The 1st International Conference on cGMP was held in 2003. This was a particularly exciting event as it was widely believed to represent the birth and recognition of this topic as an independent scientific field.

In the late 70’s, cyclic GMP was determined to be one of the first second messengers. However, even after the discovery of the NO:cGMP pathway and the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, interest in this area remained widely dispersed across several fields including protein kinases, cyclases, phosphdiesterases, and ion channels, with very little interaction amongst scientists.

The 2nd meeting continues and further establishes focus in this area by broadly addressing all cGMP generators and effectors as well as their pathophysiological and pharmacological implications. Great basic science and important clinical applications are again anticipated. The organizers have also made every effort to keep the conference affordable in the interest of encouraging the participation of young scientists and students. This is a meeting that should not be missed …

Louis Ignarro	Franz Hofmann	Harald Schmidt	Johannes-Peter Stasch