The International Chromosome Conferences (ICC) originated from the Oxford Chromosome Conferences, inaugurated by C.D. Darlington and K.R. Lewis in 1964, 1967 and 1970. The Chromosome Conferences got an international status after the 4th edition held in Jerusalem, Israel (1972), and followed a schedule of tri-annual meetings in Leiden, The Netherlands (1974), Helsinki, Finland (1977), Oxford, England (1980), Lübeck, Germany (1983), Marseille, France (1986), Uppsala, Sweden (1989), Edinburgh, Great Britain (1992), El Escorial, Madrid, Spain (1995), Ancona, Italy (1998), Würzburg, Germany (2001), Uxbridge, England (2004), and Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2007). After Amsterdam, the conference changed to a bi-annual schedule, in Boone, USA (2009), Manchester, England (2011), Bologna, Italy (2013), and Canterbury, England (2014). In 2014 the chromosome community commemorated the 50th anniversary of the ICC since Darlington and Lewis organized the first meeting in Oxford. Looking back on the Chromosome Conferences over the years, it is clear that chromosome studies have advanced to study exciting, new problems and to develop novel technologies.

It is a great pleasure to announce that the 21st International Chromosome Conference edition will take place in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, on July 10-13,2016. This will be the first time that the ICC will be held in South America. Foz do Iguaçu (Foz), is a desirable location in Brazil due to its beautiful nature, human cultural diversity, and easy access to several South American countries. Foz ICC 2016 is an excellent opportunity to bring exciting chromosome related topics and new technologies together for discussion under the view of the most outstanding chromosome biologists.