The 2010 SPIM congress, organised by Greentech and held in Vichy between 17 and 19 November, brought together around 100 participants.
This biennial international congress is intended for scientific researchers in the public (university physiologists, biochemists and pharmacologists) and private sectors (industrialists), as well as dermatologists and other healthcare professionals. Topics discussed at SPIM 2010 included stem cells, neuronal skin sensitivity, the endocannabinoid system, antimicrobial defence mechanisms and skin barriers, molecular and structural biology of the skin and skin microflora. As at the 2008 SPIM, the contribution of young researchers was highlighted at this year's event. Nine young researchers, selected from a wide range of candidates by a panel of scientists, were given the opportunity to present their work before the assembly. Others were able to display posters explaining their work. The panel awarded two e10,000 prizes for particularly outstanding contributions: one for work on the gene code of skin barrier proteins, and the other for research into the influence of mesenchymal stem.
