Cellular and Molecular Fungal Biology Gordon Research Conference

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This proposal requests partial support to facilitate the attendance and participation of early career scientists to the Gordon Research Conference on Cellular and Molecular Fungal Biology to be held at the Holderness School, June 19-24, 2016. Fungi are major causes of morbidity especially among immunocompromised patient populations and yet the arsenal of treating fungal infections is limited. Insight into the mechanisms of fungal reproduction and interactions with hosts and other microbes is essential for the advancement of treatment against fungal infections. The broad and long-term goal of the conference is to disseminate information about fungal pathogenesis and biology among an interdisciplinary group of researchers, and to increase our collective understanding of basic fungal biology and its application to medically important problems. The specific aim of this meeting will be to convene 52 speakers who represent the leading edge of fungal research, including established leaders in the field and up-and-coming early career researchers. A total of ca. 130-140 participants, most of whom will present posters, will gather for a five-day conference in a setting with few distractions. The oral and poster sessions are designed to emphasize discussion and networking, and evaluations from past conferences demonstrate the effectiveness of this format. The 2016 meeting will combine the core topics that underpin this area of research with newly emerging research topics, such as sessions focusing on biophysics and mathematical modeling, pathogenesis, symbiosis, environmental stress responses and fungal community interactions. These topics are all integral to understanding fungal pathogenesis and to develop novel therapeutics. The significance of this application is the demonstrated effect of this conference in accelerating research in the national and international fungal biology community, particularly in the areas of fungal-host interactions, evolution, and microbial communities that directly impact on endeavors such as fungal disease treatment and the development of anti-fungal therapeutics.