Dear Colleagues,

We warmly welcome you to “Cutting Edge Pathology 2017”. This is, after the inaugural event in Uppsala in 2011 and the subsequent meeting in Berlin in 2014, the third joint conference of the European Societies of Veterinary and Toxicological Pathology and the European College of Veterinary Pathologists, the three professional bodies representing veterinary pathologists in Europe. The event provides all of us with the highly valuable opportunity to keep up with current developments, exchange new scientific ideas and embrace the entire scope of our profession. Its consistently high numbers of attendees confirm the need for and success of jointly organised and conducted meetings.

Our profession has changed significantly over the last few decades. With the advancements in clinical imaging tools, classical diagnostic companion animal pathology has shifted its emphasis to a more indepth approach, both requiring advanced tools for tumour diagnoses and prognoses. New molecular techniques, such as next generation sequencing, help us to detect new pathogens more rapidly, but also open new fields for diagnostic pathologists as experts who reveal the causal relationship between a host and new pathogens. The use of genetically engineered animals, the increasing deployment of various large animal models for the testing of new biomedical devices and in tissue engineering, and the development of new biologics are crossing the bridge between classical anatomical and toxicological pathology.

Nonetheless, some things have not changed since Robert Virchow said “… the cell is really the ultimate morphological element in which there is any manifestation of life…” (Cellular Pathology, 1860). The implementation of the microscope as a diagnostic tool and for the study of cellular dysfunction was key to the advances that took place in all fields of medicine during the first half of the last century. It is amazing that the microscope, in whichever form, is still the most important resource in our job, and high standard morphological skills ensure the role of pathologists as equal partners in interdisciplinary teams. However, at the same time we experience on a daily basis that characterising a tumour, defining a phenotype or assessing an adverse effect by “its morphological manifestation” might no longer be sufficient.

Both toxicological pathologists and anatomic pathologists in particular in academia are currently expanding their traditional fields and are moving toward a common research-based activity centred on animal models of disease. They can assist each other when the challenges related to a plethora of new products that have to be tested need to be faced, and to adequately train and establish the next generation of veterinary pathologists.

Indeed, we are an evolving profession! In order to remain valuable partners for those working in basic and translational research, the pharmaceutical and biomedical industry, and clinical veterinarians, we have to constantly adapt and expand our methodological approaches and technical skills. The contributions from keynote speakers and participants are proof that we are up to the challenge.

Incorporated into the programme are specific events, such as Educational Sessions from the ECVP, a large joint ESTP/ESVP/ECVP Mystery Case session, a Dermatopathology Workshop, an Interactive Neurology-Neuropathology Workshop, complemented by several satellite meetings, such as an IATP Workshop. These reflect the breadth of our profession and the close links between our organisations. Directly before our meeting, the Société Française d’Anatomie Pathologique Vétérinaire (SFAPV) holds its annual scientific meeting, the Davis Thompson Foundation organises its European Division Pathology Symposium, offering an intense CPD event on lymphoma in domestic animals, and ToxPath21 discusses the role of the toxicological pathologist in the era of “omics”.

We wish to thank all those who contribute to the success of this year’s conference; first of all the local organising committee headed by Pierluigi Fant, then the scientific committees with Professor Laura Peña (ECVP/ESVP) and Catherine Botteron and Franck Chanut (ESTP) as chairpersons, the keynote speakers and workshop organisers, and last but not least, all those who present their work to the audience, as a basis for discussion and to spread new methodological approaches and scientific ideas. We hope that Cutting Edge Pathology will also allow the different areas of our profession to link more closely and to ensure a critical mass is there, ready to play a role and have a voice as an equal partner within the scientific community, in both academia and industry.

We wish you an interesting and fruitful conference that you can use to update your professional expertise, to present your own work, to network and, of course, to meet old and new friends in a beautiful environment.

Yours sincerely,

Keynote Lectures

Main Focus on Translational Sciences, with Seven Sessions: Data Analysis, Antibody-Drug Conjugates, Biomarkers, Pathology 2.0, Animal Models, Veterinary Drugs, Vaccines. BSTP Chirukandath Gopinath Lecture INHAND Interactive Session -- Update from the Non-Rodent Working groups: Dogs and Minipigs IATP Satellite Workshop with Pathology 2.0

Invited Talks

ESVP / ECVP Workshops

Dermatopathology Workshop by Verena Affolter

GI tract Workshop by Mike D. Willard

Interactive Veterinary Neurology-Neuropathology Workshop (Part 2) by Wolfgang Baumgärtner, Andreas Beineke, Anna Oevermann and Veronika Stein

Chronic Wasting Disease, a challenging disease by Sylvie Benestad

African and classic swine fever in wild boars by Mª Ángeles Jiménez

ESVP/ ECVP Educational Session

Poster, Oral Presentation and Copyright Matters by Andrea Gröne, Laura Peña and Sean Callanan

Train the trainers by Andrea Gröne

How to make good pictures for publication by Silvia Ferro

Industry Exhibition

An exhibition competition is waiting for you. The winner will be announced and a prize awarded on Saturday during the coffee break.