Organizing Committee
Biography
Prof. Paul M. Tulkens, MD, PhD serves as Academic Advisor at Achaogen, Inc. He served as Advisor and Consultant of SelectX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He started his scientific career as a cell biologist and biochemist working in the laboratory of Prof. C. de Duve, Nobel Laureate, where he made significant contributions to understanding of membrane movements during endocytosis, including receptor recycling, and in the development of models of acquired lysosomal storage disorders. He then moved to the study of the cellular and renal toxicity of aminoglycoside antibiotics, the mechanism of which he greatly contributed to decipher and for which he pioneered in reducing the clinical impact by promoting the now widely used once-daily dosing approach. From then on, he expanded his studies on antibiotics (macrolides, fluroquinolones) and intracellular infections (mainly S. aureus but more recently also P. aeruginosa). He also developed the science of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics for optimising the use of antibiotics. He was amongst the founding members and was President of the International Society of Antiinfective Pharmacology. He is a Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universite Catholique de Louvain. Until 2010, he was full professor of Pharmacology and Drug Development at the French speaking Catholic University of Louvain (Brussels, Belgium) and professor of Human Biochemistry and Biochemical Pathology at the University of Mons (Mons, Belgium). He is an invited and emeritus professor of medicine and pharmacy departments at Universite catholique de Lovain, Belgium. He has published more than 230 scientific papers and continues, with his laboratory, to develop basic and applied approaches to the study of antibiotics and bacterial infections. He serves as a Member of Clinical Advisory Board of Kenta Biotech Ltd. Dr. Tulkens studied at Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.
Research Interest
Pathophysiology of lysosomes, Antibiotic toxicity, Pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, Bacterial Persistence, Biofilms, Intracellular Infections
Biography
Provorov Nikolai completed his PhD at the age of 26 from All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology. He is the deputy director in research of All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology. Provorov Nikolai published over 20 papers in reputed international journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of international journal Annals of Applied Biology. The scope of his expertize includes: evolutionary genetics of symbiosis, mathematical simulation of population dynamics, genetic construction of symbiotically active microbes.
Research Interest
Agricultural Microbiology
Biography
Marco Manfredi MD, PhD, pediatrician and gastroenterologist, carried out his education at Parma University where completed his PhD in Pediatric Gastroenterology in 2004. Currently he is working as Manager of Pediatric Emergency and Assistant Manager in Pediatric Gastroenterology at “Pietro Barilla†Children's Hospital in Parma, Italy. His main fields of interests are Helicobacter pylori infection, coeliac disease, gastrointestinal infectious diseases, and probiotics. Dr Manfredi published more than 70 papers, included chapters of textbooks. He is editor of three textbooks on “Helicobacter pylori infectionâ€, “Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Children†and “Probiotics in Children†all published by Nova Science Publishers, New York, USA. He is serving as an editorial board member of several reputed journal like “Clinical Microbiology: open access†and “Frontiers in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology†and expert reviewer for BMC Gastroenterology, Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology, BMC Case Reports. He is a member of Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (SIGENP).
Research Interest
Helicobacter pylori infection, coeliac disease, gastrointestinal infectious diseases, and probiotics
Biography
Lynne Garcia is currently serving as the director for LSG and Associates at Santa Monica, California which offers consulting, teaching and training services. She has delivered more than 350 oral presentations at various conferences and her work has been published in over 175 peer-reviewed journals. She is an editorial board member for 11 journals. She has received many awards and honors from well-known, reputed societies and organizations.
Research Interest
Clinical Microbiology, Parasitology.
Biography
I am researcher from Federal University of Sergipe/Brazil. I concluded my PhD in 2013 and my research line is about human papillomavirus infeccion in women and male partners. I published papers in reputed journals. My technical production is available in: http://lattes.cnpq.br/5891504776117256
Research Interest
HPV
Biography
Dr. Choudhary received his PhD from McMaster University and later joined Duke University for his post-doctoral research. He is currently associated with Sam Houston State University as an Associate Professor in the department of Biological Sciences. His research interests are in bacterial cell-cycle regulation, role of gene duplication in metabolic innovations, and evolution of genomic complexity in prokaryotes. Rhodobacter sphaeroides, a member of alpha-3 Proteobacteria, is used as a model organism for these investigations in his laboratory.
Research Interest
Microbial Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics
Biography
Hoongmin Qin, PhD, carried out her education at Shandong University, China and attained PhD from The Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China in 1999. Currently, she is working as associate professor in Texas A&M University, USA. Research in her lab is focussed on simple eukaryotic microorganism Chlamydomonas to understand the assembly of cilium, which has been implicated in a wide spectrum of human diseases. Her interests also include conceptual frameworks that govern organelle biogenesis and the corresponding regulations. Being selected as a TAMU nominee for Searle Scholar Program in 2004 and attaining polycystic kidney disease foundation post-doctoral fellowship in 2002 is a part of her significant professional activities. Dr. Qin has around 25 peer-reviewed publications in international journals
Research Interest
Chlamydomonas, Cilium biogenesis
Biography
Dr. Nielsen received her doctorate from North Carolina State University in 2001. Later, she joined University of Minnesota as Assistant Professor and is currently working there as an associate professor of microbiology. Her research interests include fungal infectious diseases. Her laboratory is focussed on studies of Cryptococcus neoformans. It is an opportunistic human pathogenic fungus that causes cryptococcosis, which commonly presents as a disseminated meningoencephalitis that is universally fatal if untreated. An integral and defining feature of cryptococcosis is the ability of C. neoformans to cross the blood-brain barrier. In recent years the process of C. neoformans entry into the central nervous system (CNS) has begun to be elucidated, but the methods by which C. neoformansinduces these processes remains unknown. If the mechanisms by which C. neoformans crosses the blood-brain barrier can be identified and characterized, treatment strategies can be designed to reduce C. neoformans entry into the CNS to alleviate disease symptoms and permit increased exposure to antifungal drugs. Her work has been published in many peer-reviewed international journals.
Research Interest
Cryptococcus neoformans and CNS disorders
Biography
Shambhu Kumar, a Fungal taxonomist, did his Ph.D. in Botany (Fungal taxonomy) from the DDU Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur in 2010. He has awarded Junior Research Fellow in November 2010 by the Botanical Survey of India. He has joined the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow as Senior Research Fellow (SRF) in May 2011. He was awarded Young Scientist by Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India in September 2013 and presently working as Young Scientist in the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow, India. He has published thirty five research papers related to diversity and taxonomy of foliicolous fungi in peer reviewed and reputed International and National Journals. He has attended and presented papers in several National and International symposia/conferences and acquired six National training /workshops on Biodiversity and molecular taxonomy. He is a member of the International Society for Fungal Conservation (ISFC), UK and Life member of the Mycological Society of India, Chennai; Society for Basic and Applied Mycology, Jabalpur, India and Annual member of the Indian Phytopathological Society, IARI, New Delhi as well as an Indian Botanical Society. He is an Editorial member of the Journal of Plant Pathology & Microbiology, American Journal of Agricultural Science and also a potential reviewer of Mycotaxon, Journal of Plant Pathology & Microbiology, American Journal of Agricultural Science and Premier Publication.
Research Interest
Fungal Taxonomy