We are thrilled to announce the new funding period of the National Programme in Infections and Antimicrobials (NDPIA) at Umeå University!
In collaboration with the National Doctoral Programme in Virus Infections and Pandemics (NDP-VIP), these programs, funded by the Swedish Research Council (VR) with 8 million SEK over four years, will offer advanced courses and practical workshops to researchers across Sweden.
Together, we aim to foster a collaborative environment, connecting research efforts from leading universities and focusing on all aspects of infection biology. By hosting these programs, Umeå University strengthens its role in preparing Sweden for future pandemics and infection threats.
From left: Louise Lindbäck, project coordinator, Annasara Lenman, national director, Fredrik Almqvist, Director of Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, UCMR, and Marta Bally, UCMR. Image: Anna Shevtsova.
We are pleased to offer our members the Fundamentals of Basic and Applied Phage Biology course at Lund University from May 12-16. This course provides a comprehensive theoretical overview and practical skills in phage biology, enabling participants to integrate phage techniques into their research.
Practicals: Include phage isolation, titre determination, infectivity assays, and mutant selection.
Expected Learning Outcomes: Participants will gain knowledge in phage diversity, ecological roles, molecular mechanisms of phage-bacteria interactions, and applications in treating antibiotic-resistant pathogens. They will also acquire essential laboratory techniques for phage research.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your research skills!
NDPIA is happy to announce another year of full access to the Nature Masterclasses On-demand platform!
The Nature Masterclasses online courses are specifically designed to be used on demand and at your rhythm. They are bite-sized (10–20-minute lessons) so you can dip in and out during natural gaps in your work.
Full NDPIA members are eligible to apply for a personal code that will give you access to all courses on the Nature Masterclasses on-demand platform.
Your access to the courses will start on 11 November, 2024 and be valid until 10 November, 2025.
During the week of 7-11 October 2024, NDPIA organized its third course on microbiota and health that was held at Stora Brännbo in Sigtuna. As previous years, this course introduced the field of microbiomes with a focus on how microbiota affect the health of a host.
Group photo of the participants and organizers of Microbiota and Health 2024. The photo was taken by personnel at Stora Brännbo.
“This course exceeded my expectations. I was astonished by the thorough literature analysis performed by the lecturers to pinpoint the most essential information.”
-Anonymous participant
Seventeen national and international experts in the microbiome field, including Christine Moissl-Eichinger (Medical University Graz), Fredrik Bäckhed (University of Gothenburg), and Reetta Satokari (University of Helsinki) presented lectures and held engaged discussions on their topics. Areas covered include microbiota associated with the human gut, genitourinary tract, and mouth, interactions of the microbiota with the immune system, mucins and drugs and present-day trends on modifying the microbiota.
Lecture on “Introduction to microbiomes”, given by Björn Schröder, docent at Umeå University. Photo: Louise Lindbäck.Lecture on “Vaginal microbiome and women’s health”, given by Juan Du, associate professor at Karolinska Institute. Photo: Louise Lindbäck.
The Microbiota and Health course of 2024 offered a new segment in the schedule as two workshop sessions on microbiome data analysis were included.These were led by Luisa Hugerth, assistant professor at Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, and covered the topic on how to retrieve, annotate, and analyse metabarcoding data in R.
Workshop session on microbiome data analysis given by Luisa Hugerth, assistant professor at Uppsala University. Photo: Louise Lindbäck.
In addition to the lectures, course participants had the opportunity to present and discuss their own research with participants and lecturers during poster sessions and free time. As always during a NDPIA course, plenty of time was also dedicated to social activities to promote interactions and networking.
Students were presenting and discussing their work during poster sessions. Photo: Louise Lindbäck.Students and lecturers participating in a social activity playing Gut Check: The Microbiome game. Photo: Louise Lindbäck.Students and lecturers participating in a social activity playing Gut Check: The Microbiome game. Photo: Louise Lindbäck.
“The main strengths of the course I would say is the broad range of topics the different speakers covered. I learned a lot, perhaps the most, from the speakers that were in a different field than my own. Not only things that are just interesting, but also things I think I can apply in my own projects. The fact that the speakers were some of the top ones in their own field is also a major strength.”
