n 2008 Newcastle will host the 13th International Meeting of the World Muscle Society. In its twelve-year history to date, this prestigious meeting has been held in such diverse and exciting locations as the Kruger National Park in South Africa and Iguassu Falls in Brazil. The decision to hold the meeting in Newcastle is a reflection of our belief as local organisers that we can put on an exceptional meeting for our international visitors using the facilities of NewcastleGateshead and also a recognition of the long standing strength in muscle diseases of which Newcastle is justly proud. Lord John Walton initiated muscle disease research in Newcastle in the 1950s, and the continued strength of this specialty in the city has most recently been rewarded by the designation of a Science City Chair in Experimental Myology.
Muscle diseases are the focus of the meeting, and experts in this field from all over the world will attend. Muscle diseases can affect people of every age and clinical symptoms show a broad spectrum of severity. Beside muscle weakness and wasting many of these chronic conditions may be accompanied by skeletal deformities, heart involvement or respiratory failure. At least 1 in 2000 of the population suffers from some kind of muscle disease, and as many muscle diseases are inherited, this is an area where advances in molecular genetics have been leading to major advances in therapeutic potential. These advances have highlighted the cross talk between these relatively rare genetic disorders and more general disease mechanisms, for example the mechanisms underlying the muscle wasting associated with aging and cancer.
We are therefore very excited that this forum will bring together a global audience to enjoy the NewcastleGateshead experience and hear about the excitement of Science City and other major local developments.
NewcastleGateshead is famous for its captivating welcome and many attractions, including BALTIC, the Centre for Contemporary Art, just a few minutes walk from the conference centre. In contrast is the historic architecture of old Newcastle, with the second largest number of listed buildings than any other city in the UK, including the award winning Grey Street and the first street in the world to have street lights, Mosley Street. The magnificent countryside of the North is a stone's throw way, home to the famous Angel of the North, and World Heritage sites such as Hadrian's Wall and Durham Cathedral and Castle.
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