but not least, bring your umbrella!
See you soon in Liverpool !