WELCOME NOTE FROM CHAIR OF SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM COMMITTEE:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The Special Interest Group on Neuropathic Pain (NeuPSIG) of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) announces its second international meeting to be held in Berlin, Germany from June 7-10, 2007. Since the last NeuPSIG meeting in Madrid, Spain, in 2004, many exciting new developments in science as well as patient care have emerged. Advances in neuroimaging, clinical neurophysiology, neuroimmunology, and quantitative sensory testing allow more precise assessment of the somatosensory phenotype in individual patients. Drugs that target different pain mechanisms are the aim of R&D programs in many pharmaceutical companies. The important concept of a mechanism-based approach for treatment is now addressed by clinical drug trials. Drug therapies are paralleled with traditional and new neuroaugmentative or neuroablative surgical techniques. Regulatory agencies are setting guidelines for the approval of treatment paradigms specific for neuropathic pain. Furthermore, new promising approaches to prevent neuropathic pain and chronicity have evolved. At the same time we gain more insight into the epidemiology of neuropathic pain in many neurological
disorders. These and other topics will be covered by leading experts at the International Congress on Neuropathic Pain in Berlin, Germany in the beautiful summer month of June.
Plenary sessions, topical workshops and poster presentations will be the backbone of the scientific program, a program designed to fulfill the aim of NeuPSIG "to advance the understanding of mechanisms, assessment, prevention and treatment of neuropathic pain".
This Congress will bring you the latest and most up-to-date information from the best sources. It will be an important milestone for basic scientists, clinical scientists and practicing clinicians from all disciplines with an interest in furthering the understanding and care of patients with neuropathic pain. My colleagues and I look forward to welcoming you to Berlin and to a successful Congress.

Ralf Baron, MD
Professor
Chair, Scientific Programme Committee