Welcome Note of the Congress President

Dear colleagues,

it is my pleasure to welcome you to the beautiful city of Regensburg. Our city, located in the heart of Bavaria, is full of history. Early roots of settlement date back to Roman times when a legionary fort marked the northern boundary of the empire. The city was most flourishing in the Middle Ages when it hosted the Perpetual Diet of Regensburg (Immerwährender Reichstag). The medieval center of Regensburg was named UNESCO world heritage site in 2006 due to its well preserved architecture, making Regensburg the largest still existing medieval city of Germany.

Nowadays, Regensburg is a modern, prosperous city in terms of culture, science and commerce. Though you might easily get the impression that the local University oversees a long tradition, its foundation just dates back to the year 1962. The university hospital took up inpatient hospital treatment in 1992 and -an important date for us- in December 2010 the Department of Neuropathology and the Regensburg Brain tumor Center were founded.    

This is also the reason why we now -for the first time ever- have the privilege to host a meeting of the German National Society of Neuropathology in our city. Regensburg and neuropathology: this is a good fit as both have much in common. Both are modern and rooted in tradition at the same time, not the largest, but mighty. Our medical discipline addresses some of the currently most relevant and discussed health care topics, such as for example cancer or diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Neuropathologists are working at the forefront of research and diagnostics of these important diseases. Neuropathologists foster the understanding of the underlying biological disease mechanisms to develop novel therapeutic approaches. Neuropathologists are experts in investigating tissue samples to directly study diseases in human materials. Neuropathologists use state-of-the-art methods to uncover disease processes on the molecular level. Neuropathologists are important consultants to those physicians with direct patient contact and in many cases relevantly guide treatment decisions.

In our meeting we aim to provide a comprehensive update on the major and hot topics in neuropathology. We were able to attract renowned national and international speakers and our meeting will allow for an intensive interchange both within our society and with our neighbouring disciplines. Additional programme highlights include a Pre-Congress hands-on Workshop on Next Generation Sequencing and a Mini-Symposium on Quality Assurance in Neuropathology. I also particularly encourage our young researchers to participate and submit their abstracts. We estimate your contributions and there will be significant attention and room for poster presentations and discussions.

Finally I cordially invite you to join us for a Bavarian social evening in the “Fürstliches Brauhaus am Schloss” in the old town of Regensburg to celebrate a late summer evening in style and inspiration amidst a unique crowd.

I am looking forward to welcoming you all in Regensburg.

Prof. Dr. Markus J. Riemenschneider, Regensburg
Congress President DGNN Annual Meeting 2024