The Alpine Desmosome Disease Meeting (ADDM) was established to connect experts and interested researchers in the field of desmosomes. We aim to better understand the complex pathogenesis of diseases such as pemphigus or arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. We believe that the knowledge generated in our field will have an impact on the diagnosis, therapy, and outcome of these severe diseases. In contrast to meetings focusing on the basic science of cell adhesion, we want to approach the structure and regulation of desmosomes from a more biomedical perspective.