Dr. Sandle has over twenty-five years experience of microbiological research and biopharmaceutical processing. He is Head of Microbiology at Bio Products Laboratory (U.K.) and a visiting tutor with The University of Manchester School of Pharmacy. He serves on several national and international committees relating to pharmaceutical microbiology and cleanroom contamination control. He is a committee member of the Pharmaceutical Microbiology Interest Group (Pharmig); and is a member of several editorials boards for scientific journals.

He has written over three hundred book chapters, peer reviewed papers and technical articles relating to microbiology. His current research interests are cleanroom fungi; microbiology of water; disinfectants; and rapid microbiological methods. In addition, He serves on several national and international committees relating to pharmaceutical microbiology and cleanroom contamination control (including the ISO cleanroom standards). He is a committee member of the Pharmaceutical Microbiology Interest Group (Pharmig); serves on the National Blood Service advisory cleaning and disinfection committee; and is a member of eleven editorials boards for scientific journals.

Dr. Sandle has acted as a consultant, expert witness and technical advisor to sterile and non-sterile manufacturing facilities, microbiology laboratories, the medical device industry and hospitals. He has also undertaken several technical writing and review projects.

His research interests are Cleanroom fungi, microbiology of water, disinfectants and rapid microbiological methods.

Dr. Hong Zhou is a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at UCLA and the director of the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines of the California NanoSystems Institute in Los Angeles, California. He obtained his B.S. degree in physics at University of Science and Technology of China and his PhD in biochemistry from Baylor College of Medicine. He has pioneered structural studies of viruses at atomic resolution by cryo electron microscopy. His current studies explore viral infections and microbial cell replication by integrative microscopy techniques.

His Research interests are Structural studies of complexes in microbiology and infectious diseases, cryo electron microscopy.

Olonitola, Olayeni Stephen (Fulbright Senior Visiting Scholar, African Research Scholar Program, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, U.S.A. [2012 - ]) is a Professor of Microbiology. He joined the services of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in September, 1992 at the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He later moved to the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science. He has taught several courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He also taught briefly (Sabbatical) at the Department of Applied Biology and Biochemistry, National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (2006 - 2007). He has supervised well over one hundred undergraduate projects, thirty M.Sc. projects (completed/ongoing)and twenty PhD. projects (completed/ongoing). Professor Olonitola has over eighty journal publications (locally and internationally) and more than thirty conference papers. He was the Head of the Department of Microbiology (February, 2008 to March, 2012). His research interest is essentially on studies of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic resistance genes in the community and hospital settings. He has worked extensively in other areas of Medical Microbiology – including Virology. He recently acquired skills in bioinformatics for microbial research analyses during his stay in the United States of America as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar.

His research interests have focused essentially on studying antimicrobial drug resistances in pathogenic microorganisms from the community and hospital sets up. Experts are of the opinion that antimicrobial drug resistance could pose the greatest problem to global health delivery in less than a decade from now, it is therefore important to have insights into the scope of the problem and seek to device means to overcome it.

Previously, he have studied antimicrobial drug resistances using phenotypic properties of microorganisms and evaluated herbal extracts for antimicrobial activities. More recently however and with improved access to research facilities, he have been looking at genetic properties of drug resistant microorganisms – including characterizing drug resistance markers and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in bacteria and viruses - mostly Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV).

Dr. Portugal brings a wealth of diversified experience to the realm of biotechnology.  He has taught extensively in both graduate biotechnology and undergraduate science programs.  He has lectured in traditional face-to-face classrooms; developed, trained, taught, and used curricula materials in virtual classrooms online; and advocated methods and reasons for the incorporation of digital media in both graduate and undergraduate coursework.
Dr. Portugal has participated in historical and fundamental molecular biological studies with Dr. Marshall Nirenberg, Nobel Laureate for the discovery of the genetic code, and with Dr. Dolph Hatfield, which led to the discovery of the 21^st amino acid selenocysteine.  He has co-invented and patented a novel instrument for biotechnological analysis, as well as conducted experiments on possible new pathways that control of the growth of human bacterial pathogens.
ha has founded a start-up biotechnology company, set up entire biotechnological laboratories from scratch, competed successfully for grant support from federal and state agencies, and formed collaborations with leading scientists, engineers, and pharmaceutical companies both in the local Washington area and around the country.  In addition, he has written business plans for biotechnology companies that panels of scientists and business people alike have validated.
As an educator, he has also written a number of books, magazine articles, and radio scripts on biotechnology and science for students and the general public.

