idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Jena, 02 March 2006 - Three weeks prior to the start of the annual conference of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM), more than 1000 participants have registered, thus setting a new record of the number of participants. This most important annual event for the German microbiologists will be held from 19th to 22nd March on the campus of the Friedrich -Schiller-University in Jena. For the first time since 1993, an eastern German city is hosting this event, where microbiologists can exchange ideas and experiences in their related fields.
This annual conference will focus on issues from many microbiological branches. Scientists from 16 countries, among them internationally renowned colleagues, will be discussing current aspects of microbiology in more than 200 lectures and sessions.
The topic of microbiology is of great relevance at the present time. A drastic increase of resistant viruses has been reported on a global scale. Bacteria and fungi are the cause of diseases that are difficult to be treated through therapeutic measures. In 2005, the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded for the discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is the main cause of stomach ulcers and inflammations. On the other hand, only 3 - 5 % of all microorganisms are known today. They represent a future source for the development of important new agents, including antibiotics, medications against cancer and medications for lowering cholesterol.
Microorganisms have created the basis for all life. "At the upcoming convention in Jena, both the immense biotechnological potential as well as the competition between human beings and microorganisms will be the main focus", said convention president Prof. Dr. Axel Brakhage, chair of the Institute for Microbiology and Molecular Biology at the University of Jena and director of the Hans Knoell Institute.
The accompanying exhibition with awards ceremony will include approximately 600 "poster presentations". According to the tradition, the VAAM PhD Awards will also be presented. About 45 companies will be participating in the exhibition as sponsors and exhibitors.
Jena has been an internationally renowned venue for events in the field of microbiology. Since the 1950s, the city has had a tradition of research in the fields of microbiology and natural materials. At present, the city is internationally renowned in these fields of research. Scientists from Jena have won one of the Thuringian research awards in the field of microbiology every year since 1995.
Nowadays, scientists work in several different branches of microbiology and biotechnology at various research institutions in Jena, including the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knoell Institute (HKI), various institutes at the University of Jena, the University of Applied Sciences, the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology as well as the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry. Furthermore, a cluster of biotech companies operating on a global scale, has been developing in Jena.
The Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knoell Institute (HKI) and the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena are hosting the event.
About the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knoell Institute (HKI)
The former Central Institute for Microbiology and Experimental Therapy (ZIMET) was one of the largest bioscientific research centers in the GDR. Thanks to the Hans Knoell Institute for Natural Product Research, the tradition of the microbiological natural product research continued in Jena beginning in 1992. This tradition had started 50 years ago with the development of a method of production for penicillin by Prof. Dr. Hans Knoell. The institute was renamed the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knoell Institute (HKI), in 2005, with Prof. Dr. Axel A. Brakhage holding the position of scientific director of the institute.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Michael Ramm
Scientific Organisation
Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology
- Hans Knoell Institute -
Beutenbergstr. 11a
D-07745 Jena , Germany
Tel: +49 (0)3641 656642
Fax: +49 (0)3641 656620
Email: michael.ramm@hki-jena.de
High resolution graphical materials as well as photos are available at:
http://www.presse.hki-jena.de
http://www.conventus.de/vaam General information
Criteria of this press release:
Biology, Chemistry, Information technology
transregional, national
Miscellaneous scientific news/publications, Scientific conferences, Transfer of Science or Research
English
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