Second Announcement

including Presymposium

European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST 1006)

Challenges and Limitations in Metabolic Pathway Engineering

of Secondary Natural Products

www.ga2013.org

61st International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA)

September 1 – 5, 2013Münster, GermanySeptember 1 – 5, 2013Münster, Germany

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The Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA) invites all scientists from academia and industry dealing with natural products, medicinal plants and phytotherapy to this conference. In addition to the presentation and discussion of excellent research in the fields of phytochemistry, analytics, ethnopharmacology, pharmacology and clinical applications of natural products and herbal drug materials, it will be a major goal of this conference to provide a basis for intense networking between scientists of academia and industry from all over the world.

It is a pleasure to the organizers that the European Cooperation in Science and Technology within the COST 1006 framework will be integrated into the meeting by a presymposium “Challenges and Limitations in Metabolic Pathway Engineering of Secondary Natural Products” highlighting the latest insights in biotechnical production of natural products for medicinal applications.

This scientific meeting will be held in Münster, a picturesque city located in the Northwestern part of Germany. The historic town played an important role in European history. The Uni-versity of Münster with more than 40.000 students and an exciting research profile is one of the biggest and leading universities in Germany. The conference will take place in the central university area, in front of the historic castle of Münster which is located in the middle of the city’s historic downtown area.

In order to promote the impact of poster presentation, three poster sessions at central time frames within the congress will bring together scientists from different disciplines. Additionally, more than 80 short lectures will highlight the actual status of natural products science. Especially younger scientists, but also researchers from industry are asked to present high quality results for intense discussion. Workshops will provide in-depth insights into various aspects of medicinal plant and natural products research.

Apart from the scientific presentations and discussions, a full social program will be offered, which will leave you with unforgettable memories of Münster and its very typical and beautiful surrounding countryside. Congress dinner within the Open Air Museum Münster will take you back into the European past, giving you a glance of fine food in historic farmhouse atmosphere in front of a historic miller’s house, shoemaker’s house and an old chapel.

One-day excursions to UNESCO World Heritage Site “Zeche Zollverein”, the world’s most beautiful coal mine and a unique nature field trip will generate exciting insight into the geographic, cultural and biological surroundings of the Münster region of Westphalia.

Hope to meet you all for a pleasant and fruitful meeting with science, culture and hospitality!

Yours sincerely,Andreas Hensel and Thomas J. Schmidt

InvItatIon to the annual conference of Ga and welcome to the unIversIty of münster

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• Natural products against neglected diseases

• In vivo phytopharmacology

• Skin-active natural products

• Glycobiology and carbohydrate-based active compounds

• Ethnopharmacology of African medicine

• Ethnopharmacology of Amazonian medicine

• Computational methods in natural products chemistry

• Hyphenated analytical techniques and target fishing

• Natural product chemistry

• Plant phenols: structures, analytics and activities

• Quality control methods for medicinal plants, extracts and isolated natural products

• Herbal medicinal products in animal healthcare and veterinary medicine

Scientific contributions in other topics related to medicinal plant research are welcome.

maIn scIentIfIc toPIcs

Plenary sPeaKers (confirmed)

Tony Bacic Melbourne, Australia

Glycobiology

Veronika Butterweck Muttenz, Switzerland

In vivo pharmacology of medicinal plants

Elaine Elisabetsky Porto Alegre, Brazil

Amazonian ethnopharmacology

Alan Fairlamb Dundee, U.K.

Natural products against neglected tropical diseases

Sami A. Khalid Omdurman, Sudan

African ethnopharmacology: Current state and future perspectives of natural products-based drug discovery in Africa

Ronald Quinn Brisbane, Australia

Computational methods in natural products chemistry

Tony Rawlings Northwich, U.K.

Skin active natural products

J. van Staden Pretoria, South Africa

African ethnopharmacology

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In addition to plenary and highlight lectures we offer space for more than 80 short lectures

(10 + 5 min) and high-quality posters related to the topics of the meeting and to relevant

subjects of medicinal plant research and natural product chemistry.