Dr. Frank Portugal’s laboratory investigates factors secreted by certain pathogenic bacteria that can help regulate the growth of a pathogen. These factors appear distinct from quorum sensors, which do not inhibit growth but switch on the expression of virulence genes when pathogens enter the stationary phase of growth in culture. Quorum sensors for Gram negative bacteria are derivatives of homoserine lactones, whereas quorum sensors for Gram positive bacteria are small peptides. Furthermore, these unknown factors also appear to be different from bacteriocins, which bacteria secrete and which prevent growth of competing organisms but not the bacterial species that secreted the factor.His investigations center on the exact chemical structure for these factors from both Gram negative and Gram positive organisms. Once the structures are known, we will investigate what regulates expression of these factors during growth, and how these factors might be used to treat patients with serious infections who are not responding well to antibiotics

Dr. Kenneth M. Peterson is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Louisiana State University Health Science Center.  His research focuses on the coordinate regulation of Vibrio cholerae virulence determinants in response to intraintestinal signals.  The temporally and spatially orchestrated synthesis of three major virulence determinants (cholera toxin, toxin coregulated pilus and accessory colonization factor) is controlled by the V. cholerae ToxR-ToxT regulatory cascade.  My laboratory uses classic/molecular genetics, immunochemical and biochemical techniques to understand the mechanisms involved in the coordinate regulation of virulence gene expression that promote V. cholerae colonization of the small bowel. he received his bachelor’s degree in Biology at Texas Lutheran College. He received his doctoral degree in Microbiology studying the pathogenesis of Trichomonas vaginals and Treponema pallidum.  He received his postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School examining the early events in intestinal colonization by V. cholerae.

Bacterial pathogenesis; bacterial genetics; virulence gene regulation; horizontal gene transfer; pathogen evolution; intestinal colonization; bacterial adherence; bacterial toxins; bacterial chemotaxis; vaccine development; protein-protein interactions; signal transduction.

Dr. Bin Zhou is a Senior Research Scientist at Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University. His researches include design and evaluation of novel live attenuated influenza vaccines, rapid generation of viruses and vaccine seeds using synthetic genomics technology, development of techniques for influenza virus genomic sequencing and reverse genetics, and discovery and characterization of pathogenic determinants of avian and human influenza viruses. The influenza virus genomic amplification technology developed by Dr. Zhou has been used widely by many labs throughout the world, and consequently the majority of the recently deposited influenza genome sequences in GenBank were generated by using this technology for genomic amplification. he  received his bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at Nanjing University in China. He received his doctoral degree in Biomedical Sciences studying virology at the State University of New York at Albany and at the Wadsworth Center of New York State Department of Health.

Synthetic biology and synthetic genomics; systems biology; viral sequencing and genomic analysis; vaccines and drugs; virus replication and polymerase functions; pathogenesis and inter-species transmission of viruses.

I started my research career developing antibody responses to hormones during my Ph.D. at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi.  We showed that tolerance to self-molecules can be easily broken by conjugating them to immunogenic proteins.  We developed antibody responses against numerous hormones based on this technology and showed that the antibody response against Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) resulted in atrophy of the prostate, and hence was used successfully as a therapy in androgen-dependent prostate cancer patients.  During this time I also showed that T cells are critical in facilitating help for generation of antibody responses to hormones.  Having realized the important role T cells play in acquired immunity, I then relocated to the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada to work with Dr. Tim Mosmann as a post-doctoral fellow.  We showed that distinct cytokine-secreting subsets of CD4⁺ T cells are derived from a common precursor cell that secretes mainly IL-2.  My studies further demonstrated that CD8⁺ T cells can secrete distinct cytokine patterns which can influence their function.  I also showed that cytokines can induce a state of “anergy” in T cells, providing novel mechanistic insights into how cytokines might regulate T cell responses in vivo.  I was supported by a post-doctoral fellowship from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and I was able to publish my results in various high impact journals.  In 1997, I moved to the National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa as an independent investigator.  During this time I set up various infection models to discern the molecular mechanisms of host pathogen interactions.  I set up numerous collaborations, published in various high impact journals regarding the development of T cell memory responses against acute and chronic intracellular bacterium.  In 2013, I moved to the University of Ottawa, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, as a full professor to continue my research work in the general area of host pathogen interactions.  My research has been continuously funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and various other provincial and industrial research organizations.  I have also lead large, diverse research teams with the intention of developing solutions through translational research.  

