The VIII International Meeting on Cholinesterases has been held in Perugia (Italy), on September 26-30, 2004. The Meeting gathered 250 participants coming from 25 countries in all over the world (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, France, Germany, England, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Hungary, Usa), to learn about the latest advances in cholinesterases molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, and pharmacology.

The Meeting has been supported by the Italian Ministero delle Politiche Agricole e Forestali, OECD (Organisation For Economic Co-operation and Development), United States Army Medical Research and Material Command, ISN (International Society for Neurochemistry), Fondazione Banca dell'Umbria, DGA (Delegation Generale pour l'Armement), IBRO (International Brain Research Organization), Regione dell'Umbria, AFM (Association Francaise contre les Myopathies), Provincia di Perugia and EdiSES publishing house.

The specific focus of this symposium has been on cholinesterases and related proteins because of their importance in the neurosciences, biochemistry, structural and molecular biology, clinical problems, pharmaceutics, pesticides, and organophosphate poisoning.

The main topics of this event were:

- the molecular basis of cholinergic and non cholinergic functions of cholinesterases
- the link between dysfunctions of cholinesterases and human and animal diseases (muscle and nervous systems)
- the design of new inhibitors (more species-specific, treatment of Alzheimer's disease)
- the development of a new generation of ultrasensitive detectors of anticholinesterase agents to detect pollution in soil, water anf foods.
Novel topics covered in this meeting included new genomic polymorphisms in the cholinesterase genes, novel protein variants of AChE and their molecular interactions as well as the neurochemical principles of enzymatic and non-enzymatic functions of anticholinesterases.

Precisely, the Meeting has been divided into 6 sessions:
cell and molecular biology of cholinesterases
genetics and physiology of cholinesterases
advanced structure-function relationships in cholinesterases and related proteins
kinetics, pharmacology of cholinesterases and their inhibitors
human diseases related to cholinesterases
anti-cholinesterase agents, health and sustainable agriculture.
The Meeting had 64 speakers and 120 poster presentations, 15 of which have been selected as oral presentations.

The main advances have regarded the catalityc mechanisms of AChE and its interactions with its inhibitors, the regulation of AChE expression, its functional localization, in particular into muscles, and the role of its several variants. This findings resulted mainly from studies on genetically modified mice and cristallografy studies. The questions regarding the relations structure-function still remain opened, especially the allosteric relations within the peripheral and catalityc sites and the flexibility of the enzyme structure as well as the movements of certain residues of active site.
Important questions have been proposed regarding the cell biology of cholinesterases, more than their role in pathologies, in particular those neurodegenerative such as Alzheimer's disease and the study of appropriate treatments.
The existance of non catalityc functions of AChE, assumed in the over few past years, is for some scientists in the field reliable, but, according to me, it still requires more experiments and studies involving "knock out" mice deprived of AChE, or cells derived from these experimental models. The prevention and protection against anti-cholinesterases poisoning have really improved but still present some serious unsolved problems as well as the insects and nematodes resistance which is nowadays well comprised but that still state unsolved problems.

The International Committee, that met during the Meeting, accepted the proposal by Dr K Tsim, from the University of Sciences and Technology, Hong Kong, of organising the next International Meeting on Cholinesterases in China, probably in Shanghai, in 2007.

The Local organaizer
Prof. Vincenzo N. Talesa