The program will be updated in 2025

May 17

3:00 to 6:30 p.m. Check-in (Front Desk-Professional Development Building)

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Registration

(On your own for dinner)

Session 1 - Emerging Pathogens: SARS-CoV2

Chair: Craig Jenne (University of Calgary)

6:30 to 6:40 p.m. Opening remarks

6:40 to 7:30 p.m. David Evans (University of Alberta)

- Lessons learned from a foray into the world of Coronaviruses

7:30 to 7:40 p.m. Questions

7:40 to 8:10 p.m. Alyson Kelvin (Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization)

- I had a cold last year, will I get COVID-19 this year?

8:10 to 8:15 p.m. Questions

8:15 to 8:45 p.m. Mariya Goncheva (University of Victoria)

- Bacterial co-infection enhances the replication of SARS CoV-2

8:45 to 8:50 p.m. Questions

9:00 p.m. Opening reception

After Hours: Meet the speaker Maclab Bistro (Kinnear Centre room KC301)

May 18

7:00 to 8:20 a.m. Breakfast (Sally Borden Building)

Session 2 - Unravelling the host pathogen interface

Chair: Johnathan Canton (University of Calgary)

8:30 to 9:00 a.m. Nargis Kahn (University of Calgary)

- An emerging host defence mechanism against infection

9:00 to 9:10 a.m. Questions

9:10 to 9:40 a.m. Albert Descoteaux (Laval/INRS)

- Leishmania and the modulation of host cell organelle properties

9:40 to 9:50 a.m. Questions

9:50 to 10:10 a.m. COFFEE BREAK

10:10 to 10:40 a.m. John Brumell (University of Toronto)

- Salmonella effector SopD promotes scission of the plasma membrane by inhibiting RAB10

10:40 to 10:50 a.m. Questions

10:50 to 11:20 a.m. Catharine (Katy) Bosio (NIH/RML)

- Metabolic Mayhem: Mapping Host Metabolic Responses in Respiratory Infection

11:20 to 11:30 a.m. Questions

11:30 to 11:45 a.m. Trainee talk: Blake Shannon (Western University)

- Streptolysin S mediates Streptococcus pyogenes nasopharyngeal infection by promoting damage to nasal epithelia

11:45 to 11:50 a.m. Questions

12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Lunch (Sally Borden Building)

1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Poster session 1

2:30 to 7:00 p.m. On your own for recreation and dinner

Session 3 Host-Pathogen Genomics/Transcriptomics

Chair: James Wasmuth (University of Calgary)

7:00 to 7:30 p.m. Johann Pitout (University of Calgary)

- Pandemic MDR High-Risk Clones: Great ExPECtations

7:30 to 7:35 p.m. Questions

7:35 to 8:05 p.m. Joana Carneiro Da Silva (University of Maryland)

- Identification of parasite targets of whole organism vaccine-induced protection, using
population genomics

8:05 to 8:10 p.m. Questions

8:10 to 8:30 p.m. COFFEE BREAK (20 minutes)

8:30 to 9:00 p.m. Laura Sycuro (University of Calgary)

- Novel proteases of vaginal microbiome: agents of mimicry, dysregulation, and increased infection

9:00 to 9:05 p.m. Questions

9:05 to 9:20 p.m. Trainee Talk: Stephanie Bishop (University of Calgary)

- Metabolic adaptations contributing to antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

9:20 to 9:25 p.m. Questions

After Hours: Meet the Speaker - Maclab Bistro (Kinnear Centre)

May 19

7:00 to 8:20 a.m. Breakfast

Session 4 - Infection at the Mucosal Surface

Chair: Wael Elhenawy (Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta)

8:30 to 9:00 a.m. Kathy McCoy (University of Calgary)

- Microbial Regulation of Mucosal Immunity

9:00 to 9:10 a.m. Questions

9:10 to 9:40 a.m. Dana Philpot (University of Toronto)

- The effects of NOD2 on host adaptive immune responses to viral infection

9:40 to 9:50 a.m. Questions

9:50 to 10:10 a.m. COFFEE BREAK

10:10 to 10:40 a.m. Christine Szymanski (University of Georgia)

- Sink or swim: Campylobacter survival on mucosal surfaces

10:40 to 10:50 a.m. Questions

10:50 to 11:20 a.m. Markus Geuking (University of Calgary)

- Regulation of Anti-viral T cell Responses by Gut Microbial Mimicry of a Viral Epitope

11:20 to 11:30 a.m. Questions

11:30 to 11:45 a.m. Trainee talk: Karen Lithgow (University of Calgary)

