Symposium on the topic "Compartments in Infection"
At this year's LCI symposium "Compartments in Infection", the latest scientific findings on the role of niches in the body in infectious diseases were presented and discussed. The expertise of the three host institutes, the BNITM, the FZB and the LIV, was utilized and both parasitic, bacterial and viral infectious agents were addressed.
Over 150 participants gathered at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine on January 26-27, 2023 to learn about current developments in infectious disease research. In the four sessions Membrane modulations in infection, Non-membranous compartments in infection, Cytoskeletal processes in infection and Role of lysosome & phagosome in infection, a total of 17 renowned scientists presented current developments from their research. Each session was introduced with a keynote lecture:
Dr. Tobias Spielmann, head of the research group "Malaria Cell Biology" at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) reported on the critical function of the membrane surrounding the malaria parasite in the host cell, because "This membrane is the interface between the parasite and the host cell, through which the parasite transports proteins or gains nutrients. What's interesting to us is that drugs can also enter the parasite through this interface. This makes the pathogen vulnerable - an important finding for drug development," Spielmann explains.
Prof. Simon Alberti of the Technical University of Dresden spoke about biomolecular subunits at the interface between cellular stress, disease and aging.
Dr. Walter Mothes of Yale University, New Haven (USA), spoke on imaging techniques for spatial and temporal resolution of retrovirus and SARS-CoV-2 synthesis.
Dr. Maximilian Gutierrez of the Francis Crick Institute London (UK) explained how the host cell environment affects antibiotic efficacy in tuberculosis.
The LCI Symposium is organized annually by the Leibniz Center Infection, which was founded by the three Leibniz Institutes Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center and the Leibniz Institute of Virology.
