Montreux, Switzerland, May 25–29, 2019
By Prof Dr Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser, Co-Chair BioNanomaterials, Adolphe Merkle Institute, University Fribourg, Switzerland and Conference Chair ISAM 2019.
The 22nd Congress of the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine (ISAM) will be held in Montreux, Switzerland, from May 25-29, 2019. The congress will bring together about 400 international attendees at one of the largest pulmonary drug delivery and respiratory health conferences. The attendees will include clinicians, respiratory healthcare professionals, aerosol engineers, formulation scientists and regulatory representatives. The scientific organising committee includes Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser, Fabian Blank, Stephan Ehrmann, Otmar Schmid and Jessica Oakes. This group is supported by the ISAM organisation, Swiss Foundation for Research in Microtechnology (FSRM) (Neuchâtel, Switzerland) and CyCOM (Frankenberg, Germany).
SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS
ISAM 2019 will focus on the following topics:
- New devices and emerging therapies
- Bridging the gap between in vitro, in silico and clinical data
- Novel strategies for pulmonary immune-modulation in respiratory disease
- Paediatric and cystic fibrosis disease focus: pulmonary hypertension, predictive lung (disease) models for aerosolisation therapy
- Developing novel uses for old drugs
- ERS/ISAM session: inhalation therapy for chronic lung disease
- A hot topic debate about digitalisation and perspectives for inhaled therapy.
Sessions will utilise various formats and experts will engage in discussions with the audience.
SELECT ORAL PRESENTATIONS
The organising committee is particularly focused on the presentation of current, unique and state-of-the-art data. While all accepted abstracts will be presented as posters, the committee will also be selecting abstracts for 15-minute oral presentations. All abstracts will be indexed in the official ISAM Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery and published online for access after the congress.
Abstract submission is available via the congress website.
PRE-CONGRESS WORKSHOPS
Preceding the congress, on May 25, interactive workshops will be held on the following topics:
- The basics of aerosol technology for respiratory drug delivery
- Digital Health in Inhaled Drug Delivery (a joint ISAM/IPAC-RS (International Pharmaceutical Aerosol Consortium on Regulation and Science) workshop)
- Advanced lung cell culture models and microfluidic tissue chips in aerosol medicine and respiratory disorders.
The workshops will provide attendees with a full-day with experts in each scientific area.
Several networking events are scheduled during the conference to foster interactions between participants and to support and coach young female students:
- Poster session during breaks/evenings with refreshments
- Networking group meetings
- Student networking event
- “Women in Science” lunch session.
AWARDS PRESENTATIONS
During the congress, several ISAM awards will be presented, including the Thomas T Mercer Award, Career Achievement, Young Investigator, Student Research, Jurai Ferin and Best Oral
Presentation. Details about each award and their submission guidelines can be found on the congress website.
EXHIBITION AND SPONSORSHIP
The ISAM congress offers companies a range of sponsorship and exhibition options, including the opportunity to showcase new products and provide faceto- face training. Interested companies are invited to contact the organising committee via the congress website.
CONGRESS VENUE
The conference will be held at the
Montreux Music & Convention Centre (2m2c) in Montreux, Switzerland (Figure 1).
The state-of-the-art building is located on the beautiful shores of Lake Geneva, surrounded by gardens and the principal hotels of the town.
ISAM 2019 promises to be a dynamic international meeting. The congress organising committee and the ISAM board encourage anyone interested in aerosols in medicine to consider attendance, submission of abstracts and sponsorship.
ABOUT THE SOCIETY
The International Society for Aerosols in Medicine (ISAM) is an international organisation, founded in 1970, focused on all areas of aerosol research, including pulmonary drug delivery, new and evolving technologies and the health effects of inhaled aerosols. The Society holds a congress every two years to engage with its membership and review the current state-of-the-art within aerosols in medicine. Between congresses, the society focuses on the advancement of the science of aerosols in medicine via publication, distribution and education. Much of its scientific publication is done through the official journal of ISAM, the Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery.
Photo Credit: Featured Image, “The Montreux Music & Convention Centre (2m2c) in Montreux, Switzerland”. Copyright © Lionel Flusin.