Advances in Targeted Therapies III, Nassau, Bahamas, 27 April-1 May 2001

This conference was the third in a series focusing on developments in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other rheumatic conditions with biologicals; in many ways, it was perhaps the best one so far. One strength of the meeting was the mix of scientists from academia and from industry, and of workers in basic science as well as clinical investigators. The risks of inhibition of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were covered in depth for the first time. A number of putative and actual new targets were presented. An updated consensus document on the use of TNF inhibitors will appear in the near future in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, authored by Dan Furst et al.