Please note that all scientific contributions (including poster presentations) are subjected to

an extensive review process; only high-quality abstracts will be accepted. All accepted

abstracts will be published in a special conference issue of PLANTA MEDICA. (Please

note that accepted abstracts which are not presented during the conference because of

absence of the presenting author will not be published in PLANTA MEDICA.) Electronic

versions of the accepted abstracts will be available via the conference website. A printed

copy of the Planta Medica abstract issue will be available free of charge to all conference

participants.

Abstract submission will be open via www.ga2013.org starting February 1, 2013. Deadline

for abstract submission is fixed to April 15, 2013. Notification of acceptance or rejection and

publication of accepted abstracts will follow by June 15, 2013.

Please note that submission of abstracts requires prior registration of at least one author

via the conference website. A link to the abstract submission platform will become available

only after successful registration. Please note that the new abstract submission system

introduced by GA is technically separate from the general conference registration system.

It will hence be necessary that you input your profile data at 2 different stages during the

registration and abstract submission process.

All details concerning abstract size, format etc. will be available at the abstract submission

website.

Only abstracts submitted via the online submission system can be considered.

call for PaPers

Abstract submission April 15, 2013

Travel grant application March 31, 2013

Information on acceptance of abstract Latest June 15, 2013

Early registration Until April 16, 2013

Cancellation with refund, minus 50,00 EUR handling fee; Please note that after this date, cancellation will only be possible without refunding

Latest June 15, 2013

deadlInes

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worKshoPs

younG researchers worKshoP (yrw)

A special workshop for young researchers offers the unique opportunity to present

own data and to discuss these data, including practical problems during the daily lab

work, in a free and relaxed atmosphere. Special emphasis is laid on the problem-solving

discussion between all participants. The YRW is mainly for PhD students, but presentations

by undergraduate students and young post-docs will also be considered. The YRW will start

with an impulse lecture by a young but established scientist emphasizing issues like trouble-

shooting, negative/non-reproducible results.

Additionally, a short lecture about perspectives in industry and academia will give you some

perspectives for the future carreer, followed by a 20 min lecture-training on oral presentation

skills and how to structure and set up a clear presentation with your own findings at a scientific

conference. The main part of the afternoon will be dedicated to short lectures on medicinal

plant and natural products research. A closing discussion will end up the session.

Only high-quality abstracts can be considered for oral presentations. All young scientists

presenting a short lecture during the YRW are asked to contribute these data also as a

poster during the main poster sessions. The abstracts of oral YRW presentations will be

covered within a special section in the PLANTA MEDICA conference issue.

travel Grants

Travel grants can be applied for. For details consult the GA website at http://www.ga-online.org/young_res_travelgrants_en.html

• Presymposium COST Workshop: Metabolic Pathway Engineering of Secondary Natural Products; Chair: O. Kayser

• Regulatory Affairs Workshop: Harmonisation of Health Claims in Europe; Chairs: A.Vlietink, S. Alban

• 7th Young Researchers Workshop; Chairs: D.Tasdemir, A.R.Bilia

• Animal Healthcare and Veterinary Medicine; Chair: M. Walkenhorst

• How to publish in Science; Chair: L. Pieters

• Current Aspects in Manufacturing of Herbal APIs (Extracts): GACP Regulations/GMP Implementation/Process Development; Chair: C. Erdelmeier

• Research Network Natural Products against Neglected Diseases; Chair: T.J. Schmidt

• Industry meets Academia,The Search for Common Activities; Chair: A. Hensel

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scIentIfIc commItee

local orGanIZInG commIttee

Andreas Hensel

Matthias Lechtenberg

Frank Petereit

Jandirk Sendker

Thomas J. Schmidt

Simone Brandt

Martina Plesse

Elke Thiele

Christian Agyare (Kumasi, Ghana)

Adeleke Adebajo (Nigeria)

Tania M. de A. Alves (Belo Horizonte, Brazil)

Husnu Can Baser (Eskisehir, Turkey)

Rudolf Bauer (Graz, Austria)

Wolfgang Blaschek (Kiel, Germany)

Anna Rita Bilia (Florence, Italy)

Maique Weber Biavatti (Florianópolis, Brazil)

Reto Brun (Basel, Switzerland)

Veronika Butterweck (Muttenz, Switzerland)

Solange L. de Castro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Fernando B. da Costa (Ribeirão Preto, Brazil)

Guo De-an (Shanghai, China)

Alexandra Deters (Berlin, Germany)

RuAngelie Edrada-Ebel (Glasgow, U.K.)