I started my research career developing antibody responses to hormones during my Ph.D. at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi.  We showed that tolerance to self-molecules can be easily broken by conjugating them to immunogenic proteins.  We developed antibody responses against numerous hormones based on this technology and showed that the antibody response against Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) resulted in atrophy of the prostate, and hence was used successfully as a therapy in androgen-dependent prostate cancer patients.  During this time I also showed that T cells are critical in facilitating help for generation of antibody responses to hormones.  Having realized the important role T cells play in acquired immunity, I then relocated to the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada to work with Dr. Tim Mosmann as a post-doctoral fellow.  We showed that distinct cytokine-secreting subsets of CD4⁺ T cells are derived from a common precursor cell that secretes mainly IL-2.  My studies further demonstrated that CD8⁺ T cells can secrete distinct cytokine patterns which can influence their function.  I also showed that cytokines can induce a state of “anergy” in T cells, providing novel mechanistic insights into how cytokines might regulate T cell responses in vivo.  I was supported by a post-doctoral fellowship from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and I was able to publish my results in various high impact journals.  In 1997, I moved to the National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa as an independent investigator.  During this time I set up various infection models to discern the molecular mechanisms of host pathogen interactions.  I set up numerous collaborations, published in various high impact journals regarding the development of T cell memory responses against acute and chronic intracellular bacterium.  In 2013, I moved to the University of Ottawa, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, as a full professor to continue my research work in the general area of host pathogen interactions.  My research has been continuously funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and various other provincial and industrial research organizations.  I have also lead large, diverse research teams with the intention of developing solutions through translational research.  

I started my research career developing antibody responses to hormones during my Ph.D. at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi.  We showed that tolerance to self-molecules can be easily broken by conjugating them to immunogenic proteins.  We developed antibody responses against numerous hormones based on this technology and showed that the antibody response against Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) resulted in atrophy of the prostate, and hence was used successfully as a therapy in androgen-dependent prostate cancer patients.  During this time I also showed that T cells are critical in facilitating help for generation of antibody responses to hormones.  Having realized the important role T cells play in acquired immunity, I then relocated to the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada to work with Dr. Tim Mosmann as a post-doctoral fellow.  We showed that distinct cytokine-secreting subsets of CD4⁺ T cells are derived from a common precursor cell that secretes mainly IL-2.  My studies further demonstrated that CD8⁺ T cells can secrete distinct cytokine patterns which can influence their function.  I also showed that cytokines can induce a state of “anergy” in T cells, providing novel mechanistic insights into how cytokines might regulate T cell responses in vivo.  I was supported by a post-doctoral fellowship from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and I was able to publish my results in various high impact journals.  In 1997, I moved to the National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa as an independent investigator.  During this time I set up various infection models to discern the molecular mechanisms of host pathogen interactions.  I set up numerous collaborations, published in various high impact journals regarding the development of T cell memory responses against acute and chronic intracellular bacterium.  In 2013, I moved to the University of Ottawa, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, as a full professor to continue my research work in the general area of host pathogen interactions.  My research has been continuously funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and various other provincial and industrial research organizations.  I have also lead large, diverse research teams with the intention of developing solutions through translational research.  

