BioMalPar XV: 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 15th 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. 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.

Session Topics

• Vector biology and transmission
• Immunology and vaccine development
• Development and differentiation 
• Cell and molecular biology
• Host-parasite interaction
• Drug development and resistance 
• Big data and new tools

Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Flaminia Catteruccia

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

USA

Stefan Kappe

Center for Infectious Disease Research

USA

Matthias Marti

University of Glasgow

UK

Thomas D. Otto

University of Glasgow

UK

Eleanor Riley

The University of Edinburgh

UK

Wai-Hong Tham

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Australia

Leann Tilley

The University of Melbourne

Australia

Scientific Organisers

Richárd Bártfai

Radboud University

he Netherlands

Lyn-Marie Birkholtz

University of Pretoria

South Africa

Kirk Deitsch

Weill Cornell Medical College

USA

Marion Pepper

University of Washington

USA

Conference Organisers

George Luca-Ruse

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Programme