Welcome to the Christmas issue of eScope! Christmas and New Year are by tradition a time for reflection, for taking account of the past year's activities, and to make plans for the coming year. Here at Prionics we look back at our activities during our 10th anniversary year in our pursuit to improve our products and services for our customers. Over the last year we have launched successful new products, redesigned our website and launched our 5th affiliate office Prionics Lelystad, to serve as a hub for the Benelux and Nordic markets.

In this issue we take a look at the last 20 years of prion research at the Zurich Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in a report about a symposium held there in honor of Prof. Charles Weissmann, one of the pioneers of prion research. Prof. Weissmann began his successful career in prion research at the ETH and his work continues today. Judging by the attendance at the symposium by prion scientists from around the world it appears that Zurich will continue to be a major center for prion research in the years to come.

Following the BSE epidemic, zoonotic diseases and its impact on human and animal health have been gaining increasing importance. In this issue of eScope we report on the proceedings of a conference which took place in Cyprus in November 2007 on zoonotic diseases threatening human health. Read on for more information on this important issue.

In its 10th year of operations, Prionics today offers a diverse and strong solution portfolio for its customers and this will be by no means the end of the journey. We at Prionics look forward to serving our customers in the future with additional innovative diagnostic product solutions. In the meantime, we wish our colleagues and customers all the best for the new year!

Season's Greetings
Marjan van der Haar
Corporate Communications