My research interest lies in the general area of “inflammation” and how it impacts various chronic disease states.  We are studying the mechanisms that maintain a healthy immune system and prevent the development of inflammatory diseases. In particular, we are interested in the intricate mechanisms that control cell death in immune cells. While under normal conditions, immune cells are essential to provide protection against the continuous challenge of pathogens in our environment, an imbalance in the death of immune cells can result in chronic inflammation and collateral damage to the surrounding tissue and throughout the body. In particular, we are studying cell death within macrophages. Macrophages are important cells of the innate immune system that engulf pathogens and release powerful immune signals that can have both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects. We have identified novel mechanisms that control a newly discovered form of programmed necrotic cell death, known as necroptosis. When macrophages die by necroptosis their cell membrane ruptures, spilling the cell contents out into the body and leading to massive inflammation. We have identified that the production of a key inflammatiory signal (interferon) is an essential upstream inducer of this inflammatory cell death. By improving the understanding of the mechanisms of necroptosis this research will lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches to treat chronic inflammatory diseases.

We are also evaluating the mechanisms that lead to the generation and maintenance of T cell memory. CD8 T cells have the unique ability to specifically and rapidly kill cells that are infected with pathogens. By targeting infected cells, CD8 T cells can prevent the spread of pathogens and eliminate them from the body. Development of means to activate such cells is therefore highly sought after for vaccine approaches as efficacy of vaccines often depends on the generation and maintenance of pathogen or tumor-specific cytolytic memory CD8 T cells. We aim to better understand the mechanisms of T cell activation as well as the processes of cell death, which remove activated T cells through a process known as contraction. Ultimately we hope to understand how to generate long-lived memory CD8 T cells which can eliminate chronic pathogens from the body

For the last several years his frontier area of research has been on the microbial pathogenesis, vaccine and immunotherapy of infectious diseases including retroviruses and opportunistic infections. The current research efforts primarily focus on defining the mechanism of virus-induced neuroinflammation and demyelination in the central and peripheral nervous system in order to identify potential diagnostic markers and targets for therapeutic intervention. The model pathogen under study is human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) that causes both immune and CNS disease. HTLV-1 is a human retrovirus that infects more than 20 million people worldwide predominantly in tropical areas. HTLV-1, although the first human retrovirus discovered, has received far less attention than human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and many aspects of its immunological and molecular pathogenesis remain unresolved. HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/ tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a progressive debilitating neurological disorder. In many ways, it resembles multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease of the brain. The HTLV-1 transcriptional transactivator protein Tax is the oncogenic protein of the virus and performs a variety of functions both intracellularly and extracellularly.The progression of HAM/TSP is suggested to be due, in part, to the ability of Tax to work as an extracellular effector molecule. Furthermore, a majority of the immune response (humoral and cell-mediated) in HAM/TSP patients is directed against Tax, indicating that Tax is available for immune recognition. However, the mechanism of Tax cross-presentation and its direct role in neurodegeneration remained uncharacterized. We are addressing these issues by using a novel transgenic mouse (HHD II/DTR-Tg) model developed recently with a chimeric HTLV-1 viral infection and disease progression. The transgenic strain will allow us to perform the HLA-A2.1 restricted Tax11-19-specific CTL studies in the absence and presence of dendritic cells (DCs). Efforts are being made to utilize this model as a tool to study the role of Tax and other viral factors as well as the components of the host immune response that may play important roles in the neuropathogenesis associated with HAM/TSP. The knowledge gained may be directly linked to clinical application especially in vaccine and immunotherapy. He had published over 100 peer reviewed publications, book chapters, edited books and credited with numerous patents.

Biography:
Dr. Hazem Aqel is a professor in Medical Microbiology at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. He obtained his B.Sc. degree in Medical Laboratory Technology from Kuwait University/Kuwait, his M.Sc. degree in General and Medical Microbiology from University College London/UK, and his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Birmingham University/UK. He has pioneered structural studies of isolation and characterization of thermophilic bacteria and bacteriophages, bacterial enzymatic activities, antimicrobial plant extractions, and understanding pathogenicity, latency and reactivation of viruses. His current researches are in viral infection and antibiotics resistance.

Research Interest:
He is interested in understanding pathogenicity, latency and reactivation of viruses in their host to produce vaccine. He is also interested in how bacterial cells respond to the environment by altering which protein they synthesize and in how bacteria detect and respond to stressful conditions. 

