Opening
Ceremony Speech for the 4th International Meeting on Interventional
Cardiology
By Prof. Rafael Beyar
Dr Gray,
President-elect, British Cardiac Society
Dr. Leon
Dr. Serruys,
Distinguished Faculty, participants and guests.
It is my honor to
open the 4th international meeting on interventional Cardiology, Frontiers
in Interventional Cardiology 2001.
Almost a decade went
by since the foundation of this meeting. It was conceived by Gad Keren and
myself with the enthusiastic support and encouragement of Patrick Serruys
and Martin Leon, and the superb international faculty that formed the
backbone of the meeting. Initially we thought to hold the meeting in
various locations hoping to strengthen the international flavor of the
meeting. In the 90s, the entire world including areas in Europe, Asia
including the middle east seemed to take the route of mutual understanding
and reconciliation. We felt that our meeting could provide ground and
support to these efforts and thus were urged by colleagues to stick to the
Jerusalem location. As time went by and with the wonderful hospitality of
the British Heart Society we felt that London this year would be the most
appropriate place for the convention. London, a world cultural center, a
center of science and research in the field of interventional cardiology,
is easily accessible from the American Continent, Asia, Europe, Middle
East and other locations. I am confident that with the success of the
meeting London will serve in the future as one of the major venues for
this meeting.
I would like to particularly thank the British society of Interventional
cardiology headed by Dr. Dawkins, and some of our faculty, members of the
British Cardiac Society, Dr. Sigwart Dr. Rothman and others for their help
and support during the organization phase of the meeting in London.
I would like to call
now for Dr Gray, President-elect, and British Cardiac Society to address
the audience:
Call M.B. Leon
Director and Chief Executive Officer, Cardiovascular Research Foundation
Lenox Hill Heart & Vascular Institute, New York, New York, USA
Cofounder and Co-organizer of the meeting.
Call P.W. Serruys
Professor of Interventional Cardiology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The
Netherlands and Professor of the Interventional Cardiology Institute of
The Netherlands (ICIN), Utrecht, The Netherlands
R. Beyar
The field of
Interventional Cardiology is one of the most vibrant and active
disciplines of Medicine, undergoing constant innovative and evolutionary
changes, combining novel catheter-based technologies with new frontiers in
pharmaceutical and molecular biology research. With the field of molecular
biology and cellular engineering making an impact in science and medicine,
the search for better treatment modalities using these tools is
accelerating its yearly pace.
The first meeting
held in Jerusalem in June of 1995 was at the time of rapid growth of
stenting technology, the rapid evolution of sophisticated imaging and
measurement modalities and the constant search for an effective anti-restenotic
treatment and for improving the efficiency and safety of old and new
percutaneous techniques. With the support of the international panel the
2nd and 3rd meetings were held in Jerusalem keeping up with the pace of
interventional cardiology.
Today with stent
technology dominating our daily practice, it is now being developed as a
platform for an effective local antiproliferative treatment.
Restenosis, still the Achilles heel of interventional cardiology, is
fought with radiation, Atherectomy and possibly genetic based screening
techniques, all these measurements far from providing an optimal solution.
A new emerging scientific giant is only at its infancy: molecular biology
and tissue engineering in the aid of combating restenosis, providing new
revascularization strategies and in search of myocardial replacement
strategies.
This meeting covers
all aspects of interventional cardiology, from basic research to routine
clinical strategies, putting an emphasis on science.
Clinical experience will be shared by plenary lectures, free abstract
presentations and by Digital Video Demonstration cases subjected to
critical review by an expert panel and the participants.
I must say a few
words on a distinguished member of the international society of scientists
who has contributed tremendously to the Field of Interventional
Cardiology, Prof Max Schaldach from Erlangen Nurenberg.
He died in a way so notoriously known to the community of interventional
cardiologists that follow the trail put by the late Andreas Gruntzig.
Flying his plane from his hometown on May 5th 2001, he crashed after
takeoff.
He was a dreamer, a leader and a visionary, a Professor of BME at
Friedrich Alexander University; An Editor of: Progress in Biomedical
Research. A pioneer in the field of stenting and stent coating.
His memory will be with us.
Finally,
I would like to thank the following societies for their auspices and
support:
- ASIAN PACIFIC
SOCIETY OF CARDIOLOGY
- BRITISH
CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTION SOCIETY (BCIS)
- ISRAEL HEART
SOCIETY AND THE WORKING GROUP ON INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY
- SOCIETY OF
CARDIAC ANGIOGRAPHY AND INTERVENTONS, USA
- WORKING GROUP ON
CORONARY CIRCULATION OF THE EUROPEAN
SOCIETY OF CARDIOLOGY
- WORLD HEART
FEDERATION
I would also like to
acknowledge the continuous support that we had from the Industry over the
years.
Principal and major sponsors for this meeting are:
- BIOTRONIK
- BOSTON SCIENTIFIC
- CORDIS / JOHNSON
& JOHNSON
- ELI LILLY AND
COMPANY
- GUIDANT EUROPE SA
- MEDTRONIC AVE
- DATASCOPE CORP
- PHARMASONICS INC
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