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Above (from left to right): Shosuke Ito, Giuseppe Prota and Hans Rorsman. Below (from left to right): James Nordlund, Yutaka Mishima, Richard King, Hans Rorsman, Joseph Bagnara and Giuseppe Prota. Pictures kindly provided by Alessandra Napolitano.

Ian Jackson, ESPCR President

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Additional messages from IFPCS colleagues in memoriam of Hans Rorsman:

I am very saddened to hear about Dr. Rorsman’s passing away. I had the honor and pleasure to meet him on many occasions during various IPCC at ESPCR meetings. He was always positive, encouraging, and very collegial. His contributions to our http://www.squadronmedical.co.uk/synthroid-levothyroxine/ understanding of the properties of pheomelanin and the identification of pheomelanin metabolites as markers of metastasis in melanoma patients are among his numerous contributions to the clinical and basic science aspects of melanin. I last met him in 2009 in Stockholm, and as usual, he was very friendly and welcoming. We owe our progress in the field of pigmentation to giants like Hans who paved the way and left us landmarks so we can walk in their footsteps.

My deepest condolences to his family and particularly to my friends and colleagues in ESPCR and in the IPCS who knew him.

Sincerely,

Zalfa Abdel-Malek

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Indeed very hard to improve on Zalfa’s heartfelt testimonial

Hans was one of the people who encouraged me greatly in the early days and had many wry things to say about science and life.

He will be missed

Frank L. Meyskens

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Thanks for sharing

Liz Grimm

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I would like to join Zalfa and Frank in acknowledging the contribution of Hans Rorsman to the study of human pigmentation.

I also had the pleasure to meet him on several occasions and everytime I was impressed by the interest he showed for the results communicated in our meetings, particularly pheomelanins even if the work was presented by a much younger colleague as I was. He helped and supported me a lot at the beginning of my carrier. Also, I would like to highlight that his studies pioneered identification of biological markers for the follow up of melanoma, and opened the door to the investigation of the role and structure of red hair pigments.

We all received much from him

sincerely

Alessandra Napolitano

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Hello all,

I am breaking my own rule of not repeating what has been already said by others. I never personally met Hans Rorsman,   but his work has been an inspiration to me in many ways. I am very sorry for his loss and that of PASPCR.

Sincerely,

Julian Menter

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We lost a giant in the field.

Caroline Le Poole

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I’m very sorry to hear about Hans. I had the opportunity to meet him and enjoyed some pleasant discussions with him which not only included science but his love for Italy. He was a clever and pleasant person and will also be remembered for his elegant style during his talks. All of us had something to learn from him and he will be missed.

Mauro Picardo

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The 2nd European Days of Albinism (2EDA) will be held in Valencia (Spain) on 5-6 April 2014

The European Society for Pigment Cell Research (ESPCR) is pleased to announce the co-sponsorship of the 2nd European Days of Albinism (2EDA), a conference organized by, ALBA, the Spanish Association in support of people with albinism, together with a scientific committee of researchers and physicians interested in albinism: Benoît Arveiler (Bordeaux, France), Karen Grønskov (Coppenhagen, Denmark), Barbara Käsmann-Kellner (Homburg, Germany), Vittoria Schiaffino (Milan, Italy) and Lluís Montoliu (Madrid, Spain).

At the 2EDA conference researchers, interested in albinism, will gather with patients and their associations, in order to discuss, in parallel, both scientific and social aspects of albinism, exchanging ideas, projects and initiatives, at the European level, with the collaboration of a number of international experts in the field. This 2EDA meeting, organized by ALBA, the Spanish Association in support of people with albinism, follows a previous successful edition, 1EDA, organized by Genespoir, the French Association in support of people with albinism, in Paris in October 2012, also co-sponsored by the ESPCR. The 2EDA meeting is planned over a weekend, 5-6 April 2014, to allow the participation of patients and their families. On the first day (Saturday, 5 April) scientists and members of the associations will meet separately and discuss their own topics and agendas. On the second day http://www.iveamobility.com/xanax-alprazolam-1mg/ (Sunday, 6 April), first half of the morning is devoted to continue the concurrent sessions and, eventually, both scientists and members of the associations will gather together and summarize the topics discussed and the conclusions/recommendations achieved before all delegates. The aim of this conference series is to promote awareness of albinism, to trigger collaborative research projects on albinism, and to facilitate collaborative efforts between the different associations in support of people with albinism existing in Europe and represented at this meeting.

At the 2EDA conference, the invited speakers that have kindly confirmed their attendance, a number of them also members of the IFPCS,  include:

• Robert Aquaron (Marseille, France)
• Esteban Dell’Angelica (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
• Benoît Arveiler (Bordeaux, France)
• Murray Brilliant (Marshfield, WI, USA)
• José Carlos García-Borrón (Murcia, Spain)
• Maria van Genderen (Zeist, The Netherlands)
• Karen Grønskov (Coppenhagen, Denmark)
• Michael Hoffmann (Magdeburg, Germany)
• Barbara Käsmann-Kellner (Homburg, Germany)
• Herbert Kirchesch (Pulheim, Germany)
• Valeria Marigo (Modena, Italy)
• Lucia Mauri (Milan, Italy)
• Lluís Montoliu (Madrid, Spain)
• Fanny Morice-Picard (Bordeaux, France)
• Frank Proudlock (Leicester, UK)
• Alexandra Rebsam (Paris, France)
• Vittoria Schiaffino (Milan, Italy)
• Alain Taïeb (Bordeaux, France)
• Pedro de la Villa (Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain)

Registration at reduced fees will be possible until 15 February, and thereafter, standard registration fees will apply, until 15 March: registration deadline.