Dr. Kumar is a trained veterinarian with a Ph.D. in Tropical Medicine. He has wide ranging knowledge and experience of both animal and human infectious diseases and a strong background in basic, clinical and translational science. He conducts research on various emerging pathogens including West Nile virus (WNV) and hantaviruses using cell culture models, mouse models and biological specimens. Dr. Kumar investigates the efficacy of anti-inflammatory drugs such as commonly used cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors as a potential therapeutic target to manage WNV encephalitis. Dr. Kumar is working to develop a vaccine for WNV, for which he is using a non-lethal strain of WNV, Egypt 101, as a platform to develop vaccine against lethal New York 99 strain of WNV. Dr. Kumar’s work for the first time evaluated the effect of diabetes mellitus on the susceptibility and immune response to WNV infection, which is very significant for the development of effective therapeutics not only for management of WNV in diabetics but also other infections in diabetics as well. He is collaborating internationally and has contributed to the development of a rapid, sensitive luminex-based test for the diagnosis of WNV, new anti-WNV drugs and potential biomarkers to predict severe hantavirus-associated diseases. His work also involves developing novel small animal models to study infectious pathogens. Dr. Kumar has published several outstanding papers in top international journals and his research findings are widely cited. He was invited to present his findings at several prestigious national and international meetings and received many prestigious and competitive awards. Dr. Kumar is a member of several national and international societies such as ASV, ASM, SfN, FOCIS and AAI etc. He is currently serving as the secretary of American Society for Microbiology, Hawaii Branch.
 

Infectious diseases, specifically viral, immune pathogenesis and virus-host interactions

Dr. Ales Prokop, is a professor in Vanderbilt University. He got his MS (1961) from the Institute of Chemical Technology Prague, PhD (1966) from the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and his DrSc (1993) from the Czech Academy of Sciences. He worked in biotechnology, between two boundaries: engineering and biology, most recently medical sciences.

His interest is in biotechnology, bioengineering, systems biology, nanotechnology and renewable resourecs (e.g., algal biorefinery).

Dr. Xin Wang has ten years clinical medicine practicing, including clinical research. The project, stroke rehabilitation, had awarded the First Prize of excellent paper in the Third Annal National Neurologic Rehabilitation meeting. During PhD course on Medical Science, Xin discovered an acute leukemia associated brain-specific gene and was the first one who studied its function at molecular & cellular biology level. The first postdoctoral training in NIH gave her an opportunity to complete a publication by studying mouse model related to mitochondria dysfunction that had been pointed as 'must reads' by Faculty1000. In Dental School & Medical School of University of Maryland, Xin studied head & neck cancer and prostate cancer with human specimen, cancer cell lines and animal models. Her summary of a project about tumor microenvironment was awarded Minority Scholar in AACR meeting. From the research experience above, a hypothesis relevant to therapeutic strategy of cancer has established.With her peer-leading project management skill, she alone effectively handled 14 or so mouse model strains related to prostate cancer and built up an easy-used mouse database in her third post-doctoral position. During her three post-doctoral research, she studied the mechanism of apoptosis, protein ubiquatination in cell cycle and nuclei trans-localization as well as stem cell biology. Xin currently found her own biotechnology company, Acure Technology, Inc, to develop and discover medical products for health care and cures for disease, which include, but not limited to vascular diseases, cancer, degeneration diseases and cell or organ toxicity. Besides of the basic molecular, cellular, biochemistry, FACS, imaging approaches, Xin apply stem cell culture, animal models and advanced biomaterial technologies. Xin collaborates with expertise in China for all phases safe and ethics clinical trials.

Study of the molecular components of synapses by the isolation of postsynaptic density(PSD) and lipid raft fractions
Cloning, expression and function analysis of brain-specific protein
BAALC 1-6-8 isoform(GenBank Acc: AB 073318) by genetic, biochemical and imaging approaches.

Dr. Mario P.S. Chin is Assistant Professor of microbiology andimmunology, and Center of Substance Abuse Research at Temple University School of Medicine. He was visiting fellow at the National Cancer Institute and Aaron Diamond Scholar at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. He received the Pathway to Independence Award and Fellows Award for Research Excellence from the National Institutes of Health.

Employing recent advances in host-HIV interactomics to study theintersection of substance abuse and HIV infection, and to examine the innate antiviral process.

J. Robert Kane studies anatomical pathology at the University of Chicago. His area of interest encompasses both the histology and cytology of pathological conditions with a special predilection for the evaluation of diagnostic immunohistochemistry and prognostic markers. In addition to his concentration in tumour pathology, he practices a continued interest in microbial pathogens.

