Preliminary schedule

A limited number of spots are available and full members will have priority over associate members. Register today to save a spot, submit abstract by August 8. NOTE: A poster presentation abstract is mandatory to attend the course. Download the required abstract template here.

Course summary

• Suggested ECTS credit: 2.0 ECTS (this must be discussed with your home university)
• Level: PhD-course or postdocs
• Language: English

Microbiota are diverse microbial communities associated with multicellular organisms. These communities of microbes and their genomes, the microbiome, affect physiological processes of the host. Understanding how the microbiota interact with the host is critical for understanding the host biology and host susceptibility to infectious and chronic diseases and responses to drugs. Alterations of the normal host microbiomes are associated with immune dysfunction and chronic diseases, such as gut inflammatory diseases, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic conditions linked to neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory illnesses.

This course gives an overview of human microbiomes in health and disease and discusses methods for microbiome studies and data analysis. In particular, the course lectures discuss the microbiota associated with the human gut, genitourinary tract and mouth as well as how these microbial interactions shape the human body. The role of microbiome perturbations in host immune dysfunction and chronic diseases and possibilities for microbiome-based therapy are discussed.

In addition, two workshops are given that focus on retrieving, annotating and analysing metabarcoding data in R.

Topics covered:

• microbiome data analyses
• microbiota associated with gut, genitourinary tract, and mouth
• host-associated Archaeome
• effects of diet and age on the microbiome
• microbiota interactions with drugs
• trends for modifying the microbiota
• human virome
• gut microbiota-brain axis and
• collaboration/competition in host microbiomes

Participants will also have an opportunity to

• discuss their research with colleagues
• build their national and international scientific network
• discuss at the end of the lectures with experts working within microbiota research

Costs and Co-funding for Travel

Course registration, accommodations, and travel costs are free of charge for full members who participate in all activities. Associate members can attend the course free of charge, but need to cover their own travel and accommodation costs (9 000 SEK).

Please do not make any travel arrangements before receiving confirmation of admittance. Before booking your travel, you should read the NDPIA guidelines for co-funding of travel costs.

In Case of Oversubscription

If the course is oversubscribed, PhD students are prioritized. Priority will also be given to applicants in relation to how relevant the course is for their research project. We also aim for an even distribution of participants from different research groups and universities.

Cancellation Policy

NOTE: The registration for this course is binding, and you are required to join the full five days. Cancellation of participation is free of charge until August 8. However, from August 9 a cancellation fee of 9 000 SEK (cost for the full board at the conference center) will be applied.

Upon application/registration, please have your supervisor sign this letter confirming that your supervisor is aware of your participation and cancellation fee. Upload the signed letter when registering below. If the course vacancy can be filled from a back-up list, the cancellation fee may be waived.

Contact debra.l.milton@umu.se or louise.lindback@umu.se for questions.

Bookings