Roger S. Holmes - Böcker

Since the inception of these meetings in 1982, they have always been a satellite of the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism meeting. At our 1992 meeting in Dublin we learned that the next ISBRA meeting would be held in Brisbane, of all our previous meetings, I was very concerned Australia. As the scientific organizer about holding a meeting in the Southern Hemisphere for fear that many of our potential participants would not travel that far. I am pleased to say that I was proven to be incorrect. Nearly 90 scientists from a dozen countries participated at our seventh conference. At this meeting, like at all our previous ones, much new information about the three enzyme systems was presented. Of equal importance was, like at all our previous meetings, the extreme openness of the participants to discuss ideas, future directions and unpublished data. On behalf of all the participants I wish to express our sincere thanks to our Massey University colleagues for the excellent organization of this Palmerston North, New Zealand meeting. These included Kathryn Kitson, Michael Hardman, Paul Buckley, Trevor Kitson and Len Blackwell. At this meeting a few new innovations were introduced. Though posters are common at many meetings, bush walks and visits to nature preserves to see kiwi birds Our hosts were able to secure support from the International Union of Biochemistry are not.

Genes exist predominantly as families with related structures and functions, particularly within eucaryotic organisms. The isozyme concept was first introduced by Markert and MØller in 1959, and has formed the basis of large numbers of scientific investigations and conferences on gene families since that time. This volume is based on presentations made by invited Plenary and Symposia speakers at the Eighth International Congress on Isozymes on the topic of Gene Families: Structure, Function, Genetics and Evolution. The major themes for the Congress were in the following areas: molecular evolution; population genetics; enzymology; Australian fauna; biomedical aspects; molecular genetics; cellular compartmentation; gene regulation; and developmental genetics.