The Fifth International Conference on the Basic and Therapeutic Aspects of Botulinum and Tetanus Toxins has rotated back to the United States and will be held at the Marriott Denver City Center in Denver, Colorado, June 23 to 25, 2005. This conference will uphold the tradition established by previous meetings in Madison, Wisconsin; Oxford, UK; Orlando, Florida, and Hannover, Germany, by providing a venue for the exchange of ideas and information among basic scientists and clinicians.

This conference brings together the variety of disciplines studying and using these toxins and affords an opportunity for discussion of recent developments and matters of mutual interest and major relevance to the field. The program is designed so that the majority of presentations, medical and scientific, are targeted to a mixed audience. In one segment of the meeting, a number of parallel sessions focus on areas of more specialized interest. We welcome poster presentations.

The basic science program, chaired by Giampietro Schiavo, covers toxin receptors and trafficking; SNARE proteins and novel targets; neuromuscular junction and sprouting; and toxin engineering and cellular targeting. The special interest sessions concentrate on assays and detection; therapeutics and prophylaxis; genetics and ecology; and novel applications.

The clinical science program, chaired by Joseph Jankovic and Alberto Albanese, includes presentations on dystonia and other hyperkinetic movement disorders; spasticity in children and adults; gastrointestinal, urological and autonomic disorders, and immunoresistance. The special interest sessions focus on cosmetic uses, muscle spasms, headache and other pain, and use of non-type A toxins.

Generous pledges of support from the pharmaceutical companies Allergan and Merz, and the gracious assistance of the Neurotoxicity Society, have made it possible to organize this conference.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I urge you to mark your calendar and plan to meet us in Denver in June for an exciting and productive conference. Our website www.toxins2005.org will be updated with information as it becomes available.

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