The Gastrointestinal Section of the International Union of Pharmacology (IUPHAR) was established in 1994 in Montreal, Canada. The establishment of the GI Section recognizes the international progress of gastrointestinal pharmacology, including basic and human studies. The Gastrointestinal Section of IUPHAR organized the first symposium, Biochemical Pharmacology as an Approach to Gastrointestinal Diseases: Basic Science to Clinical Perspectives, on 10-12 October, 1995, in Pecs, Hungary. The main topics covered include: gastrointestinal secretory and excretory functions; gastrointestinal mobility - biochemical-pharmacological mechanisms in neural and hormonal actions involved in GI functions; main normal and pathological biochemical mechanisms in GI functions; GI mucosal injury and protection; molecular mechanisms of premalignant and malignant diseases in GI tract; and the use of isolated cells and cell cultures in biochemical-pharmacological studies to approach GI diseases.