Report of the 4th European Zebrafish Principal Investigator Meeting.
The European Zebrafish Principal Investigator Meeting (EZPM) is an ideal forum for group leaders using this fantastic animal model not only to discuss science but also to strengthen their interactions, to push forward technological advances, and to define guidelines for the use of this fish in research. The city of Lisbon (Portugal) was voted by the European group leaders to be the setting for the 4th EZPM, and the organizing committee, composed by Leonor Saúde (iMM Lisboa, PT), Susana Lopes (CEDOC, PT), Michael Orger (Champalimaud Foundation, PT), Rui Oliveira (ISPA, PT), and António Jacinto (CEDOC, PT), was very enthusiastic to organize a productive event. The 4th EZPM took place from March 15 to 19 at Pavilhão do Conhecimento, a Science Museum and Educational Center winner of The Great Prize FAD of Arquitecture 1999 and The Society for Environmental Graphic Design Award 2011. Over 5 days, 135 group leaders (89 men and 46 women) coming from 19 different European countries and also from the United States, Turkey, Israel, Chile, and Singapore presented and discussed their recent research achievements. In addition to the scientific oral and poster presentations, the group leaders gathered in very lively community sessions on morphants versus mutants (chaired by Didier Stainier, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, DE), funding issues (chaired by Uwe Strahle, KIT-ITG, DE), and gender equality (chaired by Corinne Houart, KCL, United Kingdom). One of the highlights of the 4th EZPM was the guided visit to Oceanário de Lisboa, an international award-winning place that celebrates life with a stunning display of living aquatic creatures.
1 CEDOC-Centro de Estudos de Doenças Crónicas, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa , Lisboa, Portugal .
Susana S
SS
Lopes
2 Children's Cancer Research Institute , Vienna, Austria .
Martin
M
Distel
3 Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Guy's Campus, King's College London , London, United Kingdom .
Claudia
C
Linker
4 Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Fundação Champalimaud, Lisboa, Portugal e Instituto Gulbenkian Ciência , Oeiras, Portugal .
Rita
R
Fior
5 Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford , Oxford, United Kingdom .
Rui
R
Monteiro
6 Department Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London , London, United Kingdom .
Isaac H
IH
Bianco
7 Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology , Martinsried, Germany .
Ruben
R
Portugues
8 Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) , Karlsruhe, Germany .
Uwe
U
Strähle
9 Instituto de Medicina Molecular e Instituto de Histologia e Biologia do Desenvolvimento, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa , Lisboa, Portugal .
Leonor
L
Saúde
D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005060:Europe; D011174:Portugal; D012108:Research Personnel; D015027:Zebrafish; D006801:Humans
4th EZPM; Lisboa; PI meeting; strategic meeting