This issue contains a number of papers based on presentations from a Uterine Contractility Symposium held in Oxford, UK on May 3rd, 2000. They represent an overview of current knowledge on the regulation of uterine smooth muscle. Research in this area is important because disorders of parturition, notably preterm labour, remain a major cause of perinatal mortality and carry a wide range of short- and long-term morbidity in the surviving infants. Available therapies are inefficient or have undesirable side effects for the mother or the baby. A better understanding of the physiology of parturition and the cellular basis of uterine contractility will lead to the development of more efficacious and selective drugs for the management of preterm labour and other disorders of uterine function. The main presentation was the Litchfield Lecture (sponsored by the Medical School), which was given by Professor Barbara Sanborn. There were also presentations of very high standard by scientists and clinicians with a long-standing interest in this subject, and by young scientists. I am most grateful to all the contributors for their enthusiasm and for making an effort to produce quality manuscripts as a scientific record of this symposium. All the manuscripts have been fully reviewed and I am particularly indebted to Professor Lucilla Poston for coordinating the editorial work. The symposium was supported by educational grants from the Serono Pharmaceutical Research Institute, GlaxoWellcome R&D, Alliance Pharmaceuticals, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Unipath and Aventis Pharma.