The key characteristics of these Conferences are sharing of the most recent unpublished results and having exciting discussions of data and ideas in informal, interactive environments. The usually high number of young participants, both PhD students and post-docs, contribute enormously to the success of the conference with their enthusiasm and vivid discussions. If you are a young researcher we, therefore, strongly encourage you to join us. You will have excellent opportunities to discuss your data, interact and discuss science in a great atmosphere with the best of European and International experts in this field.

This year’s programme includes symposia with international experts covering topical aspects of basic research in cystic fibrosis, two key-note lectures as well as several special interest group discussions in the late afternoons and evening poster sessions with free drinks! This combination has been considered extremely successful by previous participants, offering altogether a forum for informal brain-storming-type discussions.

We thus welcome all scientists not just from the field of CFTR and CF research, but also from a diverse range of related topics, to an exciting conference of high scientific quality in the spirit of the traditional Portuguese hospitality.

Besides participating in a cutting-edge conference, you will be able to experience some of the flavour of Douro, a region that was named an UNESCO world heritage site in 2001. Indeed, the Douro Region has been producing wine for nearly two thousand years.  It is the oldest marked wine region in the world and since the 18th century its main product, Port wine, has been world-famous for its high quality. The Douro landscape is thus representative of the full range of activities associated with winemaking – vineyards in terraces, quintas (wine-producing farm complexes), picturesque villages and breath-taking winding scenic roads looking down into amazing deep valleys. The cultural landscape of the Douro Region is an outstanding example of a traditional European wine-producing region, reflecting the evolution of this human activity over time.

Margarida Amaral, Lisboa, Portugal
Melissa Ashlock, CFF, USA
William Balch, La Jolla, USA
Michael Barker, Berlin, Germany
Christine Bear, Toronto, Canada
Malcolm Brodlie, Newcastle, UK
Valeria Casavola, Bari, Italy
Lucy Chambers, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Christelle Coraux, Reims, France
Harry Cuppens, Leuven, Belgium
Alan Cuthbert, Cambridge, UK
Garry Cutting, Baltimore, MD, USA
Pam Davis, Cleveland, OH, USA
Gerd Döring, Tübingen, Germany
Alexander Edelman, Paris, France
Robert Ford, Manchester, UK
Kevin Foskett, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Ray Frizzell, Pittsburgh, PA USA
Sherif Gabriel, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Mike Gray, Newcastle, UK
William Guggino, Baltimore, MD, USA

Ann Harris, Chicago, IL, USA
Rebecca Hughey, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Voula Kanelis, Toronto, Canada
Christopher Karp, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Karl Kunzelmann, Regensburg, Germany
Gergely Lukacs, Toronto, Canada
Anil Mehta, Dundee, UK
Oscar Moran, Genova, Italy
Shmuel Muallem, Dallas, TX, USA
Chris Poll, Novartis, UK
Paul Quinton, Riverside, CA, USA
Carla Ribeiro, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Ursula Seidler, Hannover, Germany
David Sheppard, Bristol, UK
David Thomas, Montreal, Canada
Phil Thomas, Dallas, TX, USA
Diana Wetmore, CFF, USA
Jeff Wine, Stanford, CA, USA
Olga Zegarra-Moran, Genova, Italy