Closing Message

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who attended the 14 th Workshop in Melbourne for making the meeting such a success. We believe that a meeting is only as good as the people who attend and as with all previous workshops the quality of the work presented and the enthusiasm and dedication of the presenters was again evident. We would also particularly like to thank all the component chairpersons who worked diligently over the previous three years to make their particular component a success. Without the dedication of the people who organise and run components the Workshops would not exist as such.

It was obvious through the Workshop and was brought into sharp focus during the summary session on the Friday afternoon that the collegiate spirit of collaboration which has made the international HLA community unique in medical research over 5 decades is alive and well. This was emphasised by the international councillors who have voted in favour of continuing the workshop tradition.

And so we move to Brazil. The organisers of the 14 th Workshop have pleasure in handing over the baton to the Brazilian team headed by Maria Gerbase-DeLima and Maria Elisa Moraes. We wish them all the best in their organisation of the 15 th Workshop and look forward to actively participating and supporting them in their endeavours.

Finally we would like to wish all the members of the of the International HLA community a safe, prosperous and productive 2006.

James McCluskey (Workshop Chairman) ,Brian Tait, Rhonda Holdsworth and Frank Christiansen.