BioMalPar XIV: Biology and Pathology of the Malaria Parasite

Overview

Conference Overview

Malaria remains one of the most significant global public health challenges, with more than 300 million clinical cases worldwide each year. The lack of an effective licensed vaccine and the continual emergence of drug-resistant malaria parasites make the search for new control and prevention strategies more important than ever. Malaria research is a highly collaborative field that depends on the contribution of unique resources, technologies and biological advances. Accessible and timely sharing of these advances through the establishment of new collaborations is vital for their translation into public health impact.

This conference will address fundamental questions of the biology of the malaria parasite, its vector, the (immune) response of the host and the disease that it causes, and will showcase the latest technological approaches. The use of “big data” and computational approaches to tackle fundamental biological questions will be assessed. This will be the 14th BioMalPar conference at EMBL Heidelberg. The conference series has built on the success of the EU funded Networks of Excellence EviMalaR and BioMalPar and, for more than a decade, has brought together malaria researchers from Europe with their colleagues and collaborators from around the world, to present and share recent ground-breaking findings on fundamental malaria research in an integrated and highly collaborative environment.

Session Topics

• Immunobiology and pathophysiology
• Parasite molecular and cell biology
• Vector parasite interactions
• Computational and systems biology 

Who should attend?

The conference is of interest to all academics researching malaria and addresses fundamental questions on the biology of Plasmodium parasites. In keeping with the traditions of BioMalPar and EviMalaR, with emphasis on training and networking, the meeting will focus on allowing speaking opportunities for early stage researchers. Interactions with international leaders will be encouraged through two dynamic poster sessions, “meet the investigator” discussion panels and numerous networking opportunities, to foster the development of new collaborations worldwide.

Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Freddy Frischknecht

Heidelberg University Hospital

Germany

Dennis Kyle,

University of Georgia

USA

Maria Mota

Institute of Molecular Medicine

Portugal

Daniel Neafsey

Broad Institute

USA

Michel Nussenzweig

The Rockefeller University

USA

Nina Papavasiliou

German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Germany

Boris Striepen

University of Pennsylvania

USA

Scientific Organisers

Stephanie Blandin

Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMC)

France

Matthias Marti

University of Glasgow

UK

Tobias Spielmann

Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine

Germany

Hedda Wardemann

German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Germany

Conference Organisers

George Luca-Ruse

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Programme