State of the art developments in respiratory medicine were the focus of the Irish Thoracic Society Annual Scientific Meeting 2011 which took place in Dublin recently. A record number of delegates heard from leading international experts about the latest innovations in asthma genetics and the management of fungal and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections in patients with lung disease. In addition there were 175 presentations of the best of original research from centres throughout the Island of Ireland on the full spectrum of respiratory topics including COPD, lung cancer, asthma, cystic fibrosis, sleep disorders, tuberculosis and interstitial lung disease.

Professor Stephen Holgate, Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton delivered the ITS Guest Lecture in Translational Science – The Genetics of Asthma: moving from bench to bedside.

The Irish Thoracic Society Symposium on Difficult to Treat Infections in Patients with Lung Disease heard Dr Kenneth Olivier, Staff Clinician, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Maryland, USA and Professor David Denning, Professor of Medicine and Mycology, University Hospital of South Manchester speaking on non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections and fungal infections respectively.

Strong support from exhibitors and sponsors was much appreciated. Sincere thanks to all involved.