His research interests are both basic and translation with a predominant concentration in the field of neuro-oncology especially as it relates to potential therapeutic applications for high-grade tumours of the central nervous system. 

Dr. Zhihui Yin is a Staff Scientist at C. R. Bard. Inc. USA, and holds a first class honours degree in Chemistry; a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering; and a Ph. D in Polymer Materials Science from the University of Liege, Belgium.

Dr. Yin haspublished more than 50 peer-reviewed papers, patents, and conference presentations. Dr. Yin has over twenty years experience of novel functional polymer and biomacromolecule research, antimicrobial and infection control technology development. This includes experience in designing, and developing a range of anti-infectious polymeric coating for medical device applications such as: anti-infectious central venous catheter, peripherally inserted central catheter, Hemostream dialysis catheter, Foley and intermittent self-catheterisation catheter to reduce Blood Stream Infections (BSI) and Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) associated with device catheterisation. In addition, Dr. Yin is experienced in developing novel functional polymers and biomacromolecules (peptides) for biofilm control of implanted medical device.

Anti-infectious coating for medical device applications; design and synthesis of functional polymer and biomacromolecule for controlling biofilm formation; mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics.

Biography:

Dr. Florence Okafor is a medical microbiologist and Associate Professor of Microbiology at AAMU. Dr. Okafor is also Interim Chairperson of Biological and Environmental Sciences, which comprises Biology, Environmental Science and Plant Science Programs. She is actively involved in research in the areas of Histoplasma, fungal allergens, Biofilms, bio-functionalization and safety of silver and gold nanoparticles. Dr. Okafor’s research focus has been on various aspects of Microbiology especially as it relates to the environment, health and waste bioconversion. Most of her earlier research was focused on microbial/fungal pathogenicity with emphasis on control and production of bioactive substances. She worked on the pathogenesis, ecology and epidemiology of Histoplasma duboisii in Africa (Nigeria) and its environmental impact.  Lately her research has been focused on the bio-production of nanoparticles using fungi and plant extracts, characterization, cytotoxicity and their possible use in biosensors. Dr. Okafor is also doing work on bioconversion of waste materials to energy especially electrical energy.  Dr. Okafor has approximately 25 years’ experience in academia.

Research interest:

Research was focused  microbial/fungal pathogenicity with emphasis on control and production of bioactive substances, the bio-production of nanoparticles using fungi and plant extracts, characterization, cytotoxicity and their possible use in biosensors.

Dr.  Reddy received both veterinary and master’s degrees from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Hyderabad, India. During that time he worked on Bluetongue virus isolation, diagnosis and vaccine development. His clinical experience includes mixed animal practice and poultry industry consultant. Afterwards He got PhD from Oklahoma State University in the area of Microbiology. During his doctoral studies he worked on host defense peptides (antimicrobial peptides) to develop novel antimicrobial agents and immunomodulators especially against antimicrobial resistant infections. After graduate school he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Tulane National Primate Research Center, New Orleans, LA in the area of comparative pathology and primate models of infectious diseases.  Dr. Reddy is board certified with ACVM (American College of Veterinary Microbiologists).

His expertise is Diagnosis, Surveillance and Control of Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases. He serves as consulting veterinary microbiologist in following areas 1) Foreign Animal/Trans-boundary diseases, 2) Infectious diseases of poultry and mammals, 3) Veterinary Biologicals and Vaccine development, 4) Laboratory Safety and Bio-safety protocols, 5) Food safety and Public health, and 6) ISO 17025 Accreditation.

Currently he is working as veterinary microbiologist and avian pathologist at Virginia state veterinary diagnostic services.

Host defense peptides, immunopathology of viral diseases, auto-immunity, hypersensitivity, veterinary biologicals, vaccine development, immunotoxicology and comparative pathology. 

