Eclectic Endocrinologists

We endocrinologists are certainly an eclectic bunch: we'll happily turn our hands to almost all aspects of biology, and this year’s BES programme is testament to this fact. Over four days, we'll obviously cover the latest research on the classic endocrine systems, but we'll also learn how to measure angiogenesis (March 26th, 14:30 – 15:15; Meet the Expert 9), how natiuretic peptides effect the cardiovascular system (March 25th, 9:00 – 10:30; Symposium 7: Natriuretic peptides: so much more than salt and water), and even how to grow organs in the lab (March 26th, 13:35 – 14:30; Meet the Expert 8). This is what makes endocrinology such a fascinating subject; its ubiquitous presence and influence across many fields. And that last session will no doubt be extremely useful for the many of us, including myself, who will require new livers come the conferences end.

The programme strongly focuses on the latest research that will have direct impact on national and international healthcare. To pick out just a few from a basic science perspective, sessions on investigating cellular metabolism and how this alters in various disease states (March 24th, 13:45 – 15:15; Applied Physiology Workshop: A guide to the analysis of energy metabolism), and new research on various aspects of steroidogenesis (March 25th, 9:00 – 10:30; Oral Communications 3: Steroids), are currently extremely hot topics and should pull a large crowd.

There are also many sessions focused on the latest thyroid research, culminating in the Society for Endocrinology European Medal Lecture (March 26th, 11:30 – 12:00), which will highlight various mechanisms involved in thyroid hormone resistance.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the poster sessions. They are always vibrant affairs, and a real opportunity to engage with like-minded scientists. Furthermore, they provide a real sense of inspiration; to see and discuss all the interesting endocrine research being performed globally. I encourage as many of you to attend these sessions.

Overall, with the immense breadth of topics covered, I believe this year’s BES looks set to be yet another stimulating, fascinating endocrine conference. You’ll find me regularly tweeting (@drpaulfoster) all about it. And for those of you not in the twittersphere, I look forward to seeing you there.

Paul Foster

Lecturer in Molecular Endocrinology, University of Birmingham