Dr. Mario Alberto Flores-Valdez is a Professor in the Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Unit, CIATEJ, A.C., Guadalajara, Jalisco, México (2007-present). He is a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI), he was a Stanford University Medical Centre postdoctoral fellow (2004-2007), where he received a Dean´s Fellowship Award (2006) to conduct research on Tuberculosis. He worked in UNAM as Research Assistant for Prof. Jaime Mora (2004) and Prof. Emundo Calva (2003). He has received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from UNAM (1999-2003), a M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering from UANL (1996-1999) and a B.Sc. from Universidad de Sonora (1991-1996) in Chemistry and Biology. He has received fellowships from CONACYT for M.Sc. and Ph.D. studies and in M.Sc. and B.Sc. has received Diplomas as Best Student. He has reviewed articles for Microbial Drug Resistance, Acta Tropica and Letters in Drug Design and Development.

Tuberculosis and other bacterial infectious agents such as Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Salmonella and Vibrio.

Dr. Xuejie Yu have been working as Professor in the department of Pathology at University of Texas Medical Branch.

Rickettsiae and Ehrlichiae are obligately intracellular bacteria. Rickettsial diseases have been one of the major scourges of mankind and they still threaten public health. Human ehrlichiosis is the new emerging disease. My research interest is to study the pathogenesis of rickettsial diseases and human ehrlichiosis using molecular biological methods. We are investigating the mechanisms of host immune evasion by E. chaffeensis, which include modulation of cytokine production and inhibition of phagosome and lysosome fusion.

2008 Post-doc research fellow, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 2007-2008 Post-doc associate, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

 2004-2007 Ph.D., Institute of Microbiology / Graduate School in Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.

 2001-2004. M.Sc., College of Life Science, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.

 1997 -2001. B.Sc., College of Life Sciences and Technology, Northwest University of Light Industry, Xianyang, China.

1) Molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis of emerging infectious agents including Streptococcus suis, influenza virus and PRRS virus.

2) Molecular mechanism and genetic control of bacterial lipid metabolism, an attractive anti-microbial target.

 Helen Kimbi is working as an Associate Professor at University of Buea, Under Plant & Animal Sciences Department.

 Medical Parasitlogy

Dr. Stefan Borgmann studied biology and medicine. He is head of the Dept. of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control at the hospital of Ingolstadt, Germany (Bavaria). He examined genetic associations of autoimmune diseases, T cell immunology, bacterial pathogenity and epidemiology of infectious diseases.

Epidemiology of microbial pathogens: Acinetobacter, C. difficile, Glycopeptide resistant enterococci, MRSA, Mumps virus
Diagnostic methods: MALDITOF
Autoimmune diseases: Rheumatic diseases, ANCA-associated vascultides (Wegeners granulomatosis, Micropscopic polyangiitis, Churg-Strauss-Disease)
 

Dr. Ferenc Orosz is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Enzymology Biological Research Center Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He received his PhD in biochemistry from Eotvos Lorand University Budapest 1990 followed by postdoctoral training at University of California Riverside 1992-93. Since then he has been working for the Institute of Enzymology in Budapest. He was visiting professor at the University of Barcelona 1999. He is the member of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

 

 Enzymology

Vasco Azevedo received his PhD in Molecular Geneticsfrom the Institut National Agronomique Paris, Grignon, France in the year 1993. He performed his Post-doctoral position at the department of Microbiology. University of Pennsylvania, USA in the year 1995. He is working as a professor in Federal University of Minas Gerias, Brazil form 2008.

Micobial genome, gene expression, Lactococcus lactis, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, vaccine

Dr. Fernando Villalta is the Chair of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College. Professor of Immunology, School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College Deputy Director, Clinical and Translational Research Center; Director, Cardiovascular Biology and Molecular Pathogenesis Training Programs, Meharry Medical College. He received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1981), followed by postdoctoral training in immunology at Michigan State University (1981-1986). He is a member of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), has chaired Symposia at several AAI meetings and received several AAI mentoring awards. He served as regular member of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee of the FDA. He served on 14 NIH study sessions, including 4 for NIAID. He is serving as an editorial board member of 6 journals and reviewer for 20journals.

Cellular and Molecular Immunology,Innate Immunity, Host defense, Inflammation

Dr. Thomas P. West received his PhD in Biochemistry at Texas A&M University in 1980. Dr. West is a Full Professor within the Department of Biology and Microbiology at South Dakota State University on the Brookings campus. He is currently serving as a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Analytical Chemistry. He has authored or co-authored 117 research articles.

His research interests are in the field of microbial biochemistry. His current research is investigating biomass-based specialty chemical production by microorganisms, microbial production of commercially important polysaccharide gums and the regulation of pyrimidine metabolism at the level of enzyme synthesis and enzyme activity in pseudomonads and related species.

Dr. Michael Niederman has received his MD from Boston University in 1977. Currently, he is working as Professor and Vice-Chairman, Department of Medicine in SUNY at Stony Brook University. He has successfully completed his Administrative responsibilities as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Winthrop-University Hospital, in Mineola, NY. He is serving as an editorial member of several reputed journals like Chest, and Critical Care Medicine. He has authored over 300 research articles/reviews /books. He is a member of The American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians and Society of Critical Care Medicine. He has honoured for his work in pneumonia by several national and international organizations.

Community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia

Dr. Luis I. Treezas have been workind as Professor at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

Immunology of Infectious Diseases (Helminths, cestodes, protozoa)

He is currently employed as Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, University of Central Florida, College of Medicine, Bimolecular Research Annex

Molecular biology of cancer and gene regulation. Specific research focus areas include studies on DNA topoisomerases, gene silencing and telomerase regulation.

Dr. Yousef Abu Kwaik is a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. His research focuses on the cellular biology of emerging diseases, particularly Legionnaires’ disease and Tularemia. He is interested in discovering the ways in which the bacteria changes the host cell biology as they grow and replicate – processes that eventually result in cell death.

His laboratory’s ultimate goal is to find ways to target these changes to find treatments for disease and develop vaccines. Abu Kwaik’s research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, which recently awarded him more than $2.3 million in support of his work on these diseases.

He presents regularly at national meetings and publishes regularly in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, Applied Environmental Microbiology, Infection and Immunity, Cellular Microbiology, and the International Journal of Medical Microbiology. He is editor-in-chief of the first book on tularemia, published in July 2007.

Abu Kwaik earned his Ph.D. at the State University of New York at Buffalo and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining U of L, he was an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Kentucky.

My research area is in Cellular Microbiology, which focuses on manipulation and exploitation of the host cell biology by the two intracellular bacterial pathogens, Legionella pneumophila and Francisella tularensis. Legionella pneumophila invades and replicates within macrophages in the lungs causing pneumonia designated Legionnaires\' disease. In the aquatic environment, L. pneumophila invades and replicates within amoebae, and this host-parasite interaction is central to bacterial ecology, transmission to human, and manifestation of disease. After entry into the mammalian or protozoan cells, the bacterium is enclosed in a vacuole that prevents fusion to the lysosomes, which are the organelles that degrade invading pathogens. Fusion of the bacterial vacuole to the degradative lysosomes is one of the first lines of our defense against infection. Our studies are focused on the molecular, genetic, and cellular aspects of the intracellular infection to identify bacterial virulence factors that can be used as targets for therapy and vaccination. I am an editor of a recent book on Legionella.

