Monday 7 July 2008

Chair: Associate Professor Keryn Christiansen, President Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM);

Department of Microbiology, Royal Perth Hospital WA

Oration: 7.30pm – 8.30pm | John Batman Theatre, Melbourne Convention Centre

Supper: 8.30pm – 10.30pm | Bellarine Rooms 6 & 7 (Lvl 4), Melbourne Convention Centre

Professor Alan Cowman Head, Division of Infection and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research VIC NHMRC Australia Fellow Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science Editor of Molecular Microbiology

Presentation Title

An Old Enemy, a New Battle Plan: Combating the Global Scourge of Malaria in the Genomic Era

Professor Cowman's laboratory is at the forefront of the global research effort into the world’s most devastating human parasitic disease – malaria – and its causative agent Plasmodium falciparum. Malaria results in the death of at least two million people each year, mostly children, additionally it places a huge economic burden on countries where this disease is endemic.

His work has lead to an understanding of the parasite’s ability to evade the lethal effects of antimalarial drugs; the strategies it uses to hide from the human immune system, and the mechanism by which it can invade and remodel the human red blood cell. This has had important implications not only for monitoring the spread and detection of drug resistant parasites but also the identification of new vaccine candidates.

An elegant buffet substantial supper featuring fine food, wine & entertainment will follow the Rubbo Oration.

Admission

Admission includes the Rubbo Oration and all food & beverages served at the Supper.

• Included for Full Registration only
• Additional Tickets - $70  click here to order your ticket

The Rubbo Oration is made possible with the support of the Rubbo Trust - University of Melbourne

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Sunday 6 July 2008

Opening Session Starts: 6.00pm | John Batman Theatre, Melbourne Convention Centre

Laureate Professor Peter C Doherty Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC Michael F. Tamer Chair of Biomedical Research, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee

Professor Doherty shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 with Swiss colleague Rolf Zinkernagel, for their discovery of how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells.  He was Australian of the Year in 1997, and has since been commuting between St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne.  His research is mainly in the area of defence against viruses.  He regularly devotes time to delivering public lectures, writing articles for newspapers and magazines and participating in radio discussions.

Peter Doherty graduated from the University of Queensland in Veterinary Science and became a veterinary officer.  Moving to Scotland, he received his PhD from the University of Edinburgh Medical School.  He is the first person with a veterinary qualification to win a Nobel Prize.

Website http://www.microbiol.unimelb.edu.au/people/doherty

Admission

• For Registered Conference Delegates: Includes the ASM Awards Ceremony and the Opening Plenary Address in the John Batman Theatre and the Welcome Reception in the Exhibition Hall, plus all food & beverages served at the Welcome Reception
   
• For Non-Conference Delegates: There is free admission to the sessions in the John Batman Theatre on Sunday 6 July, which include the ASM Awards Ceremony and
  Professor Doherty's presentation.
  This does not include admission to the Welcome Reception that will follow Professor Doherty's presentation - tickets for the Welcome Reception can be purchased from the conference organisers either in advance or on the night from the Registration Desk.
  
  Welcome Reception Tickets - $50  click here to order your ticket in advance

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Monday 7 July 2008

8.30am – 9.10am | John Batman Theatre, Melbourne Convention Centre

Myron M. Levine, M.D., D.T.P.H. University of Maryland School of Medicine Grollman Distinguished Professor of Medicine Head, Division of Geographic Medicine Director, Center for Vaccine Development Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Department Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine

Presentation Title

Salmonella enterica: My enemy, my friend...
 

Mike received his M.D. from the Medical College of Virginia and his D.T.P.H. from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has received numerous awards including the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal for lifetime achievement in vaccine development.

He is one of the most vocal advocates of mucosal immunization, i.e., the administration of vaccines by oral and intranasal routes to avoid the unpleasantness and occasional dangers of parenteral injections.  He has made substantial contributions in basic vaccinology and clinical research.  In recent years, his basic laboratory research has focused on the use of attenuated Salmonella typhi as live oral typhoid vaccines and as live vector vaccines that express the protective antigens of unrelated pathogens and deliver them to the human immune system.  His clinical research has involved studies of pathogenesis and the assessment of a variety of vaccines in adults and children in Baltimore, as well as in many developing countries. 

