2009 Microbial Population

描述(由申请人提供)：微生物种群生物学涵盖了微生物科学及其他领域的一系列前沿问题。微生物种群生物学的GRC以进化生物学为基础，以一种强有力的综合方法，吸引了来自进化生物学、生态学、计算生物学、分子生物学、医学微生物学和流行病学、细菌遗传学、种群遗传学以及最近的系统生物学的研究人员。在这个快速发展的领域的前沿研究始终是创新的(在顶级期刊上发表高影响力的论文是常态)。这项申请寻求资金，以支持2009年微生物种群生物学全球资源中心会议上关于传染病进化的特别会议。新的传染病(包括抗生素耐药性)的出现是现实。近年来出现了艾滋病毒和SARS，世界仍然敏锐地意识到新一轮流感大流行的可能性。虽然疾病的研究通常属于临床医生和微生物学家的领域，但新的传染病的出现主要是一个进化和生态学的问题。分子生物学可能会告诉我们，需要多少突变才能从H5N1(禽流感)转变为一种可在人类群体中传播的形式，但进化生物学询问这些突变的来源、它们需要发生的顺序和发生的可能性：由此建立模型和做出预测成为可能。在理解传染病和抗生素耐药性(包括其控制)的出现方面，真正的进展需要医生与进化生物学家对话；理论家与实验者对话。我们建议将不同的科学家聚集在一起，以便专注于前沿问题。随后的思想交流--特别是在所有与会者之间进行公开辩论时--将促使研究传染病出现的新概念和新方法的出现，这最终将对我们这个时代可以说是最重要的公共卫生问题产生影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Microbial population biology covers a diverse range of cutting edge issues in the microbial sciences and beyond. Firmly founded in evolutionary biology and with a strongly integrative approach, the GRC in Microbial Population Biology attracts researchers from evolutionary biology, ecology, computational biology, molecular biology, medical microbiology and epidemiology, bacterial genetics, population genetics, and more recently, systems biology. Research at the cutting edge of this rapidly growing field is consistently innovative (high impact papers in the top journals is the norm). This application seeks funding to support a special session on the evolution of infectious disease at the 2009 meeting of the Microbial Population Biology GRC. The emergence of new kinds of infectious disease (including antibiotic resistance) is a reality. Recent years have seen the emergence of HIV, SARS and the world remains acutely aware of the possibility of a new influenza pandemic. While the study of diseases typically falls within the domain of clinicians and microbiologists, the emergence of new infectious disease is primarily a problem in evolution and ecology. Molecular biology might tell us how many mutations are needed to switch from H5N1 (bird flu) to a form that is transmissible through human populations, but it is evolutionary biology that asks about the origin of these mutations, the order in which they need to occur and the likelihood of their occurrence: from this it becomes possible to build models and make predictions. Real progress in understanding the emergence of infectious disease and antibiotic resistance (including its control) requires that physicians talk with evolutionary biologists; that theorists talk with experimentalists. We propose to bring together a diverse spectrum of scientists in order to focus on cutting edge issues. The ensuing exchange of ideas - particularly when fuelled by open debate among the full spectrum of meeting participants - will provoke the emergence of new concepts and approaches for the study of the emergence of infectious disease that will ultimately make a difference to what is arguably the most significant public health issue of our time.