This conference will feature discussions on computational biology and bioinformatics, technology development, and the use of systems-level approaches in a wide range of infectious disease applications. We will highlight research aimed at understanding, treating, and preventing conditions such as AIDS, respiratory infections, and tuberculosis. We will also feature presentations on the identification of emerging pathogens, the role of host genetics in determining disease outcome, and the promises of personalized care. Our goal is to provide a unique opportunity for a multidisciplinary group of investigators to learn from each other, discuss how to exploit new resources and technologies, and decide where to focus future research and development efforts. The conference will also provide abundant opportunities for networking and for establishing new collaborations. To encourage interactions between attendees and with corporate sponsors, we will cap registration at 150 attendees. Attendance is open to all interested individuals, and registrations will be processed on a first-come basis. The conference will be held at the Orin Smith Conference Center located on the South Lake Union campus of the University of Washington. To encourage attendance by young scientists, we will make available a total of 10 travel awards to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Gender and minority representation, as well as scientific expertise and merit, have been considered during the process of choosing members of committees and speakers for the conference. Information regarding family care services will be posted on the conference website and will be included with the registration materials provided to attendees. The scientific program will consist of five oral sessions and a poster session. Oral sessions will include presentations by invited speakers and additional speakers chosen from submitted abstracts. At the end of selected sessions, there will be a round-table discussion to promote exchanges between presenters and conference participants and to focus on important or controversial issues that relate to themes in the respective session. Ongoing advances in genome science, technology, and computation create a rapidly changing research environment that makes this conference timely, significant, and exciting. Our goal is to facilitate the exchang of information in this rapidly growing field and to help define future directions for incorporating systems biology approaches into translational and infectious disease research.
This conference will bring together a diverse group of scientists with expertise in infectious disease research, mathematics, computer science, and technology development. The goal is to discuss ways in which new technologies and computational approaches that provide global views of the response to infection can be used to better understand how microbes cause disease and to develop new patient-directed therapies to fight diseases such as AIDS, pandemic influenza, and newly emerging infectious diseases.
| Aderem, Alan; Adkins, Joshua N; Ansong, Charles et al. (2011) A systems biology approach to infectious disease research: innovating the pathogen-host research paradigm. MBio 2:e00325-10 |