The other intracellular pathogen we study is Francisella tularensis, which is classified as an agent of bioterrorism that causes the fatal disease tularemia. This organism is extremely infectious and is transmitted by inhalation or by bites of an insect. Upon infection of humans, the bacteria invade and replicate within macrophages through avoidance of degradation within the lysosomes. Our studies are focused on two venues; first, understanding the infection of the insect and its role in efficient transmission to humans, through the use of fruit flies as a genetically amenable model system. The second is to understand the molecular, genetic, and cellular aspects of the intracellular infection to identify bacterial virulence factors that can be used as targets for therapy and vaccination. I am the editor of the first book published recently on Francisella. We are currently funded by large NIH grants for each of the two organisms we study.

Dr. Guiyun Yan have been working as Professor at the University of California-Irvine.

Population biology of mosquitoes and malaria epidemiology in Africa and Southeast Asia

Dr. Yusen Liu is a Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Liu’s NIH-funded research program focuses on the role of MAP kinase phosphatases in host defense against microbial infection. His research has established MAP kinase phosphatase (MKP)-1 as one of the most important negative regulators of inflammation and a potential target for a variety of inflammatory diseases.

My laboratory is interested in the signal transduction pathways that control the innate immunity. Specifically, we are studying the signaling pathways that regulate the production of inflammatory cytokines. We have found that MAP kinase phosphatase (MKP)-1 plays a pivotal role in the restraint of the inflammatory responses in innate immune cells-by dephosphorylating p38 and JNK, MKP-1 deactivates the stress-activated MAP kinases and inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. We hypothesize that defects in MKP-1 gene may sensitize host to inflammatory diseases. Currently, animal models are developed to test this hypothesis using genetics, biochemistry, and molecular biology techniques. Another research project in the laboratory is to understand the anti-inflammatory mechanism of triptolide, a compound isolated from an anti-rheumatic herb used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. The long term goals of these research projects are to understand the regulation of inflammation and to develop novel treatments for inflammatory diseases.

Luiz Carlos de Mattos has a Bachelor, Master and Doctor in Biological Sciences (Genetics) by the Institute of Biosciences, Language, and Science - IBILCE - UNESP, and Postdoctoral Biotechnology Research Centre at the Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. He is Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Professor and Advisor of the Postgraduate Course in Health Sciences FAMERP. Currently holds the office of Chief of the Department of Immunology, the Deputy Head of the Department of Molecular Biology and Technical Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Immunogenetics Blood Center of Sao Jose do Rio Preto.

Immunogenetics of Histo-blood systems ABO, Lewis,and secretory status.
Our research group works on different aspects of histo-blood systems ABO, Lewis and Secretory status of ABH-Glycoconjugates and their relation to infectious diseases, Parasitic and others. The topics of our interest are: Analysis of histoblood systems ABO, Lewis and Secretory status in tissues and secretions, the profiles of glycoconjugates ABH--Lewis and their relationship to infectious and parasitic diseases; FUT1 gene polymorphisms (19q13. 3), FUT2 (region 19q13.3), FUT3 (19p13.3) and ABO (9q34.1) as markers of susceptibility to diseases, the isolation and characterization of immunochemical glycolipid ABH-Lewis and their applications in studies of adhesion of microorganisms.

Dr. Jaime Santana has been working as Professor at the University of Brasil under the department of celluler biology, Brazil

Bacteriology & Parasitology

He is currently employed as Professor, Applied Chemistry and Microbiology at University of Helsinki (from Aug 1998, permanent position since 2002) Director of the Microbiology division

Microbiology

Dr. T. Konttinen has specialized in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Visiting researcher at UCSD with Professor Nathan J. Zvaifler and Professor Harry G. Bluestein from 1982 to 1984 and NYU with Professor Robert J. Winchester from 1989 to 1991.
Was a Professor of Oral Medicine at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Dentistry from 1999 to 2003.
Is now Professor of Medicine and Chief Physician at the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Internal Medicine.
Is also a Research Director at Orton Foundation Research Institute and COXA Hospital for the Joint Replacement.
Has published 614 papers enlisted in PubMed, Hirsch index 50.
Has supervised 34 PhD thesis works, peer reviews for 93 different journals, 151 invited lectures abroad, grant evaluations for 25 international organizations. Co-operates with internal and external researchers and research groups.

Cell culture and stimulations are much used, but also clinical and experimental tissue samples are analyzed. BOND-MAX, LEICA is fully automated staining system for frozen and paraffin embedded specimens to localize specific proteins (antigen) in tissues or cell culture specimen by immunohistochemcal staining. In situ hybridisation technique is in use to localize a specific DNA or RNA sequence in a specimen. Light microscopy is the routine method to visualize results of IHC and ISH staining while confocal laser scanning microscopy is a tool for imaging cells and tissues three-dimensionally.
Western-blot and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, ELISA methods are used to detect proteins, which can be quantified by ProEXPRESS imaging system.
In molecular biology protein production, cloning and gene expression studies are in use. Quantitative real time polymerase chains reaction (qPCR) is in use to amplify and quantification of a specific sequence on a sample. Our equipment consist of IQ™5, Multicolour Real-Time PCR detection System,(Bio-Rad) and Light Cycler, (Roche).
Multiplex analysing assay system, which is soon coming to use, will enable us to make microRNA analysis, immunoassays, nucleic acid hybridization assays etc from a wide range of samples. With this method we will be able to assay phosphorylation states and expression levels of multiple proteins and make highly sensitive cytokine assays.

Dr. Florian Lang is professor of physiology and chair of the department at the University of Tübingen in Germany. He studied medicine in Munich and Glasgow and previously worked at the University of Innsbruck, the Mayo Clinic, Yale University, the University of Naples and the Max Planck Institute, Frankfurt. Both authors are cell physiologists with specific interests in the physiology of host cells invaded by pathogens.

physiology of host cells invaded by pathogens

Dr. Paolo Visca received his PhD in Medical Microbiology at the University of Pisa IT in 1988 He is presently employed as Professor of Microbiology at Department of Biology University Roma Tre.

Genetic determinats of antibioitic resistance in pathogenic bacteria and evolution of resistance plasmids
Physiology of bacterial responses to environmental stimuli
Global regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes
Iron uptake systems and their regulation in gram-negative bacteria
Molecular identification and epidemiological typing of gra-negative bacteria

Hans Jurg Monstein is working as a Professor of Molecular Biology in the Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine From IKE University Hospital, Sweden.

Clinical Microbiology

1999-2006- ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait

July-Aug. 2000 – VISITING ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, Bio-Medical Center, University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, 11937 US Highway 271, Tyler, TX 75708-3154, U.S.A.

