INTRODUCTION

After the revolutions in information technology, molecular biology and genomics which have taken place in the last few decades, the meeting and convergence of engineering, physical sciences and life sciences is commonly considered a new scientific paradigm that will characterize this century. Advances in computer science, materials, imaging, micro and nanotechnology, computational modelling merged with biomedicine are already providing new devices, tools and processes for diagnosis, therapy, rehabilitation which have deeply transformed medicine. But this new paradigm is not a one-way street: concepts and models derived from biology are also stimulating new finding in different fields of engineering. This interdisciplinary sector has recently played a central role in the interest of researchers and policy makers worldwide and particularly in our region. In this contest the Organising Committee has invited a number of outstanding scientists from Universities, Hospitals and Industries to provide a general frame of common concepts and methods characterising this interdisciplinary field focusing their attention on those research which have strongly impacted on medical practice. The following three topics have been considered to illustrate in a paradigmatic way the relevant outcomes from this research equally interesting for medicine, engineering and technological transfer : the multimodal imaging for diagnosis and treatments, the image guided surgery and radiotherapy and recent achievements in artificial organs and tissue engineering in regenerative medicine.