Dr. Keith Warriner is currently a Professor within the Department of Food Science at University of Guelph, Canada. Dr. Warriner received his BSc in Food Science from the University of Nottingham, UK and PhD in Microbial Physiology from the University College of Wales Aberystwyth, UK. He later went on to work on biosensors within the University of Manchester, UK and subsequently returned to the University of Nottingham to become a Research Fellow in Food Microbiology. He joined the Faculty of the University of Guelph in 2002.
During the last fifteen years in the field of microbiology and food safety research, Dr. Warriner has published more than 100 papers, book chapters, patents, and conference abstracts. He has given numerous media interviews on food safety issues and apperared on CBC Marketplace to highlight sanitation issues with hotel room. Dr Warriner has broad research areas encompassing development of decontamination technologies, biosensors for biohazard detection, and more fundamental research on the interaction of human pathogens with plants.  He is current vice president of the OFPA.

Dr Warriner has broad research areas encompassing development of decontamination technologies, biosensors for biohazard detection, and more fundamental research on the interaction of human pathogens with plants.

Hao Shen have a long-standing interest in basic questions related to generation of effective immune responses, mechanisms of protective immunity, and the establishment of long-term immunological memory.  For these basic studies, Hao shen have used two well-characterized murine models of infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and Listeria monocytogenes. Our recent studies have made a surprising finding that inflammatory signals play opposing roles in regulating different phases of adaptive immune responses.  More specifically, we have found that inflammatory cytokines (such as IL-12), which are strongly induced by bacterial pathogens, promote the effector T cell phase of an immune response, but inhibit the development of CD8 T cell memory. These results also prompt our interest in viral/bacterial co-infection, where inflammatory responses induced by bacteria can have bystander effects on the response to viruses and vice versa. Co-infection by more than one pathogen is common, and often results in more severe disease than infection by an individual pathogen.  A striking example of this is the high mortality caused by secondary bacterial pneumonia following flu infection.  As such,  Hao shen have become interested in how inflammation induced by a bacterial pathogen may affect the host response to a co-infecting viral pathogen and protective immunity, the subject of our U19 grant using flu and Streptococcus pneumoniaeco-infection model.  In addition, I am the PI of a MPI R01 grant investigating the mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis that contribute to lethal secondary bacterial pneumonia following flu infection. Through these studies, we have developed animal models, preliminary results, relevant expertise, and extensive interest in developing novel approaches to overcoming clinical challenges associated with seasonal and pandemic flu infection.  A key part of this effort is our collaboration with Dr. Sara Lustigman at New York Blood Center to test and develop a novel adjuvant for flu vaccine that is supported by a new MPI R01 grant.

Dr. Cheorl-Ho Kim is a Professor, Department of Biological Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea. Dr. Kim served as an editorial board member of Molecules and Cells (2006-2010) and eCAM (2012-). He also served as International Scientific Advisory Board Member, International Symposium for Glycosyltransferases (GlycoT 2006), IUBMB symposium, Tsukuba and GlycoT 2008, Emory University, GA, USA, and International Biochemical and Molecular Engineering 2013 (San Antonio, TX, USA). He trained over 15 PhD students and 15 post doctral fellows in the area of oncognenesis, cancer metastasis and angiogenesis. He is the author of over 300 peer-reviewed articles published in national and international scientific journals. His distinguished discoveries recognized in the biomedical area are well documented in the Academic Society from the following outstanding findings: Viral hepatocarcinoma and PTEN (Cancer Research 2003), asialo-1 acid glycoprotein in cirrhosis and carcinoma (Hepatology Research, 2003), UDP-N-GlcNAc:β-D-Man-1,4-N-GlcNAc-T-III in hepatitis (Glycoconj J 2003), plasma MMP-9/2 and α-fetoproteins in HBV chronic hepatitis (J Gastroenterol. Hepat. 2004), HBV metastatic potential (FASEB J. 2004), Hepatic V and GnT-III-Apolipoprotein B (JBC. 2004), Sialo GD3 in VSMC responses (JBC. 2004), Therapeutic hepatocarcinoma cells (FASEB J. 2004), Transglutaminase 2 in leukemia (FEBS Lett. 2004), bisecting N-GlcNAc-III in HBV (J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2004), GM3 in leukemic differentiation (Glycobiology 2005), MMP-9 in IVF (Br J Obstetr Gynecol, 2005), GD3 Fas-induced T cells (Glycobiology 2006), GM3 in PTEN-mediated progression (Glycobiology 2006), ROS in GD3-cell function (FASEB J 2006), AP-2a in GM3-PTEN (Glycobiology 2008), sialidase in leukemia (BBA, 2008), GM3-VEGFR-2 interqaction (Glycobiology 2009), GD3 in breast cancer (Biol Chem. 2009), pig CMAH and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Biochemical J 2010), pST6GalNAc IV for Neu5Acalpha2-3Galbeta1-3GalNAc (Glycoconj J 2011), GM3 in TGF-β1-induced EMT (Biochem J 2013), VEGFR-2 in neovascularization (JMM 2013). His pioneered findings on the diseases-preventiveand treating drugs are filed in US patents.

