8th International Conference on Cryptococcus and Cryptococcosis

描述(由申请人提供)：本提案请求部分支持将于2011年5月1-5日在美国南卡罗来纳州查尔斯顿举行的第八届隐球菌和隐球菌病国际会议。新生隐球菌是一种环境微生物，已成为当今世界越来越多免疫缺陷患者的主要威胁。最近，美国疾病控制与预防中心估计，全世界每年将有100多万新的隐球菌病病例发生在艾滋病患者中，超过一半的隐球菌病患者死于感染8、2、14。令人恐惧的是，在过去的几年里，隐球菌病已经出现在温哥华岛、加拿大7、16和美国西北太平洋地区1、3、4作为免疫活性对象的一种重要疾病。这些流行病学数据强调了这种真菌在意想不到的地理和临床环境中继续出现的潜力。本次会议的广泛和长期目标是将这一迅速发展的领域中世界领先的研究人员聚集在一起，促进跨学科的讨论、研究和临床合作，以加强我们对隐球菌和隐球菌病致病机制的理解。这次会议的具体目的将是召集其专长涵盖该领域关键领域的主要专家，以及职业生涯早期和初级调查人员、学生和博士后。我们预计将接待250名与会者参加为期4天半的会议。该计划将分为9个环节，涵盖病原体的不同性质和特征，以及宿主的易感性和免疫力，强调是什么使正常的宿主突然对这种疾病易感。重要的是，这次会议将提供对当前和新的治疗策略的充分报道，并提供一个专门论坛，以解决与来自世界各地的临床医生开展业务的不同临床背景有关的临床问题。每个口头会议包括5次演讲：3次演讲(20分钟)，然后由领域领导人进行5分钟的讨论，以及从摘要中挑选2次演讲(10分钟)，并进行5分钟的讨论。初级研究员、研究生和博士后研究员的摘要将被选为口头报告。会议将主办3个海报会议，使所有与会者都能为这些议题作出积极贡献。将不会有并发会话。将尽一切努力鼓励研究生和博士后参与，实现妇女、少数民族和残疾人平等。如有需要，将提供托儿服务。会议记录将发表在《真菌学前沿》杂志上。第八届ICCC意义重大，因为重点关注一种同时困扰免疫受损和免疫能力正常的重要传染病，将研究隐球菌病的国际研究界成员聚集在一起。这一应用程序与健康相关的是直接的和可转化的：产生的讨论和潜在的新合作将确定重要的基础科学问题，并为开发新的预防和治疗战略开辟新的途径。 公共卫生相关性：近年来，现代医疗实践、各种外科干预措施以及环境的变化导致了相当大一部分患者的免疫缺陷和/或对真菌疾病的易感性增加。新生隐球菌等酵母菌每年导致全球100多万例隐球菌病，约一半患有这种疾病的患者死亡。在第八届ICCC上对当前研究的讨论将确定需要解决的重要问题，以开发控制隐球菌病的新治疗策略。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests partial support for the 8th International Conference on Cryptococcus and Cryptococcosis (ICCC) to be held in Charleston, SC, USA, May 1-5, 2011. Cryptococcus neoformans is an environmental organism that has become a major threat to a growing number of immunocompromised patients in today's world. Recently, the CDC estimated more than 1 million new cases/year of cryptococcosis will occur worldwide in patients with AIDS, with more than half of those affected by cryptococcosis dying of the infection 8, 2, 14. Frighteningly, during the last few years, cryptococcosis has emerged in the Vancouver Island, Canada 7, 16 and Pacific Northwest of the US 1, 3, 4 as an important disease in immunocompetent subjects. These epidemiological data underscore the potential for this fungus to continue to emerge in unexpected geographic and clinical settings. The broad and long-term goal of this conference is to bring together the world's leading researchers in this rapidly expanding field to foster cross-disciplinary discussions, research, and clinical collaborations to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of pathogenicity of Cryptococcus and cryptococcosis. The specific aims of this meeting will be to convene leading experts whose expertise covers critical areas within this field, as well as early career and junior investigators, students, and postdocs. We anticipate hosting 250 participants for a 4 and 1/2 day conference. The program will be structured into 9 sessions covering the diverse properties and characteristics of the pathogen as well as host susceptibility and immunity, emphasizing what makes a normal host suddenly susceptible to this disease. Importantly, the Conference will provide ample coverage of current and novel therapeutic strategies and a special forum to address clinical issues related to diverse clinical backgrounds within which clinicians from around the world operate. Each oral session will consist of 5 talks: 3 talks (20 min) followed by a 5-min discussion by leaders in the field and 2 talks selected from the abstracts (10 min) with a 5-min discussion. Abstracts from junior investigators, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows will be included among those selected for oral presentation. The Conference will host 3 poster sessions which will permit all participants to actively contribute to these topics. There will be no concurrent sessions. Every effort will be made to encourage participation by graduate students and postdocs and we will see parity with respect to women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. Childcare will be provided as needed. Proceedings of the Conference will be published in Frontiers in Mycology. The 8th ICCC is significant because focuses on an important infectious disease afflicting both immunocompromised and immunocompetent people, bringing together members of the international research community who investigate cryptococcosis. The health relatedness of this application is immediate and translational: the discussions generated and potential new collaborations will define the important basic science questions as well as forge new avenues for the development of novel prevention and treatment strategies. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: In recent years, modern medical practices, a variety of surgical interventions, and the change of the environment have led to immune deficiencies and/or to an increased susceptibility to fungal disease in a significant proportion of the patient population. Yeasts such as Cryptococcus neoformans is responsible for more than one million annual cases of cryptococcosis worldwide and approximately half of the patients who suffer from this disease die. The discussions of current research at this 8th ICCC will define important questions that need to be addressed for the development of new therapeutic strategies for the control of cryptococcosis.