The Kick-off Meeting included:

• the planning of the activities and experimental goals for the first year of the project; and
• the structure of the website.

The meeting also verified the compliance of each laboratory with the national/EC standards on ethics and safety.

Agenda of normaCOR's First Scientific and General Meeting

Florence, 24-25 September 2006

24 September (14.00-18.30)

14.30-14.45 Welcome (E.Cerbai)

14.45 -15.15 Scientific Officer (V. Dambrauskaite)

• Cardiovascular disease research funding in the Sixth EU Framework Programme for Research (2002-2006)
• Towards the Seventh Framework Programme 2007-2013
• EU-funded project contractual obligations

15.15-18.00 Presentation of Partners (description of personnel and equipment)

• E. Cerbai - UNIFI
• M. Biel - LMU
• D. Di Francesco - UNIMI
• D. Eisner - UMAN
• P. Kohl - OXUNI
• U. Ravens - TU-DRESDEN
• U. Schotten- UNIMAAS
• A. Varro - USZ

17.30 -18.30 Steering Committee Meeting (Co-ordinator and Team Leaders)

25 September (9.00-16.00)

9.00-9.30 Overview of the normaCOR Project (E.Cerbai)

• Plan
• WP and WP leaders
• Deadlines

9.30 -9.50 WP2 Normal and abnormal rhythm generation (D. DiFrancesco)

• Rationale, organization and objectives of WP2
• Integration of partners' activities
• D3 - analysis of composition/subcellular localization of HCN 

9.50 -10.10 WP4 HCN-selective bradycardic drugs (D. DiFrancesco)

• Rationale, organization and objectives of WP4
• Integration of partners' activities
• D10 - detailed description of ivabradine effect on HCN isoforms; synthesis of one (or more) novel HCN blockers (with the contribution of Partner #1, M.N. Romanelli)

Discussion

10.30 -11.00 Coffee break

11.00 -11.20 WP3 Transgenic animal models for HCN research (M. Biel)

• Rationale, organization and objectives of WP3
• Integration of partners' activities
• D7 - Knock-out mice; expression of HCN in ES cells

Discussion

11.30 -11.50 WP5 Pathways and Mechanism leading to electical remodeling (U. Ravens)

• Rationale, organization and objectives of WP5
• Integration of partners' activities
• D12 - Effects of ET-1 on potassium channels cell cultures; Electrophysiology of K channels in human/goat atrial fibrillation (with the contribution of Partner #8, A. Varro)

11.50 -12.10 WP6 Contractile remodeling in atrial fibrillation (U. Schotten)

• Rationale, organization and objectives of WP6
• Integration of partners' activities
• D15 - Validation/protocol of human atrial myofibrils for mechanical experiments; exchange of goat atrial samples (with the contribution of Partner #1), C. Poggesi)

Discussion

12.30 -14.00 Lunch

14.00 -14.20 WP7 Integration and modeling (P. Kohl)

• Rationale, organization and objectives of WP7
• Integration of partners' activities
• D18 - Validation and protocol of the multi-array technique for atrial tissue (with the contribution of Partner #6)

14.20 -14.40 WP8 Assessment of progress and Results and Dissemination activities (E. Cerbai)

• Rationale, organization and objectives of WP8
• D22 - Plan for using and disseminating knowledge, including project presentation (electronic reports, newsletters, publications policy)
• D23 - Website implementation and updating (P. Kohl)

General Discussion: Preliminary planning of future activities

15.45-16.00 Concluding Remarks and Future Meetings