High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia

HBPRCA Email Newsletter

November 2007

Dear [[FirstName]],

4 weeks to go to the ASM and Jaye has been busy preparing the program which will be out shortly. All participants have been notified about their presentation and all systems are go for launch. See you there.

With best wishes,

Associate Professor Geoffrey A Head

IVth FRANCO AUSTRALIAN MEETING ON HYPERTENSION from John Chalmers

The Franco-Australian meetings on Hypertension were inaugurated within the framework of an “Amicale Franco-Australienne signed in Paris, in November 1991, between INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale) and the NH&MRC (National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia).

The meetings are held under the auspices of INSERM and the NH&MRC, with the active participation and support of the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia and of la Société Française d’Hypertension Artérielle. Four meetings have been held so far, the first in Avignon in 1991 the second in Broome (WA) in 1996, the third in Corsica in 2001, and the fourth in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia, in September this year.

A total of 46 scientists from France and Australia took part in the meeting, 20 from France and 26 from Australia. The Australian participants are selected by a committee of the High Blood Pressure Research Council and the French Participants by a committee of the French Society for Arterial Hypertension, with the main criteria being a track record of excellence in hypertension research and of active involvement and engagement with scientists in the reciprocal country.

The major themes at the meeting in Kakadu included, Genomics, Neuroscience, Risk factors and nutrition, Mediators, Mechanisms and Markers and The Renin Angiotensin System the Kidney and Diabetes. The conference was characterised by a very high quality of scientific presentation, lively discussion and a unique sense of good will and camaraderie among those present. The papers presented will be published in an issue of “Clinical and Experimental Physiology & Pharmacology”.

Many talented young scientists took part, in keeping with spirit of encouraging and maintaining collaboration and interchange between researchers in our two countries, which is the main purpose of the ‘Amicale’. The links are already very strong, with extensive scientific traffic between France and Australia in our field.

However, we were fortunate that the Presidents of our two societies – Faiez Zannad and Stephen Harrap – were both at the Kakadu meeting (see Photo) and that they have agreed to find ways of enhancing our bilateral exchanges, by building on the strong foundation already established.

We are all indebted to the French pharmaceutical company, Servier, which provided an unrestricted educational grant, administered through the George Institute in Sydney, to support the presentation and publication of the scientific papers.

The unique wonders of the Australian ‘bush’, of the wetlands with abundant birdlife, (not to mention crocodiles!) and of the outback wilderness, provided a wonderful backdrop for the meeting which now represents a highlight on the scientific calendar of hypertension research in both France and Australia.

INVITATION TO ATTEND WORKSHOP: Importance of Self Blood Pressure Monitoring

It is our pleasure to inform you that Microlife is participating in the upcoming 6th Asian Pacific Society of Hypertension (APSH) Congress in Beijing, China.

The 6th meeting of the APSH is to be held from Nov. 16~19, 2007. We welcome all HBPRCA members attending to visit Microlife at Booth 230 in the Beijing International Convention Center.

Microlife will also sponsor a workshop on the “Importance of Self Blood Pressure Monitoring” on Nov. 18, 2007 during the congress. Please click here to view the invitation and workshop details.

Matt Symington

Marketing Manager

United Pacific Industries

SAVE ON REGISTRATION & EARN CME CREDITS BY attending the ISN Nexus Symposium on Hypertension and the Kidney

FINAL DAY IS TODAY!!

We are pleased to announce that the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) Nexus Symposium on Hypertension and the Kidney, to be held November 29 - December 2, 2007, Vienna, Austria, has been granted accreditation by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

As Member of the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia, the ISN is offering you the opportunity to register at early registration rates, saving € 100 on standard registration fees, until November 9, 2007.

Register before November 9, 2007 at www.isn-online.org/nexus/hypertension:

1) select Registration Form from the menu on the left

2) and mention the code “HYPEARLY” in the field called “ISN Membership #”

to take advantage of lower registration rates and join fellow nephrologists, hypertensiologists, cardiologists and endocrinologists to get the latest scientific and clinical insights into the kidney-hypertension link, and to review Arthur C. Guyton’s “infinite gain” theory.

To learn more on how to earn valuable CME credits by attending this ISN Nexus Symposium, to view the latest details on the scientific program and the panel of experts involved, kindly visit: www.isn-online.org/nexus/hypertension

We look forward to receiving your registration and to welcoming you in Vienna.

The ISN Nexus Symposium Organizers

AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH News

One of the outcomes of the ASMR Forum held in April 2007 ("The Future of Medical Research: Sustainable Funding Model"), is a clear understanding that future increases in funding must be clearly articulated and justified. The ASMR commissioned Access Economics Report "Exceptional Returns - The Value of Investing in Health R&D in Australia" of 2003 was an incredibly valuable political advocacy tool. It laid the groundwork for a successful lobbying campaign culminating in the 2006 Federal Budget increases in NHMRC funding.

ASMR believes an independent economic analysis is essential to carry forward a practical, well evidenced Health and Medical Research Investment Policy, which will sustain researchers in meeting the challenges ahead for all Australians. ASMR has commissioned an update and expansion of the 2003 Access Economics Report. It is anticipated the new study will be available in April 2008.

A reminder that the 46^th ASMR National Scientific Conference takes place at the Carrington Hotel, Katoomba in the beautiful Blue Mountains of NSW, November 11-13, 2007.

The theme of our meeting is "Tissue Remodelling: Current Understanding and Future Therapeutic Targets" providing interest in diverse disease areas in which tissue remodeling is a key feature. I urge you to register (http://www.asmr-nsc.org.au/) if you have not already done so.

With best wishes

Associate Professor Maria Kavallaris

HEART AND MIND PSYCHOGENIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE CONFERENCE

3 – 5 September 2008, Prato, Tuscany

The Baker Heart Research Institute inaugural “Heart and Mind” conference will be held in the delightful Tuscan town of Prato, Italy, from 3-5 September 2008. The Baker Heart Research Institute is Australia’s highest profile and most productive cardiovascular research institute.

The conference will have as its centrepoint the link between psychological medicine and cardiovascular disease, delineating the relationship between stress, mental illness, and the development and course of heart disease and hypertension. It will showcase the crucial epidemiology, mediating neural and other mechanisms, and social and psychological measures applicable to prevention and treatment. There will be invited addresses by international leaders in the field. The target audience will be general practitioners, cardiologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, epidemiologists and social scientists.

For program details, registration and abstract submission visit www.heartandmind.prato2008.com

HBPRCA Secretariat

Athina Patti at

Meetings First

t 61 3 9739 7697

f 61 3 9739 7076

e hbprca@meetingsfirst.com.au

w www.hbprca.com.au