For those of you with interest in any aspect related to albinism, thanks for registering and looking forward to meeting you all in the beautiful city of Valencia!

Lluis Montoliu

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Prof. Alain Taïeb, Chair of the 21st IPCC, Bordeaux, France, 21-24 September 2011

Yesterday, September 24, the 21st IPCC finished with the moving song “Black or White“, by Michael Jackson. This was a really nice end for this conference, that progressed with a great success in attendancy (>540 delegates registered) over the past week. The meeting was particularly successful thanks to the excellent scientific program that the Chair of the meeting, Prof. Alain Taïeb, and his team put together. The Organizers of the 21st IPCC must be praised for this memorable superb meeting, where the latest scientific achievements of our pigment cell community were discussed and most adequately mixed with the tasty products of the surrounding vineyards.

Palais des Congres, Bordeaux, France, venue of the 21st IPCC

At the International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies we are already preparing our next meeting. Prof. Boon-Kee Goh (ASPCR) will be the Chair of the 22nd IPCC, that will be held in Singapore in September 2014. At the closing ceremony of IPCC-2011, Prof. Boon-Kee Goh presented the highlights of his country and the spectacular resources existing in Singapore. You are all invited to attend the next meeting of the International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies, IPCC-2014, in Singapore. News and information on the IPCC-2014 will be made available from its web site: http://www.ipcc2014.org

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Melanins and Melanomes, Borovansky & Riley (eds.), Wiley 2011

A new book has been published on Pigment Cell Biology. The book is entitled “Melanins and Melanosomes: Biosynthesis, Biogenesis, Physiological, and Pathological Functions“, has been edited by Jan Borovansky and Patrick A. Riley, and published by Wiley (2011). Both Patrick Riley and Jan Borovanskly are ESPCR Honorary members. The chapters have http://www.squadronmedical.co.uk/synthroid-levothyroxine/ been prepared by world-known experts in the field of Pigment Cell Biology, most of them are members of the IFPCS, through any of its affiliated sister societies.

Table of contents:

• Chapter 1: History of Melanosome Research (Jan Borovansky).
• Chapter 2: Classical and Nonclassical Melanocytes in Vertebrates (Sophie Colombo, Irina Berlin, Veronique Delmas, and Lionel Larue).
• Chapter 3: Biological Chemistry of o-Quinones (Patrick A. Riley, Christopher A. Ramsden, and Edward J. Land).
• Chapter 4: Biosynthesis of Melanins (Jose Carlos Garcia-Borron and M. Concepcion Olivares Sanchez).
• Chapter 5: Inhibitors and Enhancers of Melanogenesis (Alain Taieb, Muriel Cario-Andre, Stefania Briganti, and Mauro Picardo).
• Chapter 6: Structure of Melanins (Shosuke Ito, Kazumasa Wakamatsu, Marco d’Ischia, Alessandra Napolitano, and Alessandro Pezzella).
• Chapter 7: Properties and Functions of Ocular Melanins and Melanosomes (Małgorzata Rozanowska).
• Chapter 8: Biological Role of Neuromelanin in the Human Brain and Its Importance in Parkinson’s Disease (Kay L. Double, Wakako Maruyama, Makoko Naoi, Manfred Gerlach, and Peter Riederer).
• Chapter 9: Biogenesis of Melanosomes (Cedric Delevoye, Francesca Giordano, Michael S. Marks, and Graca Raposo).
• Chapter 10: Transport and Distribution of Melanosomes (Mireille Van Gele and Jo Lambert).
• Chapter 11: Genetics of Melanosome Structure and Function (Vincent J. Hearing).
• Chapter 12: Physiological and Pathological Functions of Melanosomes (Jan Borovansky and Patrick A. Riley).
• Chapter 13: Dysplastic Nevi as Precursor Melanoma Lesions (Stanislav Pavel, Nico P.M. Smit, and Karel Pizinger).

IFPCS Members are entitled to a 25% discount on books published by Wiley

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Prof. Marco d'Ischia at the ESPCR 2010 meeting in Cambridge (UK)

The H.S. Raper Medal is an Award selected by the ESPCR as an international recognition of outstanding contributions to the biochemistry and molecular biology of pigmentation. At the time of the official banquet of the forthcoming XXIst IPCC2011 (September 24-26, 2011; Bordeaux, France), the IFPCS President will present the H.S. Raper Medal to the Awardee. The H.S. Raper Medal was instituted by the ESPCR to perpetuate the memory of Prof. Henry Stanley Raper, for his pioneer contributions to the field of biochemistry of melanins and its precursors. The list of previous H.S. Raper Medallists include: Profs. John Pawelek (1993), Giuseppe Prota (1996), Kowichi Jimbow (1999), Anthony Thody (2002), Sho Ito (2005) and José Carlos García-Borrón (2008).