1997-1999- ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait

1993-1997 - RESEARCH SCIENTIST, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna A. Ali Marg, J.N.U. CAMPUS, NEW DELHI 110067 India

1990-1993 - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z3

Major area of specialization: Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Physiology

Major areas of Research: Diagnosis, epidemiology, pathogenesis and Systematics of susceptible- and drug-resistant mycobacterial (mainly M. tuberculosis) and mycotic (mainly Candida/Aspergillus/novel emerging) infections

Other areas of Molecular Microbiology Research:
As a Molecular Microbiologist, I also collaborate with Prof. Widad Al-Nakib, Professor of Virology, in the establishment of molecular methods for the detection and genotyping of viruses in clinical specimens for rapid diagnosis of viral infections.

Prof. Lijuan Zhang, director of Dept.of Rickettsiology, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention in Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). Dr Zhang is a member of the Chinese Society for Microbiology, a member of American Society for Microbiology (ASM), a member of Expert Association of Natural Focus Disease advisory of Ministry of Public Health of People’s Republic of China, a member of Expert Association of Zoonoses in Chinese Society for Microbiology. She worked in WHO Rickettsial Diseases Collaborating Center (Marseille, France) as a visiting scholar from Feb to July,2005 and also in The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA from April to June,2007. She and her team reorganized the Dept.of Rickettsiology of China CDC in 2003 and her research interests are the surveillance and rapid diagnoses of rickettsioses. She and her colleagues first documented the human to human Nosocomial transmission of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, Anhui Province, China, 2006, which won Science and Technology Progress Prize of Chinese Preventive Medicine Association in 2009.
Dr. Zhang has published over 60 articles and coordinated one international rickettsia profession book, and presented more than 10 abstracts in international meetings. She and her team have accomplished a project of China-U.S. Collaborative Program on Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (No. 1U2GGH000018-01). She is engaging another three rickettsia-involved research projects- National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) 2010CB530200 (2010CB530206), National Science and Technology Project of major infectious diseases(2009 ZX10004-203) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30771854).

surveillance and rapid diagnoses of rickettsioses.

Prof. Dr. Shahida Hasnain is an eminent scientist and HEC National Distinguished Professor. She has done her doctorate from Birmingham University, U.K. in the field of Microbial and Molecular Genetics in 1985. Later she completed her post-doc from same university in Molecular biology. Currently she is working as Dean Faculty of Life Sciences in the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. She has more than 34 years of research and teaching experience in the field of Botany, Microbiology and Genetics. She remained chairperson of Botany Department and founder of Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. She played vital role in formulating and organizing syllabi for different graduate and post graduate levels. She has more than 250 articles in various national and international journals. So far she has produced 26 PhDs and currently guiding 10 scholars. About 16 M. Phil. and 92 Master students completed their research under her supervision. She is member of editorial boards of various national and international journals.

Her main research interests are environmental and agricultural microbiology. Use of microbes for bioremediation of heavy metal polluted sites and salt affected soils. In agriculture biotechnology, use of microbes in enhancing plant growth and crops yield. In medical biotechnology, on one hand she is conducting research on new bioactive compounds from local microflora and on other hand she is looking for the SNPs involved in various genetic disorders.

Director of Research and Testing Laboratory of the South Plains, Southwest Regional PCR (CLIA/CAP laboratory), SpiroStat Technologies.

bacteriology

Education and training
1984 – MSc in chemistry, Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Bratislava
1991 – PhD in molecular biology, Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
2002 – DrSc in microbiology, Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Work experience
2008 – present - Director of Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
1996 – present - Head of Department of Microbial Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology, SAS
2002 - visiting scientist from Royal Society in Oxford University UK
1999, 2001 - visiting scientist of York University UK
1994, 1995, 1996 - visiting scientist at University of Georgia, Athens, USA
1991-1993 postdoctoral fellow at Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, USA
1984-1991 Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences

molecular biology of cell differentiation and cell division, microbiology, structural biology, genome wide gene expression, DNA chips and biomolecular recognition.

Dr. Shesheer Kumar is the founder Director of RAS Lifesciences. He was awarded a PhD by Osmania Univeristy, Hyderabad in Genetics. Prior to establishing RAS Life sciences, as a Scientist at Shanta Biotechnics, Hyderabad, he was actively engaged in development of recombinant clones for the production of Human Insulin, Streptokinase, EPO, Interferon etc . Dr Kumar was also engaged in development of HCV antigen based kit which required cloning, expression & purification of HCV proteins Core, NS3, NS4 and NS5 genes of Indian isolate in E coli. He held the post of Director at Anoop Labs, Allahabad and instrumental in setting up and management of Molecular Diagnostic Lab. He has several publications to his credit in various National & international Journals.

He was actively engaged in development of recombinant clones for the production of Human Insulin, Streptokinase, EPO, Interferon etc . Dr. Kumar was also engaged in development of HCV antigen based kit which required cloning, expression & purification of HCV proteins Core, NS3, NS4 and NS5 genes of Indian isolate in E coli.

PhD in Molecular Biology/Biotechnology December 1998. Department of Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences, University of Maryland at College Park Maryland, M S in Clinical Microbiology August 1993. Department of Microbiology University of Maryland at College Park Maryland, M S in Microbiology 1985. University of Dhaka Bangladesh,B S in Soil Microbiology 1983 University of Dhaka Bangladesh.

Microbiology and molecular biology, with a special interest in rugose polysaccharides, and environmental persistence of Vibrios

Dr. Dimopoulos has received his PhD in Biology from the University of Crete during the period of 1991-1996. Currently he is an Associate Professor and studies mosquito innate immunity at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. He is serving as an editorial member of several reputed journals and has authored about 45 research articles/books.

Dr. Dimopoulos group is pursuing research to understand how the mosquito’s immune system is capable of blocking pathogens and how we can use this knowledge to develop resistant mosquitoes. Dr. Dimopoulos group has made great advances towards this goal, through several independent but synergistically interacting projects, and identified several factors that are responsible for conferring resistance to the parasite and the virus in their respective vectors.

Amy M. Grunden has received her PhD in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida during the period of 1993-1996. Currently, she is working as an Associate Professor of Microbiology at North Carolina State University where she has developed a rigorous research program focused on the microbial physiology and biotechnological applications of extremophiles. She is serving as editor-in-chief of the KBM Journal of Microbiology and routinely reviews for the journals Applied and Environmental Microbiology and the Journal of Bacteriology among others. She is an active member of the American Society for Microbiology and Sigma Xi.

Microbial physiology, extremophiles, applied microbiology

 Dr. Emil Korazov has been working as an Associate Professor at Medical Center College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University.

 Bacteria

Barbara Mann received her PhD from the University of Virginia and did postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin on phosphateregulated genes in Neurospora crassa. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Virginia and has a joint appointment in the Department of Microbiology. Dr.Mann also serves as chair of the Institution Biosafety Committee and directs a biosafety level three laboratory.

Research interest in microbial pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions, with specific interest in adherence and invasion mechanisms for two pathogens, the bacteria Francisella tularensis, and the human parasite E. histolytica.

