Last week between 10-14 June, the cream of cyclodextrin science gathered in Dunkerque, France to share their knowledge and most recent scientific results during the 21st International Cyclodextrin Symposium.
The conference started with a social tour, visiting nearby sights on the seashore and harbor and spending a wonderful lunch together. We concluded the first-day networking with a welcome party at the Town Hall.
During the event, we could enjoy 81 oral presentations spread across a 3 and half-day scientific fiesta. 166 participants from all around the world (75% Europe, 15% Asia, 10% America) exchanged ideas and initiated collaborations. The most well-represented countries were France, Italy, and Hungary (:P).
During the breaks, we could enjoy bites from French cuisine and discuss further science through the 56 presented posters.
The 1st day was topped by a huge Dunkerque beer&cheese carnival, one of the most memorable social events of all time, while the 2nd one with a wonderful Gala dinner at the stunning nearby aquarium.
CarboHyde was represented by two members, Daniel Bisericaru and Tamas Sohajda, and presented a talk about the status, future and dilemmas of developing cyclodextrin-based active ingredients. Further collaborations of the company were dominated by sharing the results of two EU-funded projects: GENEGUT & Bicyclos HEurope.
Several awards were presented during the Symposium:
- the prestigious Szejtli award went to Sophie Beeren for her groundbreaking work on novel enzymatic methods to create cyclodextrins
- the best poster award to Ana Francisca Soares from Genegut on CD-based gene delivery
- the best flash presentation to Martina Dragone discussing peptide-CD interactions
- the best oral presentation to Clara Testard presenting high-level cyclodextrin synthesis
The conference was concluded by sharing future events where professionals can meet again:
- Francesco Trotta will organize a CD Summer school in June, 2025 in Geneva, mainly for students
- The next EUROCD will be held in Milano, September, 2025 as shown by Andrea Mele
- Keiichi Motoyama invited attendees to Kyoto for the next Asian CD conference to be held in November, 2025.
I hope to see many of you during these events!
It was an amazing experience, huge thanks to the organizers Sophie Fourmentin, Eric MONFLIER and Bernard Martel for their excellent work.
Best wishes, Tamas