Third Munich Lung Conference / Second DZL International Symposium

More than 200 scientists gather in Munich for the 3rd Munich Lung Conference / 2nd DZL Annual Symposium

The third annual Munich Lung Conference (MLC) took place on October 4 & 5 at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in Munich.  The subject of the conference was ‘Lung Aging: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Relevance’ and for the first time, the MLC was jointly sponsored by the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) as an International DZL Symposium. The conference was organized by the Institute of Lung Biology and Disease / Comprehensive Pneumology Center (CPC) and was financially supported by the HMGU, the DZL e.V., as well as by the DZL Munich site and the Helmholtz ‘Lung Biology and Disease’ Research School.

The topic of the conference struck a chord with researchers.  As the first international conference addressing aging mechanisms of the lung, it was well-attended with approximately 200 participants and was rated as very innovative and informative by all parties. ‘While there is a lot of coincidental evidence for the impact of aging on chronic lung disease, world-wide research on aging in lung disease is still underrepresented. The MLC 2013 put this topic on the map and highlighted concepts and topics of future relevance for respiratory medicine”, says to Prof Dr Mark Gladwin, Director of the division Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Medicine and director of the Vascular Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh, as well as member of the scientific advisory board of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL).

The attendees of the MLC used the opportunity for interdisciplinary scientific exchange at 29 oral presentations of internationally well-known speakers and chosen scientists. The three poster sessions were well-attended as well – nearly 90 posters on a breath of topics relevant to lung aging provided additional opportunities for scientific and conceptual discussions. Many participants continued the scientific conversations at the Bavarian Evening, organized by the MLC, in an Oktoberfest-ive shack atmosphere and used this opportunity to renew existing networks and to build new ones.

‘Good cooperation is central to obtaining excellent research results. We will use the motivation and inspiration provided by the MLC to implement new directions in the research of pathomechanisms of lung diseases. The idea of establishing a joint faculty with the University of Pittsburgh has already been put into practice. In the future we will host the annual lung conference together with our colleagues from Pittsburgh’, says Prof Dr Oliver Eickelberg, Chairman of the Comprehensive Pneumology Center and Director of the Institute of Lung Biology and Disease at the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU).

At the conclusion of the scientifically very successful conference three PhD/MD student travel prizes were awarded.  Recipients were Peter Rauschkolb (MPI Bad Nauheim), Innokentij Jurastow (Justus-Liebig-University Gießen) and Brian Ku (University of Texas, Austin, USA). Recipients of the DZL junior scientist poster awards were Peter Rauschkolb (MPI Bad Nauheim), Marc Kästle (CPC/HMGU) and Nora Pfister (CPC/HMGU). Prof Dr Ana Mora of the University of Pittsburgh was awarded with the Münchner Bank Research Award 2013 for the best scientific talk. The award was sponsored by the Münchner Bank and presented by the MLC and the Foundation Atemweg.

‘High quality, internationally attended lung research conferences such as the DZL's annual International Symposia are critical for pushing the boundaries of lung research forward.  By bringing scientists and clinicians together from all over the world and providing them with a forum in which they can  interact and exchange ideas we are able to bring lung research to a new level,  all with the ultimate aim of translating these new concepts into therapies with direct benefit for the patient’, says Prof Dr Werner Seeger, director of the UGMLC (Universities of Gießen and Marburg Lung Center), director of the Max-Planck-Institute for Heart and Lung Research Bad Nauheim, as well as chairman and spokesperson of the German Center for Lung Research.

The success of this year’s MLC shows that the annual conference with its excellent scientific talks, specialized discussions and collegial and cooperative atmosphere serves as a catalyst for research of lung diseases. The MLC 2013 has set new international standards on the subject of lung aging.

Further Information

Source:  Comprehensive Pneumology Center Munich