Guest Editors Preface

The aim of the 2008 symposium is from the very beginning to focus on new achievements in pharmaceutical technology and especially in the development of biodelivery systems. The participants were asked to contribute presentations under the three groups of topics: drug delivery systems, pharmaceutical technologies and processes and biopharmaceutic evaluation. Our expectations were fully met by the authors of 5 plenary lectures in the main symposium and 8 in the satellite symposium, 25 keynote lectures and 154 poster presentations. Drug delivery systems are presented in the broadest meaning of the word, from functionality-related characteristics of the components (drugs and excipients) to their implementation into new dosage forms and/or new production technologies, then to characterize them physically, technologically, chemically and finaly to prove their efficacy and safety under physiological conditions. More precisely, within the scope of the symposium internationally established researchers provide their view on contemporary topics like designing of micro- and nanosized delivery systems and discussing the possibilities and advantages of using stem cell