Friday, December 1, 2023
12/1/2023
Project Summary Fungal infections affect more than a billion people each year, of which 150 million cases are severe or life- threatening infections that result in 1.7 million deaths. Candida species are the major cause of life- threatening fungal disease in nosocomial settings, and cause a wide variety of diseases from oral and vaginal candidiasis to bloodstream candidemia. Research into Candida biology addresses a broad spectrum of topics relating to epidemiology, drug resistance, host response, and therapeutics. The Candida and Candidiasis Conference has been held every two to three years since 1987. This conference is the premier forum for the Candida community to assemble and to discuss the latest research in all areas of Candida biology, including emerging species of concern such as the multidrug resistant species Candida auris. Funds are requested for support towards for the 2023 Candida and Candidiasis conference to be held May 13-17 at the Le Centre Sheraton hotel in Montreal, Canada. This meeting will be run with the support of the Microbiological Society who are experienced with the organizing of scientific conferences. It is envisaged that 300-350 U.S. and international scientists will attend this meeting in person, and the conference has received enthusiastic support from the community and from past surveys of participants. The 2023 iteration of the conference is particularly important given that the 2020 conference was cancelled and held remotely (only) in 2021. The Program includes 8 main sessions with 6 speakers in each, as well as 3 parallel sessions and 2 elevator sessions. These sessions are designed to provide as much opportunity as possible for junior investigators (students, postdocs and junior professors) to give oral presentations to the community. At least 60 of the talks for the main and parallel sessions will be selected based on submitted abstracts. Elevator sessions will allow a further 37 junior scientists to summarize their research in short talks on the main stage. There will also be three poster sessions will allow discussion of the expected 200-300 posters. The main talks will also be recorded and made available online for those unable to attend the conference in person, which will expand the accessibility of the meeting worldwide. Clinical sessions are also a key part of the meeting as the conference seeks to foster interactions between basic and translational researchers. These sessions will bring the community up to speed in the challenges of diagnosing and treating Candida infections in nosocomial settings. The Candida and Candidiasis meeting has a strong track record of inclusion, with 50% of the session chairs being female while we also encourage and support attendance from underrepresented minorities. We are confident that the conference will promote synergistic and interdisciplinary interactions between all members of the research community, and will drive research into Candida biology and help develop new therapeutic approaches.
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