Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Welcome to the Congress ESTIV2008, the 15th International Congress on In Vitro Toxicology which will be held in a unique environment in the Stockholm archipelago, Sweden, September 25-28, 2008. The congress is a joint venture organised by ESTIV (European Society of Toxicology In Vitro), SSCT (Scandinavian Society for Cell Toxicology) and Expertrådet ECB Environmental Competence Ltd.

We are happy to inform you, that the interest for developing and using non-animal (in vitro) methods for toxicity testing has increased the last couple of years and the former INVITOX, held every second year, have been upgraded to ESTIV Congress, since “workshop” does no longer properly describe the size of these meetings. INVITOX Workshops have had an outstanding tradition of bringing together junior and senior researchers, involved in the development and use of in vitro methods and the ESTIV Congress will continue to do that.

The scientific programme will include state-of-the-art lectures, workshops and poster sessions.
ESTIV2008 will cover the topics such as in vitro models for environmental toxicology, new in vitro models and strategies, in vitro models for tissue-specific toxicity and toxicokinetics. Sessions dealing with progress in implementation of alternative tests and new approaches in validation are also included in the program.
In addition to the scientific programme, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful archipelago, characterized by the natural scenery and closeness to wildlife.

Two awards will be handled out to PhD students during the Congress.

• The SSCT Young Scientist Award (oral presentation and poster presentation)
• The ESTIV/Elsevier Young Scientist Award (oral presentation and poster presentation)

We look forward to see you in Sweden and we will work hard to offer you an excellent scientific programme and a friendly atmosphere.

Warm welcome

Horst Spielman
Chair of ESTIV

Kimmo Louekari
Chair of SSCT

Cecilia Clemedson
Chair of Local Organising Committee