A 1 ECTS combined lecture course and experimental workshop on model systems for studying microbial infections will be organized via the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS) at Umeå University 22-25 August, 2016.

A series of lectures will describe and discuss the use of: C. elegans; zebrafish; chicken embryos; cell cultures, including organotypic models – organoids; mice; as well as in vivo imaging methodology, for studies of infections and host responses.

The experimental workshop will include laboratory work demonstrating the use of C. elegans, zebrafish and chicken embryos for studies of bacterial infections.

A maximum of 18 participants will be admitted for the complete course and experimental workshop. Additional participants may register for the lecture course only.

Registration deadline: 10 June, 2016.

Link to additional information and registration
(for both NDPIA and non-NDPIA members)

 Click on the collage for a lagrer picture.

The second network meeting of the National Doctoral Programme in Infections and Antibiotics (NDPIA) was held in Gothenburg 11-12 April on the theme “Microbiota in Health and Disease”. The meeting started off with an introduction to NDPIA and international partners from Norway (Norwegian Research School in Infection Biology and Antimicrobials, IBA) and Germany (Helmholtz Center for Infection Research as well as the International Leibniz Research School). Participants got to know each other via an early speed-dating session and could engage in deeper scientific discussions at the two poster sessions and via additional networking opportunities during the meeting. There were also short presentations by nine NDPIA programme participants (selected from submitted abstracts) in addition to four lectures focusing on microbiota by invited speakers. The final session was dedicated to input from NDPIA participants regarding follow-up of the meeting, suggestions for future activities to be organized by/with support from NDPIA and with respect to further networking among NDPIA participants.

Three poster awards of 5 000 SEK each, to be used for participation in a national/international conference or for a research visit, were presented to the PhD students Johan Bengtsson-Palme (Dept. of Infectious Diseases at University of Gothenburg) and Malin Alsved (Dept. of Design Sciences at Lund University) and to Dr. Marius Linkevicius (Dept. of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology at Uppsala University) – congratulations!

The meeting was appreciated both for its lectures/presentations and network opportunities. In particular the speed dating, where each and everyone got the chance to initiate contacts with all the other participants during a two hour session, was highlighted during this second network meeting of NDPIA.

The local hosts Ingrid Bölin and Carl-Fredrik Flach at the University of Gothenburg are greatly acknowledged for organizing the successful meeting!

Link to programme with presentations

Link to take home message about “explainartist” – how to share knowledge creatively, described by PhD student Ajibola Omokanye, University of Gothenburg (www.explainartist.org).

The 1 ECTS NDPIA course “Protein structure and drug design” focusing on the use of structural information and computational chemistry in drug design was held 18-19 January 2016 at Lund University. The course was organised by Salam Al-Karadaghi, Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Centre for Molecular Protein Science (CMPS). The overall feed-back of the course was very positive and next year a slightly modified version of the course will be held. Information about this will be provided as soon as posible.

At the course in January, participants were provided with an introduction to the use of structure-based drug design followed by hands-on exercise on the use of graphics program to analyse protein-ligand interactions. The case of COX-1/COX-2 inhibitor design was presented as an example of how structural information can be used in the design of specific inhibitors. This was followed by a lecture on the structural basis of protein synthesis and antibiotics action in inhibition of protein synthesis. Practical exercises where followed by a tutorial on the overall principles of ligand docking and the use of Internet-based tools for protein docking and screening.

Useful links:
General information on protein structures: www.proteinstructures.com
Software for download of SwissPDB viewer and tutorial: http://spdbv.vital-it.ch/.