Website http://medschool.umaryland.edu/CVD

Admission

Conference registration required

Included with Full Registration & Monday Day Registration

The Bazeley Oration honours Dr Val Bazeley's significant contribution to Australian Microbiology, in particular his work on the development of the penicillin and polio vaccines and is made possible with the support of CSL Ltd

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Tuesday 8 July 2008

Session Chair: Dr Andrew Holmes, Recipient of the ASM 2006 Frank Fenner Award;

Senior Lecturer, School of Molecular & Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney NSW

8.30am – 9.15am | La Trobe Theatre, Melbourne Convention Centre

Professor Brett A. Neilan BAppSc PhD MASM Professorial Fellow of the Australian Research Council School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences University of New South Wales, Sydney   Presentation Title The Genetics of Natural Product Biosynthesis: Lessons from Toxic Cyanobacteria

Brett is head of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Cyanobacteria Research Laboratory

and co-director of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology. He received a PhD in 1995 from

UNSW and has held Postdoctoral positions at Stanford (NASA Fellow) and Humboldt University Berlin

(Alexander von Humboldt Fellow).  Since 1998 he has been a Fellow of the Australian Research Council at UNSW.

He is considered to be one of the world's leaders in the genetics of toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). The results of his basic research and his other work on the evolution of cyanobacteria has revolutionised an entire field of environmental science. He is also engaged in “molecular bioprospecting”, which has led him to study the secondary metabolism of microorganisms from unique environments, such as Antarctica and the hypersaline coasts of Shark Bay in Western Australia. He has been awarded the Australian Academy of Science Fenner Medal in 2004 and the Eureka Prize for Scientific Research in 2001 and 2005.

Brett is the recipient of the prestigious ASM 2007 Frank Fenner Award and will deliver the 2008 ASM Fenner Lecture.

Admission

Conference registration required

Included with Full Registration & Tuesday Day Registration

The ASM Frank Fenner Award honours Professor Frank Fenner's significant contribution to Australian microbiology and is offered by the Australian Society for Microbiology to recognise distinguished contributions in an area of Australian research in microbiology by scientists in the formative stage of their career.   Applications are now being considered for the ASM 2008 Frank Fenner Award - click here for Award criteria and how to apply.

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Monday 7 July 2008

10.30am - 10.45am | John Batman Theatre, Melbourne Convention Centre

Chair: Professor Julian Rood, Immediate Past President, Australian Society for Microbiology; Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton VIC

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Monday 7 July 2008

10.45am – 12.15pm | John Batman Theatre, Melbourne Convention Centre

Session Chair: Cheryl Power, Convenor, ASM Education Special Interest Group;

Department of Microbiology, University of Melbourne

The student winners of the 2008 ASM BD Student Awards from participating ASM State Branches will each give a 15 minute oral presentation on their winning submissions.  Click here for information on how to apply for the 2008 ASM BD Student Awards.

The ASM BD Awards are made possible with the support of BD

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Monday 7 July 2008

12.15pm – 12.30pm | John Batman Theatre, Melbourne Convention Centre

A recent agreement between the American and Australian Societies for Microbiology will see a student exchange to present at each respective annual scientific meeting.

Nicole Garneau Graduate Student from the Colorado State University (Dept of Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology) Fort Collins USA will give an oral presentation on her abstract entitled:

Host Species-Specific Decay of Sindbis Viral RNAs

ASM Millis-Colwell Postgraduate Travel Award is made possible with the combined support of the American and Australian Societies for Microbiology

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Tuesday 8 July 2008

6.30pm - 8.00pm | La Trobe Theatre (Level 2), Melbourne Convention Centre

News from the Hospitals is an ASM Victorian Branch institution that has been a star event on the microbiological community’s calendar for over 30 years and now it comes to the Melbourne conference for national and international delegates to enjoy.  Delegates can anticipate an evening of fascinating and challenging clinical cases from Melbourne hospitals – for all those with an interest in Clinical Microbiology, this will be a fantastic event!

Proposed Program

Session Chair: Denis Spelman
Head of Microbiology and Deputy Director of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne VIC

A case of Polio in Melbourne, and the Public Health Issues

Speakers: Andrew Stewardson (Austin Health) & Rosemary Lester (DHS)

Culture negative endocarditis

Speakers: Samar Ojaimi & Richard Sreitberg (Monash Medical Centre, Southern Health)

Gastrointestinal Leishmaniasis in a Patient with Advanced HIV

Speaker: Samuel C Hume (Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital)

Opportunity to attend the Trade Night social and networking function that will be held in the Exhibition Hall immediately before the News from the Hospitals function.

Admission  

• This function is open to the wider community - RSVP Required

Download Order Form to RSVP for News from the Hospitals