Dr. Ashok Aiyar obtained his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Case Western Reserve University in 1994 where his mentor was Dr. Jonathan Leis Following his PhD. Dr Aiyar was a postdoctoral fellow from 19951999 under the mentorship of Dr. Bill Sugden at the University of WisconsinMadison. As a postdoctoral fellow Dr. Aiyar was awarded a Special Fellowship from the Lymphoma Leukemia Society for studies on EpsteinBarr virus EBV an oncogenic human virus. Following his postdoctoral fellowship Dr. Aiyar spent five years as an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the Northwestern University School of Medicine. Dr. Aiyar moved to Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at New Orleans LSUHSCNO in 2005 where he is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology Immunology and Parasitology. At LSUHSCNO Dr. Aiyaracute\\s laboratory continues their research on EBV which has now been funded continually since 2000 by the National Cancer Institute NCI. Dr. Aiyaracute\\s group also studies the protozoan parasite Leishmania on a project funded by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases NIAID In addition to research on EBV and Leishmania. Dr. Aiyaracute\\s group participates in a collaborative project on the intracellular bacterial STD pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis

Research interests have focused on the mechanism by which pathogen-encoded nucleic acid binding proteins contribute to disease. We work on a class of proteins that bind AT-rich DNA and G-rich RNA called AT-hook proteins. AT-hook proteins are encoded by bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens, and their human hosts that participate in gene expression, DNA replication, recombination and repair. My laboratory currently studies EBV and Leishmania amazonensis AT-hook proteins that function in replication and transcription. Our collaborative project on Chlamydia uses AT-hook proteins to facilitate molecular analyses of Chlamydia-infected cells. My laboratory studies deals mainly with three human pathogens: 1) EBV - an oncogenic virus; 2) the protozoan parasite Leishmania; and 3) the bacterial pathogen Chlamydia. For all three pathogens, we focus on biochemical, molecular and cellular aspects of transcription, DNA replication, and DNA repair that control or alter pathogenesis. The papers I review for other journal generally encompass these topics, or signaling in infected hosts that is affected by these processes in the pathogen

July 1991 - July 1994-Research Associate. Institute of Plant Physiology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai. P. R. China
January 1995 - May 1999-Graduate Research Assistant. Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
August - December 1994-Research Assistant. Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
August 1999 – May 2004-Research Associate: Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VTbr /> July 2002 – May 2004-Research Associate. Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
June 2004- September 2008-Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), School of Dentistry, Birmingham, AL
June 2005-present-Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Pathology. Departments of Microbiology and Pathology, UAB School of Medicine and Dentistry, Birmingham, AL
October 2008-present Associate Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, UAB School of Dentistry, Birmingham, AL

Bacterial biofilm development is crucial for numerous persistent and chronic bacterial infections in humans. We study molecular mechanisms governing bacterial biofilm formation using oral bacteria as model systems. We are particularly interested in glycosylation and biogenesis of serine-rich repeat adhesins that are widespread in oral streptococci and many pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. Our study is aimed to uncover new and conserved bacterial glycosylation and secretion pathways that are amenable to therapeutic strategy to control bacterial colonization and pathogenesis. We also study the interactions between bacterial biofilms and hosts, and how the biofilm formation modulates vegetation in infective endocarditis and bone remodeling dynamics in periodontal disease. In collaboration with chemists, we are developing small molecule inhibitors that block biofilm formation of oral pathogens and osteoclastogenesis, which may have therapeutic potentials for treatment of oral infectious diseases and other resorption related bone disorders.

Dr. Paul M. Orwin completed his PhD in Microbiology from University of Minnesota. He is presently employed as Assistant Professor in Department of Biology at California State University.

Behavior of Variovorax paradoxus on surfaces

Variovorax paradoxus is a soil microorganism associated with many vital biological transformations, including remediation of toxic compounds and promotion of plant growth. It has a tremendous variety of metabolic capacities, including heterotrophic growth on a large number of carbon sources, and lithoautotrophic growth using hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide as sources of energy and carbon, respectively. Our lab has focused on a critical component of soil survival and success, the ability to attach to and move on surfaces. The surface attached sessile phase, biofilm formation, is a crucial and widespread bacterial lifestyle, associated with virulence as well as environmental growth under many conditions. Swarming motility is a mechanism of bacterial movement on a surface that involves a number of cell surface appendages as well as production of a wetting agent and a hygroscopic matrix. The combination of surface attachment and motility, and the decision to move or "put down roots" is a crucial determinant of success in the heterogeneous soil environment. Our overall goal is to understand the structural components that underlie these two phenotypes, and the regulatory circuits that control these decisions.

Natural product derived novel antimicrobials

In collaboration with Synedgen, Inc., our research group is examining the antimicrobial efficacy of various compounds chemically derived from the natural product chitosan, which is deacetylated chitin, the most common polysaccharide on Planet Earth. The proprietary derivatives manufactured by Synedgen, Inc and its corporate partners are being extensively characterized for antimicrobial activities against a broad spectrum of microbes, and our research group is focusing on efforts to determine the mechanism(s) of action of these novel compounds.

Dr. Nahed Ismail has received her Medical degree from Tanta University Egypt during the period of 19821988. She received an MSC in Microbiology and Immunology from University of Toronto Ontario Canada during the period of 19931995. She has received her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology University of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Canada during the period of 19962000. She did a Medical Microbiology Fellowship at University of Texas Medical branch Galveston during the period of 20002003. She is a BoardCertified Medical Microbiologist and Immunologist from American Board of Medical Microbiology and Specialist in Microbiology by the Board of Registry American Society of Clinical Pathology. She has an extensive background in clinical and basic microbiology and immunology and specific training and expertise in the areas of hostpathogen interaction and immunopathogenesis of infectious diseases mainly those caused by infection with intracellular bacteria. Currently she is working as Associate Professor Department of Pathology and Department of Microbiology and Immunology Meharry medical College Nashville TN. She is serving as an ad hoc reviewer for several reputed journals like Journal of Immunology, PLOS, neglected tropical diseases, infection and immunity, diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. She has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications book chapters and review articles. She is a member of American Society for Microbiology ASM American Association of Immunologists AAI American Society for Rickettsiology and American Society of Clinical Pathology ASCP. She is honored with Excellence in Teaching Award Experimental Pathology Graduate program University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Her recent paper in Infection and Immunity 2009 titled “Persistent infection contributes to heterologous protective immunity against fatal ehrlichiosis” was selected for the SPOTLIGHT section by the editors of Infection and Immunity Journal.

The main focus of Dr. Ismail lab is analysis of host defense and the immunological mechanisms that determine susceptibility or resistance to Tick-borne diseases including; Human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis caused by monocytotropic Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Rickettsiosis caused by Rickettsia.Human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (HME) is a life threatening, emerging infectious disease caused by Ehrlichia chaffeensis, an obligatory intracellular bacterium for which there is no a well-established animal model. My research is directed towards understanding the mechanisms of protective immunity against infection with ehrlichial strains that are closely related to E. chaffeensis, as well as defining the immunological and molecular basis of pathogenesis associated with the disease. Using different murine models of HME, we were able to analyze the type of immune response/host factors that contribute to resistance and susceptibility to infection. The goal of Dr. Ismail laboratory is to further identify host or microbial factors that mediate pathogenesis and characterize ehrlichial molecules that can modulate host immune responses. In addition, Dr. Ismail’s research also focuses on better defining the cellular and humoral immune mechanisms by which such long term memory responses and protection against secondary bacterial infection work as well as identifying the candidate immunodominant antigen(s) that strongly stimulate both T and B cell responses in the murine models of human disease. Another research interest is exploring the mechanism of action of T-cell subsets in inflammatory processes and host defense using gene-targeted mice that lack key components in immune regulation, the nature of cells migrating to different organs, the specificity and the function of these cells. These studies will assist in the design of rational vaccination strategies for prevention and immunotherapeutic treatment of human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis.

