Medical Phycology

e-SYMPOSIUM

December 16th, 2024
2:00 to 5:30 pm (CEST)

Welcome message

Dear Colleagues,

It is my great pleasure to invite you to participate in the inaugural Medical Phycology Symposium, which will be held online on 16th December 2024.

Medical phycology is a nascent discipline pertaining to infections caused by pathogenic algae.

Algae comprise a large and heterogeneous ecological group, accommodating several phylogenetically distant evolutionary lineages. Because they do not belong among the classic etiological agents of disease (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa), algae have long been neglected and underappreciated as pathogens. However, a growing body of literature of infections in both humans and animals, has forced algae to be reconsidered among pathogens of public health and veterinary importance.

The most encountered group are algae of the Prototheca genus, which cause opportunistic infections (protothecosis) in humans and animals. Although this serious and often fatal infection is increasing in incidence, particularly among immunocompromised individuals, public health and clinical awareness of these unusual pathogens is extremely limited. They are rarely suspected and often misdiagnosed. Moreover, treatment of Prototheca infections can be challenging due to drug resistance.Medical Phycology extends also to other peculiar microorganisms, including those of the Helicosporidium, Pythium, and Lagenidium genera, whose obscure or intricate taxonomic position leaves them outside major branches of microbiology.

In the context of the growing importance of algae as potential human and animal pathogens, it is essential to bring up this issue to a wider audience. This also gives a further spur to the inception and development of medical phycology as a new research field.

The purpose of the Symposium is to introduce and promote this new field of science, but, most importantly, to provide a deeper insight and recognition to the biology and clinical relevance of algal infections or infections due to often neglected and orphan microbes.

The Medical Phycology Symposium is an opportunity to participate in the inaugural event on emerging algal pathogens in human and veterinary medicine.

The programme will be delivered by globally-recognized experts and research leaders working on pathogenic algae. Various aspects of these microorganisms will be addressed by the speakers, including taxonomy, molecular biology, and drug resistance.

Please, join us for this exceptional event.

signature

Tomasz Jagielski, PhD, DSc

Speakers

Sara Marques

Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute - University of Porto, Portugal

Patrizia Danesi

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Italy

Ilan Schwartz

Duke University School of Medicine, USA

Robin May

University of Birmingham, UK

Jayaseelan Murugaiyan

SRM University, India

Daniel Wibberg

Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany

Aurelien Tartar

Nova Southeastern University, USA

Nate Permpalung

Johns Hopkins University, USA

Tomasz Jagielski

University of Warsaw, Poland

Programme

14:00 – 17:30 (2:00 – 5:30 pm) CEST
  • 14:00
    14:05
    Welcome address
    Tomasz JAGIELSKI
    University of Warsaw, Poland
  • 14:05
    14:20
    Medical Phycology – introducing a new realm of microbiology
    Tomasz JAGIELSKI
    University of Warsaw, Poland
  • 14:20
    14:40
    Prototheca – a brief overview with an emphasis on drug resistance
    Sara MARQUES
    Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute - University of Porto, Portugal
  • 14:40
    15:00
    Clinical aspects of protothecosis in companion animals
    Patrizia DANESI
    Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Italy
  • 15:00
    15:20
    Clinical aspects of human protothecosis
    Ilan SCHWARTZ
    Duke University School of Medicine, USA
  • 15:20
    15:30
    BREAK
  • 15:30
    15:50
    Innate immune interactions during the pathogenesis of protothecosis
    Robin MAY
    University of Birmingham, UK
  • 15:50
    16:10
    Quantitative proteomics analysis of Prototheca spp.
    Jayaseelan MURUGAIYAN
    SRM University, India
  • 16:10
    16:30
    Demystifying the genus Prototheca: genomic and mitogenomic insights via bioinformatic analysis
    Daniel WIBBERG
    Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany
  • 16:30
    16:50
    Evolution and pathogenicity in pathogenic algae
    Aurelien TARTAR
    Nova Southeastern University, USA
  • 16:50
    17:10
    Understanding vascular pythiosis: current insights and treatment strategies
    Nate PERMPALUNG
    Johns Hopkins University, USA
  • 17:10
    17:30
    Closing remarks
    Tomasz JAGIELSKI
    University of Warsaw, Poland

Organizers

Uczestnikowi Sympozjum przysługują 4 punkty edukacyjne zgodnie z Rozporządzeniem Ministra Zdrowia z dnia 7 grudnia 2023 r. w sprawie ustawicznego rozwoju zawodowego diagnosty laboratoryjnego [Dz.U. 2023 poz. 2684].

Patronage

Scroll to Top