Medical conference boost for city

NEARLY 300 medical experts from 16 countries will visit Hull next month to share the latest research on one of the world's most common illnesses.

Leading scientists and clinicians are gathering for a three-day conference at Hull Truck Theatre from April 21 to 23, to discuss reflux disease, a painful condition said to affect up to 40 per cent of the world's population.

It is one of the biggest conferences Hull has hosted in years and it is hoped Hull Truck's new 15m home on Ferensway will prove a winner and attract other events in its wake.

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Conference organiser, Professor Peter Dettmar, along with Hull colleagues, Professor Alyn Morice, a respiratory specialist, Michael Fagan, a medical engineering specialist, and Stephen Ell, a leading throat surgeon, are part of an international network of experts that made groundbreaking progress on the disease more than 10 years ago.

Prof Dettmar, who is also director of Hull-based Technostics, said that it was a great opportunity to showcase Hull's work in research and healthcare technology, as well as the good things the city has to offer. The conference has previously been held in Wisconsin, in the United States and in York and Nottingham.

He said: "It is important to have it in Hull because the city is quite a hotbed of research into reflux disease.

"We have managed to fill up quite a few of the local hotels – both the Holiday Inn Express and the Marina are fully booked and obviously with 300 people for three days and some staying on over the weekend I imagine there's quite a knock on.

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"Normally we have chosen cities who are quite used to handling conferences of this size whether in the UK or the USA.

"It is quite a risk for us to be honest, but if it worked out and people had a good time, quite possibly we would make Hull a centre for conferences in future years."

Prof Dettmar said US cities where they'd held their conferences had their bad areas, adding: "I don't think we should knock Hull that much to be honest, I think it is very unfairly criticised."

Events manager at Hull truck Richard Quelch said: "As soon as we were approached by Technostics we jumped at the chance."

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John Holmes, chief executive of Hull Forward, which has supported the event, said he hoped the conference would be the first of many, adding: "Playing host to 300 influential people who will understand the significance of this burgeoning sector is a wonderful opportunity for us.

"Understandably, we would like to secure many more conferences for Hull as they can have a measurable, immediate impact on the economy as well as delivering long-term benefits."

Among the entertainment being put on for the delegates is a gala dinner and a tour of Hull's futuristic The Deep aquarium and a show at the Hull Truck theatre itself.

Symptoms of reflux disease include heartburn, regurgitation, excessive mucus in the throat, asthma and difficulty in swallowing.

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The conference, which features keynote speakers from across the UK, Europe, USA, Australia and India, will also include a patient forum session on the final day, when the public can attend.

Technostics is in the final stages of developing a diagnostic test for the presence of pepsin, an indicator of reflux, that uses a patient's saliva and gives reliable results in a few minutes.

Diagnosis of reflux disease is currently expensive and difficult because it can involve lengthy, invasive procedures.

Although there is no cure, treatments include antacids like Gaviscon, which is manufactured by Hull-based Reckitt Benckiser.

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