History of ISCCB

In 1982 a group of 100 researchers from all over the world decided to meet for a week on the Spanish island of Ibiza to discuss the chemical, physiological, pharmacological, and clinical aspects of chromaffin cell biology. The meeting was an outstanding success, so the researchers decided to repeat it biennially at different venues. The ISCCB’s goals are to promote high quality neuroscience research using chromaffin cells as a biological model, to exchange ideas, to promote collaboration between laboratories with complementary methodologies, to foster scientific strategies, and to bring together senior and junior neuroscientists.

The development of young scientists has been one of these symposia’s top priorities and traditionally, several grants are available that cover travel and living expenses. Many scientific ideas have emerged from past meetings and joint projects have originated between new groups from different countries. No societies or institutions are behind this initiative.

Previous ISCCB meetings
1982 - Ibiza, Spain
1984 - Colmar, France
1986 - Coolfont, West Virginia, USA
1987 - Alice Springs, Australia
1989 - Jerusalem, Israel
1991 - Marburg, Germany
1993 - Montebello, Ontario, Canada
1995 - Edinburgh, Scotland
1997 - Sapporo, Japan
1999 - Bergen, Norway
2001 - San Diego, California, USA
2003 - La Palma, Spain
2005 - Puchon, Chile
2007 - Sistri Laventa, Italy
2009 - Marida, Mexico

Scientific topics
For many years, researchers have employed chromaffin cells from mammalian adrenal glands as a key model for studying the basic mechanisms involved in exocytosis, the biogenesis of secretory vesicles, and cell differentiation, among other issues. Thus, these cells have enabled leading scientists (including Nobel laureates) to make key discoveries, including the catecholamine biosynthetic pathway, the stimulus-secretion coupling concept, the role of the cytoskeleton in exocytosis, the type and modulation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, the first recording of capacitance changes and amperometric recordings to monitor single vesicle secretion among other topics.

Nowadays, different groups all over the world use these cells to study ion channels, nicotinic and muscarinic receptors, calcium signaling, membrane proteins of the exocytotic machinery, secretory vesicle recycling, neurotransmitter synthesis and storage, fine analysis of the exocytotic phenomenon at the single-event level, and peptides resulting from the processing of chromogranins.