We are honoured to host the 21st International Symposium of Ceramics in Medicine – Bioceramics 21. This symposium is the annual meeting of the International Society for Ceramics in Medicine (ISCM). Bioceramics 21 will be held in Búzios, Brazil, from 21 to 24 October 2008. It is the first time that this event is held in Latin America. We chose the Hotel Atlântico Búzios Convention & Resort, which is a resort with differentiated services for events.

Búzios is located 180km from the city of Rio de Janeiro, in a beautiful region called “Lake Region”, in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The name “búzios” comes from a specific kind of shell, very common in the sands of this town. The beauty of the peninsula 26 beaches, the charming old fishermen’s villages, the wide variety of Brazilian and international restaurants, the native flora and fauna, are features that make Búzios special and unique.

The previous Bioceramics editions have fostered the exchange of expertise between different areas such as medicine, engineering, physics and so on. In the 21st edition, we will focus on this multidisciplinary aspect encouraging authors to submit papers from different areas such as bioceramics modelling; nano-science and nano-engineering; surface functionalization; bioceramics for heavy metals immobilization; third generation bioceramics and so on.

We are looking forward to see you in Búzios in 2008!

THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Marcelo H. Prado da Silva  (Chairman)

Cecília A. Zavaglia (Honoraris Chair)

Marivalda M. Pereira (co-Chair) José Carlos Bressiani (co-Chair)

Letter from the President

The first Bioceramics meeting was held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1988.  Bioceramics 18 was the second edition held in Kyoto, when Brazil was chosen to host the Bioceramics 21.  Bioceramics comes to its 21^st edition, a higher age and the Brazilian Bioceramics community is very proud to host the most important meeting in this field.  In fact, during the 90s, Bioceramics turned to be the annual meeting of the International Society for Ceramics in Medicine (ISCM).  Previous Bioceramics editions were alternated between North America, Europe and Asia and this is the first time we have this meeting in Latin America.  This reflects a trend of increasing participation of researchers and students from emerging countries.

Brazil is famous for its exuberant nature, music and people.  The city of Buzios encompasses beauty and safety.  The days of meeting will be a unique opportunity for updating knowledge, exchanging experience and also meeting collaborators, many of them that became friends.  It is impossible to deny the joy of meeting former supervisors and students from different research centres in the World.  Brazil, with its passionate people, is the right place to translate the various faces of the Bioceramics meeting.  I look forward to seeing you in Buzios!

Marcelo Henrique Prado da Silva
President of the ISCM