Clemens Erdelmeier (Karlsruhe, Germany)

Nikolas Fokialakis (Athens, Greece)

Jürg Gertsch (Bern, Switzerland)

Matthias Hamburger (Basel, Switzerland)

Michael Heinrich (London, U.K.)

Hans-Ulrich Humpf (Münster, Germany)

Gerold Jerz (Braunschweig, Germany)

Jong Seong Kang (Daejeon, Korea)

Oliver Kayser (Dortmund, Germany)

Sami A. Khalid (Omdurman, Sudan)

Brigitte Kopp (Vienna, Austria)

Matthias Lechtenberg (Münster, Germany)

Norberto P. Lopes (Ribeirão Preto, Brazil)

João Carlos Palazzo de Mello (Maringa, Brazil)

Matthias Melzig (Berlin, Germany)

Bruno Moerschbacher (Münster, Germany)

Adolf Nahrstedt (Münster, Germany)

Michael Niehues (Ribeirão Preto, Brazil)

Frank Petereit (Münster, Germany)

Alvaro J. Romanha (Florianópolis, Brazil)

Luc Pieters (Antwerp, Belgium)

Berit S. Paulsen (Oslo, Norway)

Judith Rollinger (Innsbruck, Austria)

Thomas J. Schmidt (Münster, Germany)

Marcus T. Scotti (Rio Tinto, Brazil)

Jandirk Sendker (Münster, Germany)

Maria de N. C. Soeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

William Setzer (Huntsville, USA)

Timo Stark (Munich, Germany)

Deniz Tasdemir (Galway, Ireland)

André G. Tempone (São Paulo, Brazil)

Arnold Vlietinck (Antwerp, Belgium)

Jean-Luc Wolfender (Geneve, Switzerland)

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conGress secretarIat

All correspondence concerning scientific aspects should be addressed to

Prof. Dr. Andreas Hensel Prof. Dr. Thomas J. Schmidt

University of Münster

Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry

Hittorfstrasse 56

48149 Münster, Germany

after March 1, 2013

Correnstrasse 48, 48149 Münster, Germany

Phone: + 49 251 83 33380

Fax: + 49 251 83 38341

E-mail: ga2013@wwu.de

Professional congress management for registration, accommodation, and all administrative

subjects will be provided by

INTERPLAN, Congress, Meeting & Event Management AG

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Strasse 93

20355 Hamburg, Germany

E-mail: ga2013@interplan.de

www.interplan.de

of the 61st International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society of Medicinal Plant and

Natural Product Research

Gesellschaft für Arzneipflanzen- und

Naturstoff-Forschung e.V. (GA)

Dutendorfer Strasse 5-7

91487 Vestenbergsgreuth, Germany

www.ga-online.org

orGanIZer

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offIcIal lanGuaGe

The official language of the conference will be English. There will be no provision for simultaneous translation into other languages.

reGIstratIon

Registration for the congress will start on February 1, 2013 and can be done through an online registration link on the congress website www.ga2013.org

hotel BooKInGs

The Münster Tourist Office offers a comfortable hotel booking link to all participants. Information on hotel bookings as well as the booking link can be found on the congress website www.ga2013.org.

conference dInner

After four days filled with science, presentations, discussions and networking we will celebrate our guests and the conference with a congress dinner in a charming and relaxing informal atmosphere. The dinner will take place in the evening of Wednesday (September 4) at the Open Air Museum Münster Mühlenhof, situated on the outskirts of the city, close to the lakeside. The museum was established in 1961 to collect, preserve and exhibit buildings and objects illustrating rural life in the region of Münsterland. After a short walk (20 min) guided by a historical country tradesman, the so called “Kiepenkerl”, giving his humorous ex- planations and stories of ancient times, we will arrive at the dining area, where we will have a typical Westphalian Buffet (also delicious for vegetarians) with lots of German beer, wine and other drinks! Enjoy Germany and Westphalian hospitality. Bus transfer is included in the conference dinner ticket.