Hirotoma Kato is working as an Associate Professor Under the Department of Parasitology at Hokkaido University, Japan.

1.Epidemiological research on protozoan zoonotic diseases, especially    leishmaniasis
2.Establishment and application of molecular epidemiological methods for vector-borne diseases
3.Vector biology
4.Biological role of vector saliva and their role on pathogen transmission
5.Molecular basis between vector-pathogen interface

Lesouhaitier Olivier received his PhD diploma in Endocrinology from University of Rouen in 1999. He is presently employed as Associate Professor in Microbiology at University of Rouen France.

Role of environmental and host factors on bacterial adaptation in general and virulence particularly.
Bacteria-eukaryotic cells interactions (inter kingdom signal exchanges).
Bacterial sensors, bacterial membrane proteins and signal transduction associated to their activation.

Education
1991-1996: classical high school studies (final grade: 60 out of 60)
1996-2001: graduation studies at the School of Biotechnology, University of Torino and achievement of the Graduate Degree in Medical Biotechnology ( final grade: 110 out of 110, with honors and print dignity). Title of the final dissertation: “Anti-angiogenetic role of IL12: in vitro study of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity”, performed at the Molecular Angiogenesis Division of the Institute for Research and Therapy of Cancer of Candiolo, Torino, Italy.
2001-2005: PhD studies in Biochemistry and Cellular Biotechnology, University of Torino and achievement of the PhD Degree in Biochemistry and Cellular Biotechnology. Title of the final dissertation: “Involvement of matrix metalloproteinases in malaria pathology; study of the MMP-9-mediated regulation of TNFalpha and IL-1beta in human monocytes and their environment after phagocytosis of hemozoin”, performed at the Biochemistry Division of the Department of Genetics, Biology and Biochemistry, Torino Medical School, University of Torino.

Career

1997-2001: undergraduate student at the Biology division of the Department of Genetics, Biology and Biochemistry, Torino Medical School, University of Torino, Italy (1997); at the Oncology Division of the Institute for Research and Therapy of Cancer of Candiolo, Torino, Italy (1998); at the Molecular Angiogenesis Division of the Institute for Research and Therapy of Cancer of Candiolo, Torino, Italy (1999-2001).
2001-today: PhD student and post-Doc researcher at the Biochemistry Division of the Department of Genetics, Biology and Biochemistry, Torino Medical School, University of Torino, Italy.
2003-today: lecturer of Biochemistry for the Torino Medical School, University of Torino, Italy (schools of Nursery, Paediatric Nursery, Obstetrics, Radiology techniques, Audiometry techniques, Audioprotesis techniques, Neurophysiopatology Techniques).
2008-today: adjunct Professor of Biochemistry for the Torino Medical School, University of Torino, Italy (school of Nursery, displaced branch of Asti).

Effects of antitumoral/antimalarial drugs on human HSPs regulation in neuroblastoma

Ann Albinin is working as an Associate Professor at National Veterniary Insitute under the Department of Chemistry.

Infectious diseases, especially zoonotic infections and how these are spread to humans and animals via the environment, e.g. with vector animals and with recycling of biological waste in the feed and food production chain. Also the risk for persistence of pathogens in the environment e.g. in reservoir animals and in water and soil is studied. Climate change is one important factor as influence both transmission and persistence of pathogens in the environment. From year 2009 I have been entrusted to build up the Climate Centre at SVA and have here been able to ad multidisciplinary competence to my section, today we are 7 PhDs/Assoc. prof. and 4 other scientific staff.

Dr. Zhou has received her PhD in Laboratory of Analytical Microbiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology during the period of 2004-2007. Currently, she is working as an Associate Professor of microbiology at Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology where she has developed a research program focused on microbiology, infectious disease and rapid detection.

microbiology, infectious disease and rapid detection.

B. S., Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 1998;
Ph. D., Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 2003;
Lecturer, School of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 2003-2006
Associate Professor, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 2006-present.

 

1.Molecular epidemiology of human viruses (including HIV-1, HCV, EV71 etc.);
2.Mechanism of HIV-1 recombination;
3.Molecular evolution of viruses and their hosts, and genome research of human viruses
4.Development of new diagnosis approaches for HIV-1 and other human viruses
5.AIDS vaccine

 Dr. Ahmad Adnan has been working as an Associate Professor at GC University.

Biochemical process development, Microbial production of biopharmaceutics and commercial enzymes, Microbial physiology and proteomics, Enzyme catalyzed organic reactions.

 

Dr. Bruno is a Research Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Kentucky, College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Food Science from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and continued her post-doctoral studies at Rutgers University, Florida State University and the University of Kentucky in biochemistry, cell biology and immunology. She has published a number of research papers and review articles in the area of food microbiology, cell biology and immunology. Her research has been funded by grants from the NIH and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. Dr. Bruno’s current research is focused on understanding the biological mechanisms underlying intestinal homeostasis and their dysregulation in disease states, such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and IBD-associated colon cancer.

Secretory IgA (SIgA) antibodies are the most abundant immunoglobulins in gut secretions, where they contribute to maintenance of intestinal homeostasis by neutralizing pathogens, preventing inappropriate inflammatory responses to microbial and food antigens, and shaping the composition of the commensal microbiota. Transport of locally synthesized IgA across intestinal epithelial cells into the lumen is mediated by the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR). In a healthy human, pIgR delivers up to 3g/day of SIgA into the gut. Our research focuses on understanding the regulatory mechanisms of pIgR function in health and disease. Recently, we have been investigating the role of pIgR on the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and IBD-associated colon cancer. To accomplish this goal, we use human intestinal biopsies and/or surgical samples, cell lines and several genetic mouse models. Our long-term goal is to increase our understanding of immune mechanisms that regulate intestinal homeostasis and inflammation, and to develop novel approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of IBD.

Dr. J Jacob Parnell received his PhD from the Center for Microbial Ecology at Michigan State University. Currently he is working as an assistant professor at Utah State University in the Center for Integrated BioSystems.

His current research interests involve they study of microbial life at high salt concentrations. Subjects range from the study of acclimation and adaptation to salt stress to biodiversity and bioremediation of environmental pollutants in hypersaline conditions.

Post Graduate Studies
Graduate Degree: Ph.D.
Graduate Degree Institution: University of Iowa
Undergraduate Institution: Mankato State University, Mankato MN
Presently working as an Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology in New York Medical College.