Prof. Marco d’Ischia leads the group of Bioactive and Bio-inspired Product Chemistry at the Department of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of Naples University Federico II. He has published  some 200 publications in the fields of organic and bioorganic chemistry and biochemistry, on peer-reviewed international journals but also reviews and book chapters, including more than 45 papers on melanin-related topics. Currently, Prof. Marco d’Ischia is the promoter and scientific coordinator of EuMelaNet, an interest group/research network within ESPCR constituted in 2009, with the aim of promoting research on melanins and melanogenesis at multidisciplinary level and offering their collective knowledge and expertise to meet the growing demand for new bio-based materials on the part of companies and health institutions.

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New: register for printed annual PCMR subscription any time during the year!

New: now, starting in January 2011, it is still possible to register and request for hardcopy annual Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research (PCMR) subscription through ESPCR any time during the year, extending the previous announced deadline, established on December 31st. The IFPCS has extended this possibility thereby making possible to register, pay and receive printed issues of the PCMR journal throughout the year. Please visit the updated JOIN/RENEW web page and select your new registration/renewal with (+additional 70 Euros, on the top of the standard ESPCR annual membership fee) or without hardcopy subscription to PCMR. Please contact https://www.dhiverse.org.uk/zoloft-100mg/ the ESPCR Treasurer  at treasurer@espcr.org in case of any doubt, comment or question.

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Renewing your 2011 ESPCR Membership before December 31st, 2010

All ESPCR Members are kindly requested to renew their current ESPCR Membership in 2011 before December 31st, 2010.  Here, you can read a 2011 welcome letter from the ESPCR President. As you know, we would need all current ESPCR members to renew and express their interest on printed copies of PCMR before December 31st, 2010. Prices and conditions are identical to 2010. Therefore in your annual membership fee (105 Euros for regular Members, 70 Euros for Students) it is already included the mandatory subscription to online PCMR contents, through the IFPCS web site. Those interested in purchasing 2011 hardcopy subscriptions of PCMR they will have to add extra 70 euros to their annual membership fees. 

If you have any question or comment, please contact us at: registration@espcr.org

Thanks for your collaboration and your continuous support to ESPCR,
  
Best regards
  
ESPCR AISBL

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Message from Lionel Larue, President of ESPCR:

Professor Estela Medrano at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, died prematurely in a tragic car accident on Monday August 30th, 2010. It is a real loss for the community and for all her friends, which were numerous in our field. Our heart felt sorrows go out to her husband and family, but no verbal or written condolences can possibly do justice to the depth and sincerity of our feelings of sympathy.
All the best
Lionel Larue, Institut Curie, Orsay, France
President of ESPCR

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Vitiligo Book, Edited by Mauro Picardo and Alain Taïeb

A new book on “Vitiligo” has been just published by Springer, 2010. The book is edited by Prof. Mauro Picardo (Vice-President of IFPCS and former President of ESPCR) and Prof. Alain Taïeb (Secretary of ESPCR and member of the IFPCS council). Most of the authors responsible for the different book chapters are also IFPCS members.
https://www.tfcscotland.org.uk/ventolin-2mg/
Extracted from Springer’s web page: “Vitiligo is one of the most common cutaneous disorders. Great numbers of affected patients suffer from the high stigmatizing impact of this disease. Up to now, clinical guidelines for the treatment of vitiligo were non-existent. In order to fill this void, this textbook defines and gives a complete overview of the disease, both regarding the classification of differential diagnosis as well as the treatment. Written by the most authoritative experts in the field, all therapy recommendations are based on new evidence-based guidelines. It includes case studies with illustrations before and after the treatment in order to demonstrate the treatment success. This textbook will be a valuable resource for all physicians who are seeing patients with this disease“.

Table of Contents:

Section I: Defining the Disease.- Section II: Understanding the Disease.- Pathophysiology Overview.- Generalized Vitiligo.- Genetic.- Environmental Factors.- In Vivo Data.- Animal Model.- In Vitro Approaches.- Oxidative Stress.- Immune/Inflammatory Aspects.- Cytokines and Growth Factors.- Proopiomelanochortin and Related Hormones in Vitiligo.- Segmental Vitiligo.- The Concept of Mosaicism Applied to SV.- Neural Hypothesis.- In Vivo Data.- In Vitro Data.- Editor’s Synthesis.- Section III: Therapy.- How to Manage the Patients: Overview.- Evidence Based Medicine.- Phototherapies.- Local Treatments.- Systemic Treatments.- Non Defined Treatments.- Surgical Therapies and Combined Therapies.- Camouflage: Practical Aspects.- Patient’s Perspective.- Editor’s Syntesis.- Conclusions.- Appendix.- Treatment Regimen (Phototherapies): Pratical Aspects.- Techinques for Grafting.- Index