© Mühlenhof-Freilichtmuseum Münster

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eXcursIons

Two different excursions will be offered on the last day of the conference, Thursday September 5.

1. Visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein, “the world’s most beautiful coal mine”, today the most famous industrial monument, followed by a visit of a typical Westphalian castle, producing medicinal plants and plant extracts.

Zollverein, with its four out of five maintained shafts, underground facilities, the central coking plant, stockpiles, transport facilities and workers’ housing estates, in short: the “Industrial Cultural Landscape of Zollverein”, is exemplary for the coal-producing and processing industry of the 19th and 20th century. Zollverein is the only facility worldwide, which still illustrates the complexity of this industry today. Zollverein is therefore a symbol for the industrial culture in the Ruhr area, the German region which is to the present day characterised by the social, economic, aesthetic, and industrial history of the era of coal and steel like no other. For this excursion day we will leave Münster by bus in the morning; after a short bus ride we will start an exciting guided tour (English language) through the World Heritage Site. You will see how coal was brought up from the mines, how it was pulverized, washed and transported. It is impressive to see how this exhausting work was done, and you will feel as being part of this giant fabrication process. For not getting hungry we will have a short lunch together (included) and than visit the original coking plant which achieved superlative output capacities. We will enter the ovens and the machines.

After this industrial monument we will go by bus to Castle Sandfort, an agricultural company dealing with plant production and GMP-certified production of plant extracts. We will have a guided tour over the farming area and the plant and than have a charming apero with drinks in the historic castle. Return of the bus at about 5 p.m. to Münster.

2. The Nature Field Trip excursion, especially interesting for younger participants from non-European countries (please note that this excursion is only recommended for those who like to walk in the wild for several hours), will take us to two different nature reserves in the Münster area and give insights into the local flora and fauna. Starting from the conference venue, a short bus ride will take us to the EU-protected bird sanctuary “Rieselfelder”, a renatured area just north of the city. In the middle of a large wetland area consisting of over 130 small lakes and ponds, we will take a short walk during which a variety of domestic waterbirds can be watched (don’t forget to bring field glasses and a camera). From here we will take a further bus ride (about 45 min) to the area of Ibbenbüren north of Münster, where we will go on a hiking tour (about 4 h) in the nature reserve “Dörenther Klippen”, a cretaceous ridge of sand stone cliffs covered with forest and heathland. Here we will enjoy the rich flora of flowering plants, ferns and mosses, and admire the bizarre shape of the cliffs. During the tour, we will have a lunch picnic in the wild (food and drinks included) and learn about the area’s natural history as well as the local medicinal plants and their use. The bus will then take us back to Münster where we will arrive around 5:30 p.m.

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Münster is located in the north-western part of Germany and can be reached easily by

plane, train or car.

Münster by plane

• Via International Airport Münster-Osnabrück (www.fmo.de), about 20 km outside of the

city. Shuttle bus transfer from the airport to the city is running routinely.

• Via International Airport Düsseldorf (www.duesseldorf-international.de) and connecting

trains to Münster (about 1 h ride to Münster main central station).

Münster by train

Express trains connect Münster regulary with the railway network of Deutsche Bundesbahn

(www.db.de).

Please refer to the congress website to see the special offer of the Deutsche Bundesbahn

for congress participants.

Münster by car

• Via highway A1, take exit “Münster-Nord”, then head towards Münster on the B 54

(Steinfurter Straße) to “Schlossplatz”; Limited parking space for cars can be found

directly in front of the conference venue on the “Schlossplatz”.

• Via highway A1, take exit “Münster-Süd”, head towards Münster on the A 43. After about

2 km, the A 43 becomes B 219 (Weseler Straße); go straight ahead as far as “Schloss-

platz” (street: “Am Stadtgraben”). At the traffic lights behind the Landgericht (brick court

building) turn left into “Gerichtsstraße”. After 20 m enter the Schlossplatz parking lot on

the right.

