European Society for Muscle Research (ESMR)

The European Society for Muscle Research was founded in 1971, and the first meeting was organized in 1972 in Liege (Belgium). Since then annual meetings have been organized without interruption in almost every European country, as well as Israel. Despite the initial exponential growth and a continuing increase of interest from scientists outside Europe, the ESMR has maintained an informal atmosphere which promotes lively discussions between junior scientists, senior scientists, and other colleagues. Many existing, and now EU-funded, networks have their roots in the ESMR, and maintain their relations via the annual meetings.

Aims of the society

• To organize an annual international conference on muscle biology and cell motility, to be hosted in a different European country each year.
• To create a platform for interaction between scientists active in research on skeletal, cardiac, smooth muscle, and cell motility, with the aim of stimulating interdisciplinary research collaborations within and outside of Europe.
• To encourage young scientists to become involved in these fields of research, and offering them the possibility to present and discuss their work in an informal, yet highly international environment.

List of chairs

• Marcus Schaub; Zurich, Switzerland; 1971 - 1995
• Ger Stienen; Amsterdam, Netherlands; 1995 - 2004
• Anders Arner; Stockholm and Lund, Sweden; 2004 - 2017
• Wolfgang Linke; Münster, Germany; 2017 to present