Research interests include molecular pathogenesis of protozoan parasites, innate immunity, and functional genomics.

Md. A. Motaleb is working as an Assistant Professor under the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at East Carolina University.

When a tick feeds, the spirochetes migrate from the tick midgut to its salivary glands and then into the mammalian host. Borrelia burgdorferi is highly invasive: After deposition in the skin by a tick bite, spirochetes traverse the intracellular matrix, penetrate the vascular endothelial cell lining, and are disseminated to large joints, ears, heart and other tissues. However, the mechanisms involved in this invasive process, and how the organisms migrate from the tick midgut to the salivary glands, are unknown.

Borrelia burgdorferi has a wave-like morphology and unique means of motility. The organelles for motility, periplasmic flagella, are located in the periplasmic space within the outer membrane sheath and cell cylinder. These spirochetes are able to swim in highly viscous, gel-like environments such as joints, connective tissues and brain where most externally-flagellated bacteria move slowly or stop swimming. Periplasmic flagella are essential for both motility and morphology of Borrelia burgdorferi, as mutations in the gene encoding the major periplasmic flagellar protein results in cells that are rod-shaped and non motile.

Bacterial pathogens are highly adapted, with survival strategies that require multiplication and living in hosts. Chemotaxis two-component phosphorelay systems are fundamental to many adaptive responses and are often essential for virulence in host organisms. While motility and chemotaxis are critical for many pathogenic organisms to colonize and/or cause disease, the role of these processes in Borrelia burgdorferi-mediated pathogenesis has not been determined.

One of our immediate goals is to determine the extent to which motility and chemotaxis in Borrelia burgdorferi is involved in transmission and disease progression. Our long term goal is to identify a molecule or a pathway (e.g., chemotaxis signal transduction pathway) in the organism for which a novel pharmacological agent can be developed to better treat or prevent the multi-systemic Lyme disease.

Dr. Ashley Franks received his PhD at the Centre for Marine Bioinnovation in Microbiology from the University of New South Wales Australia in 2004. Currently he is working as an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst USA. He has authored more than 21 research articles and books and has made appearances in popular media. He has been honored with a Provice Chancellor Award for High Achievement and recognized as a Government of Ireland Fellow in Science Engineering and Technology.

His research interests cover interactions between organisms and surfaces including abiotic-biotic and biotic-biotic interactions. He has experience in the marine and agricultural biofilms but is current focusing on the microbial interactions with insoluble electron donors and acceptors in the subsurface. His interests cover genomics, proteomics, regulation and functional analysis of bacterial cells associated with the biofilm mode of life.

Dr. Jianjun Sun has received his PhD in Medical College of Wisconsin during the period of 19992004. Currently he is working as an Assistant Professor in the University of Texas at El Paso. He has authored 13 research articles/books. He is a member of American Society of Microbiology Biophysical Society and American Society of Protein Sciences.

My research focuses on how bacterial pathogens cause human diseases. I am particularly interested in understanding the roles of bacterial toxins and other virulent factors in bacterial pathogenesis, and using them as model systems to understand fundamental processes of biological sciences including protein-membrane interaction, protein pore formation and membrane translocation.

 Bacterial Immunology

Dr. Ruisheng An has been working as an assistant professor at Ohio State University under Entomology Department.

 Entomophilus bacteria

Dr. Saravanan Thangamani has been working as an Assistant Professor at the university of Texas Under the department of pathology.

Emerging and re-emerging diseases transmitted by blood feeding arthropods are significant global public health problems. There is a real threat that these diseases could be introduced into new ecological niches, and the disease causing agents has a great potential to be used as bioterrorism agents. During the course of blood feeding, ticks/mosquitoes introduce pharmacologically active molecules into the host that are essential for both obtaining a blood meal and for successful transmission of infectious agents. Some of these molecules stimulate host innate and specific acquired immune responses that induce resistance to mosquito feeding. In turn, ticks/mosquitoes have developed immunomodulatory countermeasures, which suppress or deviate host innate and specific acquired immune responses. Interactions between host immunity and mosquito/tick mediated immunomodulation are central to successful ticks/mosquitoes feeding and disease transmission. A major focus of my research is characterization of the complex cellular and molecular immunology of the tick/mosquito-host-pathogen interface. This will lead to development of rational strategies to control vector-borne diseases.

I received my Ph.D in Molecular Parasitology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India and currently working as Research Associate at the Malaria Branch of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Atlanta. For the past 10 years I have been working on different aspects of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria. My Ph.D work led to the identification of a novel “Tryptophan-Rich Antigen” gene family in P. vivax (PvTRAg family). This study also established that these proteins interact with the human erythrocyte membrane, and are likely involved in host-parasite interaction. In addition, I have also developed molecular methods for the identification of several Anopheles vectors in India. During my Ph.D I was the recipient of Junior and Senior Research Fellowships of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India. I received an American Society for Microbiology (ASM)-Postdoctoral Fellowship (2008-2010) to work at the CDC, where my current research is focused on investigating the origins and evolution of drug resistance in P. falciparum. I have studied evolving patterns of anti-malarial drug resistance in several countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America. I have authored 18 original research articles and one of them appeared on the cover page of the Journal of Infectious Diseases which describes the origins of multi drug resistant gene-1 duplication in relation to mefloquine resistance in the Cambodia. As part of my professional service, I have been reviewing research articles for many reputed journals including BMC Evolutionary Biology; Infection, Genetics & Evolution; Parasitology and Acta Tropica.

Current research is focused on investigating the origins and evolution of drug resistance in P. falciparum.

My science career started as a molecular microbiologist focused on the identification of virulence factors and understanding of the gene regulation mechanisms of Vibrio vulnificus. During my doctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I continued to explore bacterial pathogenesis by examining the mechanisms of acid tolerance and survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the host.After obtaining my Ph.D., I hada Postdoctoral trainingat Washington UniversityMedical School at St. Louis to characterize the virulence traits of Legionella pneumophila, anintracellular pathogen that causes a pneumonia-like illness called Legionnaires’ disease. My research areas are not only inbasic sciences but also in applied sciences.  Shiga-toxin producing E. coli(STEC)is aprimary target.  STEC O157causes hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome in humans which becoming a huge concern in public health.  Outbreaks of this pathogen cause tremendous negative effect in the economy due to food recalls.

The primary goal of my research team is to understand molecular mechanisms of colonization, host-microbe interactions, and survival of bacterial pathogens in hosts, both in animals and humans.

PhD School of Public Health and Community Medicine University of Washington Pathobiology Seattle WA Dissertation: The Identification And Distribution Of Multidrug Resistance In Streptococcus pneumoniae In Washington State MT Children’s Hospital of San Francisco San Francisco CA BA Holy Names College Microbiology / Medical Technology summa cum laude Oakland CA.

Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance, Bacterial Detection, Bacterial Destruction, Bacterial Pathogenesis.