• GPS navigation systems

Schlossplatz, Münster (48149), Germany

how to come to münster

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münster – enchantInGly old, eXcItInGly younG

There’s something surprising and new to discover around every corner. Who, for instance, would expect to find one of the most fashionable hotspots in a town within mediaeval walls? Or the world’s largest collection of graphic works of Picasso behind the facade of the 18th century town house of the Westphalian aristocracy? While high up on the tower of Lamberti Church, one of the last “tower watchmen” in Germany still blows his horn, scientists of the very first rank make research institutes and hospitals into “lighthouses” of scientific excel-lence. Gems of baroque architecture stand side by side with buildings that are absolutely of the present day. Over 60 sculptures stand as a permanent reminder of the “skulptur projek-ten”, an event held every ten years that makes Münster a magnet for the international art scene. Traditional, cosy pubs rub shoulders with a vibrant club scene or stylish “in” places in the popular new nightlife (and “daylife”) area bordering the canal docks.

It is this fascinating mix that gives Münster its charm: the combination of a venerable past with cosmopolitan, international modernity.

The Peace Hall in the Historic Town Hall is a permanent reminder. With the signing of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, European history was written in Münster. An equally important date for the development of the city itself, though, was the foundation in 1773 of the first university in Westphalia, the starting point for today’s city of education and science, with no fewer than 50,000 students at eight universities.

The reason why Münster numbers among the “Historic Highlights of Germany” immediately becomes clear on entering the city’s centre. This is where the heart of Münster – the ancient Hanseatic and market town, with its more than 1200 years of history - truly beats: On Prinzipal-

markt, the rows of merchants’ houses with their fascinating gables create a breath-taking silhouette, while under the arcades, elegant stores entice people to come in and shop, or at least window-shop. And just around the corner, anyone can feel how young this heart has remained: This is where the twice-weekly market, regarded as one of the loveliest in Europe, is held. Here, in the shadow of the Münster’s mighty St. Paul’s Cathedral, you will find the traditional Münsterland farmer side by side with a grower of organic products, or the Dutch cheese of fishmonger beside a seller of Mediterranean food specialities.

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münster – enchantInGly old, eXcItInGly younG

However, Münster’s Old Town is not frozen like a museum – it is regularly the setting for activities of the liveliest kind. For exam-ple, when Münster’s tradespeople set up a long table in the street and invite allcomers to enjoy the traditional “Hanseatic Repast”. Or when Münster’s churches open their doors for a fes-tival of “Musica sacra”. Or when the “Schauraum” (Showroom), the festival of museums and galleries, creates a sophisticated lounge-like atmosphere in the Town Hall courtyard.

The Prinzipalmarkt is also included in the route of the Münster-land-Giro cycle event, and even forms the finishing straight for the runners of the Münster Marathon. But Münster’s river Aa, too, is placed in the limelight through a series of cultural happenings, as is the Promenade, where choirs and music groups offer outdoor entertainment. And Münster’s baroque palace naturally offers a breathtaking backdrop for events of every kind – whether with stars of the opera stage, top riders in the world of equestrian sport, or the very cream of Münster’s gastro-nomy scene. Or to go to a setting of a very different but no less impressive kind: This year, Münster’s disused gasometer will become the open-air venue for Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

And on a slightly larger scale, the city itself has long enjoyed fame as the setting for some of German television’s most popular characters: private detective Wilsberg, and the duo of Inspector Thiel/Professor Börne, lead figures in the “Tatort” series.

But for all the many things to do and see, Münster is a city that always leaves its visitors room to breathe. In just a few minutes on foot – and of course, in “Germany’s cycling capital“, even sooner by bike – it is possible to be surrounded by greenery: on the Promenade, in the Schlossgarten, or by the Aasee Lake, which, with its outdoor steps and terraces, offers a touch of maritime flair. Or by going just a little bit further, out into the park-like countryside of the Münsterland with its wonderful moated manor houses.

And back in the lively bustle of the city, you still have time to decide: Which of the 30 museums to go to? A guided city tour in the footsteps of the Anabaptists, perhaps? And later on this evening: Classical grand opera or youthful avantgarde dance? Or a fascinating history lecture? Stay a few days longer? Or come back for another visit very soon indeed?

Information: www.tourismus.muenster.de

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for your notes

© Photos: WWU Münster, IPBP / Presseamt Münster – Tilman Roßmöller