Welcome
We are delighted to invite you to the 2009 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) World Congress to be held in Montreal, Canada from Sept. 10-13, 2009. The annual OARSI Congress is a global forum for all people interested and involved in osteoarthritis research and treatment: basic scientists from academia and industry, clinical investigators, radiologists, rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons, allied health professionals and policy makers.
In keeping with the diverse multidisciplinary international membership of OARSI, we will feature speakers from around the world presenting up to date information on a wide spectrum of topics related to osteoarthritis. This year’s opening day session will feature plenary sessions devoted to biomarkers, intrinsic versus extrinsic cartilage repair and aging. Sixteen concurrent sessions will focus on a range of topics related to osteoarthritis including: bone, epidemiology, immune system activation, measurement of outcomes, genetics and epigenetics, muscle, proprioception, imaging, aging, pain, inflammation, adipokines surgical treatment, psychosocial influences, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, signalling pathways and cell matrix interactions. The Congress will close with the Year in Review in which six internationally renowned research leaders will summarize progress in genetics, imaging, cell biology, clinical trials, biomarkers and biomechanics.
Breakfast workshops, which allow a limited number of attendees to meet experts in specific areas of basic or clinical science, will encompass many aspects of osteoarthritis research including: biomechanics, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, clinical trial design, mesenchymal stem cells, gait analysis and animal histopathology.
We encourage you to come to what promises to be a landmark world congress on advances in osteoarthritis related research in Montreal, Canada. With its unique focus on osteoarthritis and emphasis on industry and academic efforts for a cure, the Congress will give you the opportunity to become part of a global network of individuals from a broad spectrum of disciplines that work towards better understanding and treatment of osteoarthritis. We welcome you whether you are a returning member or joining us for the first time, and extend a special invitation to international attendees from all over the world. Join us in Montreal in September for outstanding science!
Tom Aigner, MD, DSc
Jody Buckwalter, MD
Johanne Martel-Pelletier, PhD
2009 Congress Co-Chairs