Over 140 scientists will gather for the conference where microbiologists will share their research findings as to how microbes are used to overcome host defences and cause disease. “Given the widespread concerns about the increasing problems caused by infectious disease, for example, STIs, food poisoning, MRSA and hospital acquired infection, the conference is timely in the current climate” explained Dr John Morrissey of UCC’s Microbiology Department.

In recent years there have been major advances in reserach methods within biology, especially the development of techniques to determine the complete genome sequence of an organism.  Genome sequencing and other molecular biology approches enable researchers gain a deeper understanding of how microbes infect humans to cause disease. Ultimately, this will lead to the development of novel therapeutics and new ways to control and manage infectious disease.

The keynote opening lecture will be delivered by Professor Frederick Ausubel of the Harvard Medical School, who is a distinguished microbiologist and is member of the prestigous US National Academy of Sciences.  His research established that common strategies are used by diverse pathogens to infect hosts, including humans, thereby identifying potential therapeutic intervention strategies. The speaker programme includes leading investigators from Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, as well as from Ireland. In addition to these speakers, 70 postgraduate and post-doctoral researchers, many working in Irish universities and research centres, will present and discuss their latest research.

In recognition of the relevance of modern microbiology to society in general, the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) has organised a public lecture  to take place on April 23rd in conjunction with the conference. This will be delivered by Professor Brendan W. Wren of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on the theme of “Genes, Germs and Genomes: The Battle against Emerging Infectious Diseases.”

The conference is organised under the auspices of Irish Division of the Society for General Microbiology (SGM) by Dr John Morrissey of the Microbiology Department at UCC.  UCC internationally recognised for the quality of its research into beneficial and pathogenic microbes and is the national leader in this research field, with a strong track record of funding from diverse agencies, including the Health Research Board, Science Foundation Ireland and the European Union. The SGM is the largest microbiology society in Europe and has a mission to promote research and education in microbiology.

For further information contact Dr John Morrissey, Microbiology Department, University College Cork. Email: j.morrissey@ucc.ie

Supplementary information: Conference Speaker List
Professor Fred Ausubel (Harvard Medical School, USA): Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system to study microbial pathogenesis
Dr Michael Steinert (Technical University Braunschweig, Germany): Post-genomic approaches to understand mechanisms of intracellular pathogenesis using the Dicytostelium system
Dr Wilbert Bitter (VU Medical Centre, The Netherlands): Exploring Mycobacterium pathogenesis using the Zebrafish model
Dr Cormac Gahan (University College Cork): Listeria pathogenesis and real time imaging in the mouse
Dr Elaine Bignell (Imperial College London): Pulmonary Aspergillosis in the mouse model
Professor Neil Gow (University of Aberdeen): Global and molecular approaches to understand interactions between Candida albicans and the host immune system
Professor Geraldine Butler (University College Dublin): Comparative genomic analysis of virulence in Candida species
Dr Susan Joyce (University College Cork): Galleria and other systems as models for pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria

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