- Mechanisms of Lactobacillus Dominance and Pathogen Exclusion in the Cervicovaginal Niche

11:45 to 11:50 a.m. Questions

12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Lunch (Sally Borden Building)

1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Poster session II

2:30 to 7:00 p.m. On your own for recreation and dinner

Session 5 - Pathogen manipulation of host defense

Chair: Bas Surewaard (University of Calgary)

7:00 to 7:30 p.m. Yves Brun (UMontreal)

- Antimicrobial discovery by artificial intelligence-driven high-throughput microscopy

7:30 to 7:35 p.m. Questions

7:35 to 8:05 p.m. John Whitney (McMaster University)

- New insights into toxin export by Gram-positive bacteria

8:05 to 8:10 p.m. Questions

8:10 to 8:30 p.m. COFFEE BREAK

8:30 to 9:00 p.m. Lisa Reynolds (University of Victoria)

- Small intestinal helminth infection perturbs bile acid homeostasis and disrupts intestinal bile acid signaling

9:00 to 9:05 p.m. Questions

9:05 to 9:20 p.m. Trainee Talk: Jessica Sheldon (University of Sasktatchewan)

- The role of histamine in iron acquisition by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

9:20 to 9:25 p.m. Questions

After Hours: Meet the Speaker - Maclab Bistro (Kinnear Centre)

May 20

7:00 to 8:20 a.m. Breakfast (Sally Borden Building)

Session 6 - Pathogen Drug Resistance and Alternative Anti-Microbial Strategies

Chair: Tony Schryvers (University of Calgary)

8:30 to 9:00 a.m. Joe Harrison (University of Calgary)

- Collateral selection for resistance to antibiotics of last resort by silver ions and nanomaterials

9:00 to 9:10 a.m. Questions

9:10 to 9:40 a.m. Donyang Niu (University of Calgary Veterinary Medicine)

- Use of novel bacteriophages in biocontrol of multi-drug resistant avian pathogenic Escherichia coli infection in laying hens

9:40 to 9:50 a.m. Questions

9:50 to 10:10am. COFFEE BREAK (20 minutes)

10:10 to 10:40 a.m. John Gilleard (University of Calgary Veterinary Medicine)

- Drug resistance in helminths: a neglected problem

10:40 to 10:50 a.m. Questions

10:50 to 11:20 a.m. Alex Ensminger (University of Toronto)

- The enemies of my enemy: Legionella biology as revealed by CRISPR-Cas

11:20 to 11:30 a.m. Questions

11:30 to 11:45 a.m. Trainee talk: Jamie Fagan (University of Toronto)

- Evaluating the ability of a surface lipoprotein to elicit protection against cattle infections by Pasteurella multocida

11:45 to 11:50 a.m. Questions

12:00 to 1:30 p.m. Lunch

Session 7 - Treatment and Diagnostic Approaches for Infectious Diseases

Chair: Dylan Pillai (University of Calgary)

1:30 to 2:00 p.m. *Updated* Christina Thornton (University of Calgary)

- The lung microbiome in suppurative lung disease: Not just hot air

2:00 to 2:05 p.m. Questions

2:05 to 2:35 p.m. Ian Lewis (University of Calgary, Biological Sciences)

- Calgary BSI Cohort: Insights from a 20-year multi-omics survey of bloodstream infections

2:35 to 2:40 p.m. Questions

2:40 to 3:00 p.m. COFFEE BREAK

3:00 to 3:30 p.m. Mark Gillrie (University of Calgary)

- COVID-19: Every dark cloud has a silver lining

3:30 to 3:35 p.m. Questions

3:35 to 3:55 p.m. Peter J Stogios (University of Toronto)

3:55 to 4:00 p.m. Questions

4:00-4:50 p.m. Break

4:50 to 6:00 p.m. William Paranchych Lecture: Dr. Brett Finlay (University of British Columbia)

  Chairs: Marie-Claire Arrieta and Rebekah Devinney

  4:50-5:00 p.m. Introduction

  5:00 to 5:50pm William Paranchych Lecture: Dr. Brett Finlay

  - From pili to Parkinson’s- the evolving story of host-microbe interactions

  5:50 to 6:00 p.m. Questions

6:00 to 6:30 p.m. Networking (KCCI 1^st floor Patio, Cash Bar)

6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Closing Banquet-Trainee Talk and Poster Prizes (Rm 101 Kinnear Centre)

May 21

7:00 to 9:30 a.m. Breakfast (Sally Borden Building)

11:00 a.m. Checkout