Molecular and Cellular Biology of Helminth Parasites

~New Technologies, New Opportunities~

12-17 September 2008

Bratsera Hotel, Hydra, Greece

Completion of the genome sequence for a number of helminth parasites and development of tools for their genetic manipulation is ushering in a new era of research on these organisms and the diseases they cause. In addition, the ability of helminths to manipulate host immune responses is attracting interest in diverse areas of biomedical science. The Conference on Molecular and Cellular Biology of Helminth Parasites will be the fifth in a highly successful series which first started in Edinburgh in 1997, and moved to the island of Hydra, Greece in 2002. All major areas of helminth research are included, in 12 thematic sessions. An important feature of this meeting, sponsored by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, will be the introduction of investigators from worm model systems such as C. elegans to the major problems and questions to be solved in helminth parasitology, with the aim of bringing new blood and fresh perspectives into the field.

A key feature of the Hydra venue is the Bratsera Hotel which will host the scientific sessions, and its quiet, traffic-free town with ample facilities for informal interactions between delegates. A wide range of accommodation is available within 5-10 minutes walk of the conference venue, including pensions for those on a tight budget. Attendance is limited to 100 people, consistent with a discussion-orientated meeting in which every participant presents either a plenary talk or in a small poster session, and thus early registration is encouraged. As for previous conferences, we have invited a restricted number of selected speakers to give keynote talks across the range of themes.

In addition to a large number of presentations from submitted abstracts, the following Invited Speakers will be participating in the Conference:

Invited speakers

Keynote
Paul Sternberg, California Institute of Technology

Klaus Brehm, University of Würzburg
Jonathan Ewbank, Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy
James Lok, University of Pennsylvania
Alan Scott, Johns Hopkins University
Charles Shoemaker, Tufts University
Nektarios Tavernarakis, Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology - Heraklion
 

Conference Fee (includes refreshments and receptions): €400,  £300 or $585

Choice of Hotel Accommodation, ranging upwards from €60 per double room per night (payable direct to the hotel).
If you would like to stay at the Bratsera, please contact Louisa Dowling to avoid confusion, dowling@vet.upenn.edu, as we have made a block booking for invited speakers.  Kindly submit your registration form before making any hotel arrangements as we may have to limit participation per lab.

Delegates should plan to arrive in Athens before 15.30 on Friday 12 September, taking a hydrofoil from Piraeus. Delegates leave Hydra on the morning of Wednesday September 17th.

Organizing Committee                                   

Kleoniki Gounaris, Imperial College London             
Rick Maizels, University of Edinburgh                
Edward Pearce, University of Pennsylvania
Murray Selkirk, Imperial College London

                    
Conference Administrator:

Louisa Dowling
MCBHP Administrator 
University of Pennsylvania, Department of Pathobiology
380 South University Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4539
USA

Tele: 215-898-7898; Fax: 215-746-2294
dowling@vet.upenn.edu

Funding support by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund

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