 

Dr. Ibne Karim M. Ali is currently employed as an Instructor of Medicine at the University of Virginia, USA. He received his PhD degree (in 2005) in Molecular Parasitology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine,University of London. He acquired postdoctoral training at the Stanford University
School of Medicin, California (2005‐2006) and University of Virginia School of Medicine, Virginia (2007‐2010). He is currently serving as the Ad‐Hoc reviewer of several journals. He also serves as the reviewer to evaluate the fellowship applications to the National Research Foundation, South Africa.

His major research interests include epigenetics, genome sequencing, genotyping and cyst diagnostics inEntamoeba histolytica.

 Dr. Khoo has been working as an Assistant Professor under Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Colorado State University.

Dr. Khoo’s long term research interests are in the evolution of complex biological systems, specifically symbiosis. Particularly, her interest is in the symbiotic intracellular bacteria Wolbachia that are present in many species of insects including mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are vectors of human diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and filariasis. Research has demonstrated that Wolbachia can be used as a biological control agent of mosquitoes through mosquito population suppression and reduced vector competence. Dr. Khoo is interested in elucidating the evolutionary relationship among Wolbachia, arthropod-borne viruses, and mosquitoes and capitalizing on this relationship to reduce the transmission of mosquito-borne infectious diseases.

Dr. Rajeev Gautam has received his PhD from Indian Veterinary Research Institute from India in 2002. Currently he is working as Staff Scientist in the Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology at National Institutes of Health Bethesda. During his tenure in pharmaceutical company he was involved in identifying and screening potential antimicrobial agents against variety of infectious diseases. Later he joined Tulane University and got involved with research to understand the lack of disease in natural hosts of SIV. He has been invited for talks in international conferences/meetings. He has published nearly 20 articles in peerreviewed journals. He wants to be an active researcher in the field of infectious diseases.

Currently, his research focuses on establishing an improved animal model of AIDS and to test the efficacy of variety of vectors against HIV in non-human primate models.

2010-present    Professor (tenured), Departments of Pathology and Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

2010-present    Professor, Department of Molecular Virology,Immunology & Medical Genetics (MVIMG), Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

2006-10    Associate Professor (tenured), Departments of Microbiology and MVIMG, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

2007-    Visiting Professor, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), FES-Iztacala, Mexico City, Mexico.             
 
2001-06    Assistant Professor, Departments of Microbiology and MVIMG, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

2005-present        Faculty, Department of Oral Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus,     OH

2005-present    Member, Center for Microbial Interface Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus,         OH
 

My research is focused on immunology of parasitic infections. Our laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanisms of parasite invasion, immune evasion and development of inflammatory pathology during leishmaniasis. We are also interested in developing novel anti-leishmanial and/or immunomodulatory drugs  for the treatment of leishmaniasis.

Dr. Pantenburg has received her MD at Leipzig University Germany in 2003 after medical studies in Freiburg and Leipzig Germany with clinical rotations in Toulouse France and Kumasi Ghana. She was a resident in Internal Medicine at a teaching hospital of Charite University in Berlin Germany 20042005. As a research scholar she was affiliated with Case Western Reserve University Cleveland OH 19992000. In 2009 she successfully completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston TX 20062009. Currently she is working as a visiting scientist at the Tropical Medicine Institute at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima Peru. She has authored 8 research articles 7 of them peer reviewed contributions and 2 book chapters. She was a scholar of the prestigious German National Academic Foundation and received several travel awards to conduct her research in Peru.

Malnutrition and Intestinal Infections, Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Health Promotion and Education.

Education:
1978-1982 BS, Suzhou Medical College, China
1984-1987 MD, Department of Parasitology, Beijing Medical University, China
1994-1999 PhD, Department of Parasitology, Gifu University, Japan

Research and Professional Experience
1982-1984 Physician, Wujiang CDC, China
1987-1994 Research Assistant, Lecturer, Associate Professor
Department of Parasitology, Zhejiang Medical University, China
1999-present Assistant Professor, Lecture
Department of Parasitology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan

Membership:
Japanese Society of Parasitology,

 Parasitology

Louise Ford graduated from the University of Leeds in 1995 with a B.Sc. in Applied Biology and the following year graduated from the University of Liverpool with M.Sc. in Applied Parasitology and Medical Entomology. After spending three years working as a research assistant in the Crop Protection Group at the University of Durham she joined the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1999 working on the role of Wolbachia bacteria in the immune response to filariasis and obtained her Ph.D. in 2003. Louise began work as a post-doctoral research fellow at the New York Blood Center in 2003 working with Dr. Sara Lustigman on identifying potential drug and vaccine candidates against filarial parasites. She rejoined the School of Tropical Medicine in February 2007 working with Prof. Mark Taylor in the Filariasis Research Laboratory as a post-doctoral research assistant.

Wolbachia bacteria of filarial nematodes as an anti-filarial drug target, identification of potential anti-filarial drug candidates, optimisation of in vitro culture techniques for filarial nematodes, the role of Wolbachia bacteria in the immune response and pathogenesis of filariasis, characterisation and functional analysis of filarial genes utilising molecular, biochemical and immunological techniques, RNA interference.

1990 PhD Biochemistry University of East Anglia UK 1983 BSc Microbiology Chelsea College University of London UK After postdoctoral training at the University of Durham and the University of Sheffield in multidiscipline areas of molecular biology immunology and chemistry the following 10 years were spent at The Scripps Research Institute as Assistant Professor in Molecular Biology developing approaches for antibody repertoire analysis antibody ab initio design and selection Following several years in the biopharmaceutical industry in various posts of increasing responsibility in the area of discovery and development of therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies Dr. Kang returned to academic research.

A common theme throughout the academic and industrial research has been the development of enabling technologies for antibody generation, in particular against infectious disease agents, such as anthrax, malaria. Another emerging research area is in developing and applying synthetic biology to create novel molecules for use in disease intervention approaches such as paratransgenesis. The research is funded by the US NIH NIAID and APHIS and in part supports EU-COST FA0701, Arthropod Symbiosis: From Fundamental Studies to Pest and Disease Management.

A senior researcher at the Institute for Microbiology Immunology and Parasitology University Hospital Bonn Germany. She has received her PhD in Biology at the University of Hamburg Germany. She is involved in the development of Bachelor and Masters Program in Parasitology as well as teaching of pharmaceutical medical and biology students. She has one the Bonfor Young Investigator Award 2009 to establish a new lab Part of a team that has champioend antiWolbachia therapy as antifilarial treatment.

The filaria Wuchereria bancrofti is the cause of elephantiasis. Infected people suffer from swelling of extremities and scroti due to disrupted flow of the lymphatic fluid. Despite ongoing elimination programmes, eradication has not been achieved. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new therapeutic strategies. Recent findings have suggested that depletion of endosymbiotic bacteria (Wolbachia) leads to death of adult worms. Studies using doxycycline have shown that a treatment regimen of 6 weeks is sufficient for Wolbachia depletion and adult worm death. Imbedded in a research consortium funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, the two major objectives are to define shorter treatment regimens to be able to use it for mass drug administration as well as finding other drugs that can be administered to pregnant women or children, which is not the case for doxycycline. Our group uses a murine model for filariasis (Litomosoides sigmodontis) to test the efficacy of drugs and drug combinations.On the other hand among nematodes, filarial parasites have the highest average lifespan in their host. Therefore, mechanisms have evolved that divert or down-regulate the host´s immune system in order to alow entry and spread of helminths in their victims, immunomodulation and suppression by filarial nematodes has been shown to spread to unrelated third party antigens. In many countries other diseases such as malaria are often coendemic. To dissect the relationship between two parasites residing in a host, we established a coninfection model with Litomosoides sigmodontis and Plasmodium bergheid.

