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Munich International Autumn School (MIAS) for Respiratory Medicine 2016

Translating research into practice is one of the key aspects of modern medical science. To allow for such translations, qualified experts with notion of both basic science and clinical medicine are needed. To gain more insight into recent developments in lung biology and disease research at the interface of bench-to-bedside, the Munich International Autumn School (MIAS) was held for the fourth time from November 14 - 18.

The Munich International Autumn School (MIAS) is an outstanding program that is held at the Comprehensive Pneumology Center (CPC) and organized by "AtemWeg - Stiftung zur Erforschung von Lungenkrankheiten", together with the CPC Research School "Lung Biology and Disease". This year, MIAS was supported by the German Center for Lung Research (DZL - "Deutsches Zentrum für Lungenforschung") and by "Boehringer Ingelheim".

15 young scientists and clinicians from 11 countries worldwide were invited to take part in the training modules that spanned from theory to practice, listen to and interact with world-leading experts in experimental and clinical respiratory medicine, and to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere in Munich with scientists from the CPC.

The participants enjoyed excellent talks about recent findings in the field of lung biology and disease that were given by both the International MIAS faculty (renowned invited speakers) and the CPC MIAS Faculty (speakers from the venue). Training modules, such as primary cell culture, de- and recellularization of the lung, 3D live cell and tissue imaging, animal models, or proteomics and single-cell based analyses of the lung were complemented by clinical visits where the participants could appreciate the significance of research in this area. Clinical visits included the University Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and the Asklepios Pulmonary Hospital in Munich-Gauting.

The feedback on the MIAS program was overall very positive and many expressed their thank you towards the foundation "AtemWeg" for the organization and invitation. "Personally, I enjoyed the expert's talks very much, but it was also very interesting to see how well-connected lung research is conducted here in Munich", said one of the participants at the MIAS Dinner towards the end of the week. The dinner was another amazing opportunity to exchange and network with the speakers, the CPC scientists, and the fellow participants in a cozy Caribbean atmosphere.

We hope that our guests enjoyed their week here with us in Munich just as much as we did. It was great to have you here and we hope you gained additional knowledge and hands-on experiences for your lung-related research or clinical life!

By Max Strunz.