Welcome to The International Conference, Perspectives of Medicinal Mushrooms in Health Care and Nutrition in the 21st Century. I am Dr. Ikekawa. This is the first International Conference of Mushrooms and Health Care in this century. I am very glad to see you all, and discuss academic problems on mushrooms.

The mushroom is one of the frontier in life sciences. That is for health care and nutrition. Nowadays, people have much attention to studies on mushrooms all over the world. Because it is a new field and give much benefits for human kinds as functional foods, healthy food supplements or new drugs sources.

And now new techniques of the cultivation is also developed, and edible mushrooms can be supplied through the year. So it contributes for prevention and treatment of the so-called "Life Style related Diseases". Gene technologies are also developing to apply to mushroom studies.

I am very happy to have such fantastic International Conference here, Kiev of beautiful and historical city. I would like to express great appreciation to all of the participants to discuss Perspectives of Mushroom studies. I believe this conference contributes to not only scientific developments of mushroom studies, but also benefits of human kinds.

Many of us are scientists of different fields and come from different countries. Cooperation of different fields of science and cooperation of different countries are to bring new frontier and new science. We will learn success from this conference. This conference will make an important contribution to future science of mushroom studies and human benefits in this new century.
I would like to thank for all members of the organizing committee and staffs of Ukraine. Moreover, I deeply express thanks to the members of National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Kholodny Institute of Botany, and Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

Hoping this International Conference will continue in the future, please enjoy the conference here in Kiev.
Thank you very much.