1998-2000: Research training as a Research Assistant I at the Dept. of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
2000-November 2003: Preparation of Ph.D. thesis work and work as a Research Assistant at the Dept. of Dermatology, Laboratory of Cell Biology, University of Münster, Germany
November 2003- December 2008: a research fellow in the laboratory of Cell Biology (Dept of Dermatology and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Immunobiology of Skin, University of Münster, Germany).
January 2009- March 2010: a senior research fellow in the laboratory of Cell Biology (Dept of Dermatology and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Immunobiology of Skin, University of Münster, Germany).
April 2010-March 2011: a senior research fellow in the laboratory of Experimental Nephrology (Dept. of Nephrology and Hypertension& Endocrinology and Metabolic Disease, University of Magdeburg, Germany).
April 2011 up to present time: a research fellow at the Dept. of Material Analysis; Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences (ISAS) (Dortmund, Germany).

Diagnostic methods (determination of virus or/and bacteria concentration in aqueous solutions as well as in air probes etc.,); Innate immunity and modulation of innate immune responses by serine proteases (host or pathogen-derived proteases); Role of serine proteases and their receptors in anti-bacterial and anti-viral defense.

PhD in Ecology and Population Biology University Pierre Marie Curie Paris France Resistance of anopheline mosquitoes to Plasmodium from genes to natural populations. Awarded with honors2002 Magistère of BiologyBiochemistry MS and BS Ecole NormaleSupérieure Paris France. Quantitative genetics of the resistance of Aedesaegyptimosquitoes to the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium gallinaceum. Awarded with honors 1999. Admission to the Ecole Normale Supérieure Cachan France through national competition

My research investigates how interactions between pathogens and insect vectors shape the incidence of human vector-borne diseases. Specifically, I am interested in how the genetic structure of vector populations and genotype-specific vector-pathogen interactions affect the emergence, epidemiological dynamics and evolution of vector-borne pathogens.

Giuliana Giribaldi has been working as an assistant professor at the university of Torino medical school, Italy.

 Bacteriology & Parasitology

JoaAluis Fernendez has been working as an assistant professor and head of the Genetics Unit at Universitario A CoruAa

 Bacteriology & Parasitology

 Jesus Valdes Flores has been working as an assistant professor at CINVESTAV.

RNA splicing
Junction proteins assembly-disassembly
Cancer related splicing events
Nanomaterials

 

Dr. Rudy A. Hartskeerl, is molecular microbiologist and head of the WHO/FAO/OIE and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis and as such has gained considerable experience and knowledge on all aspects of leptospirosis, including diagnosis, epidemiology, molecular biology, characterisation, and immunology. He has coordinated and is involved in a number of multi-partner international research projects with partners from developed and developing countries. He has created LeptoNet, a WHO funded website for providing on-line global epidemiological data for leptospirosis. He is past president of the International Leptospirosis Society (ILS) and member of the Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Leptospira. His further tasks include recruitment, training and supervision of technicians and scientists, design, coordination and presentation of international courses and workshops in the Netherlands and abroad. He has conducted several short-term consultancies in Indonesia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, Cuba and Philippines concerning outbreak management and the establishment of an international reference centre and of international surveillance networks

Specialized in

Infectious diseases with a focus on leptospirosis research and reference tasks. Extensive experience in research and project management.

Main working experience

Molecular research on Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium spp. Microsporidia and Leptospira spp. Multi-disciplinary and multi-partner national and international research projects using molecular biological, immunological, and epidemiological research methods. Establishment of international surveillance networks, research management and management of national and international reference centres.

Dr. Ing G. Buist has been working as an assistant professor at the University medical centre.

Parasitology

1994-1995. Research Fellow. National Commission of Atomic Energy (CNEA). Animal Health Section. Argentina.

1995-1996. PhD. Fellow. National Research Council (CONICET). Institute for Research in Biotechnology. University of San Martín. Argentina.

1997-present. Associate Researcher. National Commission of Atomic Energy (CNEA). Animal Health Section. Argentina.

1998-2002. Polo Tecnológico Migueletes. Research & Development activities.

1999. Visitor Researcher. Jean-Pierre Gorvel’s lab. Centre d’Immnunologie de Marseille-Luminy. Université de la Mediterrané. France

2005-present. Associate Professor. General Microbiology. Institute for Research in Biotechnology. University of San Martín. Argentina.

2006-present. Associate Researcher. Nacional Research Council (CONICET). Institute for Research in Biotechnology. University of San Martín. Argentina.

Bacteria

Saber Golidesh has been working as an assistant profrssor at the university of Urmia, Iran

Plasmodium-Anopheles Interaction

Molecular Entomology

Malarialogy (Impregnated bednets)

Post Doctoral Fellow: University of Massachusetts Medical Centre, Worcester MA USA 1987-1990. Research Associate : University of Massachusetts Medical Centre, Worcester MA USA 1990-1993. Visiting Assistant Professor : Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL USA 2002-2004.

Microbial Genetics, Post-translational modifications in Mycobacteria

Dr. John Lusingu is a Principal Research Scientist of National Institute for Medical Research NIMR with main focus in epidemiology and immunity of malaria. He completed Degree in Doctor of Medicine MD in the University of Dar es Salaam Tanzania in 1994 and one compulsory year of internship in Mbeya Consultant Hospital. He worked as General Practitioner in Clinical Departments in Mbeya Consultant Hospital under the Ministry of Health of Tanzania. He obtained Diploma in Health Care and Management in Tropical Countries in Swiss Tropical Institute Basel Switzerland in 1998 and attended several other short courses and awarded certificates in District Health Management and Health Care in Tropical Countries with limited resources In 2000 he joined National Institute for Medical Research NIMR at Amani Medical Research Centre He was involved in malaria epidemiology studies and Clinical Trials of antimalarial drugs as part of either NIMR or Joint Malaria Programme JMP collaboration between Centre for Medical Parasitology Denmark Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre Tanzania London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine UK and NIMR In 2002 he was awarded a PhD Scholarship by Gates Malaria Partnership GMP. He studied malaria morbidity and immunity in communities with different Plasmodium falciparum transmission intensity. He completed successfully and awarded PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Copenhagen Denmark in 2006 During PhD training he attended several courses including epidemiology training in Centres for Diseases Control CDC in collaboration with Emory University Atlanta sponsored by GMP. He acquired Good Clinical Practice training under AMANET immunohistochemical methods Epidemiology and Biostatistics Linear and Logistic Regression and Ethics and Health Research in LowIncome Societies by University of Copenhagen Denmark.

Malaria epidemiology, Malaria immunity, Antimalarial vaccine trials, Immunization.