2012 Biology of Spirochetes Gordon Research Conference

说明： 本申请请求部分支持将于2012年1月22日至27日在加利福尼亚州文图拉举行的戈登研究会议系列会议的螺旋藻生物学会议。这次会议的目的是聚集螺旋体生物学各个领域最活跃和最有成效的研究人员，分享该领域前沿的研究进展，并提供一个思想交流的论坛。这次会议的一个首要目标是提高对这些不寻常的细菌及其引起的疾病的了解。在这一具有技术挑战性的领域引入和指导新的研究人员仍然是一个密切相关的目标。这次会议的具体目的将是聚集50多名具有几个病原螺旋体属专业知识的科学家，共有175人参加，在促进思想交流的非正式和高度互动的环境中举行为期五天的会议。会议计划包括9个会议，涵盖广泛的基础和临床相关主题，包括免疫机制、螺旋体疾病的流行病学和发病机制、螺旋体感染剂的进化、生态和传播，以及这些独特细菌的结构、新陈代谢、遗传学和分子生物学。下午的海报会议将包括所有与会者的积极参与。每次会议的特邀和确认演讲者都包括顶尖的知名科学家和研究螺旋体的富有成效的新研究人员。此外，每期会议大约四分之一的发言者将从提交的摘要中选出，以确保纳入更多初级科学家的相关尖端研究。已经作出并将继续作出有意识的努力，鼓励研究生和职业生涯早期研究人员参与，确保性别平衡，并纳入少数群体和残疾人的参与。这项申请的意义在于，这次戈登研究会议将提供一个独特的机会，让从事这些多样化和医学相关细菌工作的国际研究界成员相互交流想法。这一申请与健康有关的是，随后的讨论将促进有助于预防、诊断和控制严重、未得到充分研究和新出现的螺旋体疾病的研究，这些疾病困扰着世界各地越来越多的人。 公共卫生相关性： 这次会议致力于讨论所有医学上重要和生物上相关的螺旋体的前沿基础、应用和翻译研究，这些螺旋体组成了一个独特但多样化的细菌群体。许多螺旋体是病原体，可引起多种人类和动物疾病，包括梅毒、钩端螺旋体病、莱姆疏螺旋体病、复发性发热、牙周病和痢疾。本次戈登研究会议上产生的讨论将促进有助于改善螺旋体感染的预防、诊断和控制的研究。会议的非正式、以讨论为导向的环境促进了所有与会者之间的宝贵互动。

DESCRIPTION: This application requests partial support for a meeting on the Biology of Spirochetes as part of the Gordon Research Conference series to be held in Ventura, CA, January 22-27, 2012. The purpose of this conference is to assemble the most active and productive investigators in all areas of spirochete biology to share research advances at the frontier of the field and provide a forum for cross-fertilization of ideas. An overarching goal of this conference is to improve understanding of these unusual bacteria and the diseases they cause. The introduction and mentoring of new researchers in this technically challenging field remains a tightly associated goal. The specific aim of this meeting will be to bring together over 50 scientists with expertise encompassing several genera of pathogenic spirochetes, with a total of 175 participants, for a five-day conference in an informal and highly interactive environment that fosters the exchange of ideas. The conference program consists of 9 sessions encompassing a broad array of basic and clinically relevant topics, including mechanisms of immunity, epidemiology and pathogenesis of spirochetal diseases, evolution, ecology and transmission of spirochetal infectious agents, and the structure, metabolism, genetics and molecular biology of these unique bacteria. Afternoon poster sessions will include active participation by all attendees. Invited and confirmed speakers in every session include both leading established scientists and productive new investigators studying spirochetes. In addition, approximately one quarter of the speakers in each session will be selected from submitted abstracts to assure inclusion of pertinent cutting-edge research by more junior scientists. A conscious effort has been made and will be extended to encourage participation by graduate students and early career researchers, to assure gender balance, and to include participation by minorities and persons with disabilities. The significance of this application is that this Gordon Research Conference will provide a unique opportunity for cross-fertilization of ideas by members of the international research community working on these diverse and medically relevant bacteria. The health relatedness of this application is that the ensuing discussions will promote research contributing to the prevention, diagnosis and control of the serious, understudied and emerging spirochetal diseases that afflict a large and growing number of people around the world. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This conference is devoted to discussions of leading edge fundamental, applied and translational research of all medically important and biologically relevant spirochetes, which comprise a unique but diverse group of bacteria. Many spirochetes are pathogens and cause a variety of human and animal diseases, including syphilis, leptospirosis, Lyme borreliosis, relapsing fever, periodontal disease and dysentery. The discussions generated at this Gordon Research Conference will promote research contributing to improved prevention, diagnosis and control of spirochetal infections. The informal, discussion-oriented environment of the conference fosters valuable interactions between all participants.