The 5th
Conference of the Autoantibody Network Became a Wonderful Memory
The 5th Conference of the Autoantibody
Network was held in Toronto on September 17th and 18th. As
in previous years, it was a clear success!
The conference was centered on the theme
“Autoantibodies and Their Clinical Significance” and offered a keynote
presentation by Dr. Edward K.L. Chan from the University of Florida. His talk
discussed three different new autoantibodies and their clinical implications.
The conference also hosted speakers both
from Canada and abroad. Dr. Jasmin Aldag and Dr. Wolfgang Schlumberger came all
the way from Germany to give their presentations. From Canada, we heard talks
from Dr. Susanne Benseler, Dr. Ronald Booth, Dr. Donglai Ma, Dr. Laurence A.
Rubin and Dr. Boris Sakic.
Between all these highly instructive
talks, it was still possible for AAN members to find time to discuss and relax.
The conference venue offered a superb rooftop patio with view on Lake Ontario
where lunches were served. With the weather on our side, it was a nice
opportunity to exchange ideas on the topics discussed in the conference room.
The organizing committee had also
planned a fun filled dinner for the Thursday evening. After great food with live
music, AAN members were invited to play games to get to know each other better.
Long term AAN members were also recognized with special gifts to thank them for
their involvement and contributions.
All in all, the 5th Autoantibody
Network Conference was an event to remember!
Follow the following link for an album of photographs of the event.
Letter from the
Chair of the Local Organizing Committee of the 5th Conference of the AAN
Dear Colleagues,
Time is flying! One can hardly believe that the 5th
Conference of the Autoantibody Network is just around the corner and it will
soon take place in Toronto, ON!
The conference had been held across Canada during the last
four years. The positive response was overwhelming. Due to the strong focus on
Autoantibody Diagnostics, all topics were welcomed by the attendees. And the
attendees were mostly coming from clinical laboratories and different clinics,
both with clinical application and research background. They enjoyed the live
discussion and small group interaction. They brought frustrated questions and
got answers. And they were sharing their invaluable experience with others,
meeting with friends - both old and new. Some colleagues never missed a single
conference. And some were even retired from the work and still joining the AAN
activities. They were nourished not only in knowledge, but with the great
activities, good food and lots of fun!
So far, the opportunity for the conference is once a year.
The theme for each conference is never the same. The theme of this year’s
conference is “Autoantibodies and Their Clinical Significance”. Well arranged
topics will address many aspects of the autoantibodies with focus on the
clinical significance! Our speakers are both from our localities and overseas.
Among them are Dr. Edward Chan, Dr. Laurence
Rubin, Dr Susanne Benseler, Dr. Ronald Booth, Dr. Wolfgang
Schlumberger, and Dr. Jasmin Aldag to name a few. For further details on what
you will encounter at the conference, please explore the scientific program
on the AAN website..
As we will celebrate the 5th anniversary of the
AAN activities, the local organizing committee is busy preparing the “dinner,
celebration event and the fun night” for Thursday evening. We promise you that
you will have an unforgettable night with many surprises.
For those who join AAN activities frequently, you will be
recognized during the celebration! Those colleagues who voluntarily contributed
their time and effort to the autoantibody network will be appreciated during
this conference.
There are many things keeping everyone busy from seeing
each other; however, we hope the AAN conference can assist us to meet at least
every year! We encourage all attendees to address your concerns/questions for
our discussion period at the meeting. We hope you will bring home the answers,
solutions and updated knowledge after the conference.
The final touches for the conference will be done in the
next few weeks.
You still have time to register for the 5th
conference. It will be open until September 4th, 2009.
So please
register now!
Have a great summer and we are very much looking forward to
seeing you at the conference!
Dr. Donglai Ma
Local Chair, the 5th Conference of the
Autoantibody Network
The 5th Conference of the Autoantibody Network
Update
The 5th
Conference of the Autoantibody Network will be held on the dates of September 17th
and 18th 2009, in the extraordinary city of Toronto, ON. The theme
will focus on “Autoantibodies and Their Clinical Significance.” Local chair Dr.
Donglai Ma and his team have already been diligently preparing for the event as
this will be a celebration of AAN five-year activities. The local organizing
committee will be arranging an appealing program as well as an entertaining
evening for social activities.
There is still
time to register! Please do not miss this once a year
opportunity! We also encourage you to visit
the AAN website regularly for updated information.
The 10th
International Symposium on Sjögren's Syndrome
The 10th International Symposium on Sjögren's Syndrome will be held in Brest,
France on October 1-3, 2009. Prof. Pierre Youinou is the Chair for this
prestigious meeting.
Autoantibody Diagnostics
Workshop at Michener Institute in Collaboration with Ontario Society of Medical
Technologists (OSMT)
On March 1, and March 29, 2008, two workshops were successfully held at the
Michener Institute, Toronto. These workshops focused on anti-nuclear antibodies
(ANA) and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). OSMT conducted these
workshops as part of their continuing education program. Each day, the program
included basic knowledge about autoantibody testing, strategies, new
technologies, autoantibody mono-specific confirmation/differentiation/further
identification, reporting/comments, and wet lab practice. More than 30
technologists attended the workshops and enjoyed both the presentations and the
practical sessions.
The ANCA
Work Group
Since 2005, the ANCA Work Group of the Autoantibody Network has been working
together on ANCA testing standardization. The members, listed below, have
contributed their knowledge and action towards making ANCA testing a
standardized test for assisting clinical diagnosis: Marni Nordman (BC Biomedical
Laboratories, BC), Janice Morton & Dr. Michael Moss (LifeLabs Vancouver, BC),
Ruth Blake (Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, SK), Dr. Mario D’Costa (St.
Joseph’s Hospital, Toronto), Melitta Wasylciw (The Hospital for Sick Kids,
Toronto, ON), Dr. Donglai Ma (McMaster University and EUROIMMUN Medical
Diagnostics Canada, ON), and Gail Pilgrim (Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital,
Fredericton, NB). There will be more laboratories to join this work group.
Please contact us if you would like to participate: AAN@autoantibodynetwork.com