Cancer Molecular Biology, Glycobiology, Cancer and cell adhesion and angiogenesis, Receptor-ligand singal transduction, Vascular Artherosclerosis

Dr. Volker Patzel, chemist, received in 1998 his Ph.D. from the Ruprecht-Karls-University in Heidelberg and in 2002 his MBA from the Steinbeis University in Berlin. Worked until 2000 as a postdoc at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg and then till 2009 as research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin. Since 2009 he holds a dual appointment as Asst. Professor at the National University of Singapore and Asst. Director of Research at the University of Cambridge. Since 2004, founder and director of the Steinbeis Transfer Centre for Nucleic Acids Design.

Design and delivery of ribonucleic acids for enhancement, inhibition or repair of gene expression towards diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. Targets are viral pathogens such as HIV-1, HPV-16, and HBV as well as cancer.  

M. Jahangir Alam is a Research Microbiologist/Public Health Biomedical Researcher! And he received Post-doctorate from Texas A&M in Texas AgriLife Research, Kansas State University in Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology at College of Veterinary Medicine/Entomology and Okayama University in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He received his PhD in Microbiology/Biopharmaceutical Science from Okayama University, Japan. He has several memberships which include American Society for Microbiology, American Geographical Society. He has been serving as an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Ancient Diseases & Preventive Remedies, Journal of Biology and Medicine, Frontiers in Environmental Health and as Ad hoc reviewer for other scientific journals.
 

Applied and environmental microbiology, Diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, Microbial source tracking, Pathogenic microbiology/virology, Vector microbe interaction, Food and water safety microbiology, Drug resistance, Biofilm, Health and hygiene, Disease prevention and control, Pathogen survival and transmission, Microbial ecology, Zoonosis, Nosocomial infections, Method development.

Frans J de Bruijn  started his scientific career at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, USA, where he worked on Bacteriophage Mu and transposable elements in bacteria with the late Dr. Ahmad Bukhari.  He then moved to Harvard University in Cambridge USA to carry out his Ph.D  research  on the regulation of nitrogen fixation and assimilation genes of Klebsiella pneumonia and Sinorhizobium meliloti  with Professor Fred Ausubel.  He briefly continued on as postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Molecular Biology at the Massachusetts General Hospital with Dr. Ausubel working on glutamine synthesis genes in Rhizobiacea, before leaving for the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding in Cologne, FRG with an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship to work with the late Prof. Jeff Schell on plant microbe interactions.  After two years he became Group leader with a team of 10-15 members working on various aspects of plant-microbe interactions, especially with the tropical stem-nodulated legume Sesbania rostrata, which he helped pioneer as a model legume of study.  After Four years he became Assistant to the Director Dr. Jeff Schell, responsible for many organizational and administrative matters.  After seven years, he accepted the offer of an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, East Lansing USA and quickly climbed to the post of Full Professor continuing his work on Plant-Microbe Interactions  and bacterial phylogeny using rep-PCR genomic fingerprinting , which he co-developed with his collegue Prof.  James Lupski . at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston USA.  In addition he became Director of the Genetics Graduate Program at MSU, with 50 Ph.D and 60 affiliated Faculty members. Whille at MSU he was also appointed at the NSF Center for Microbial Ecology led by Prof. James Tiedje and included various Molecular Microbial Ecology research topics in his program.  Subsequently he co-edited the popular Molecular Microbial Ecology Manual.  In 2000  he received an offer to be the Director of the Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interaction, a mixed INRA/ CNRS research facility with about 100 scientists and support staff in Toulouse, France.  He served as Director for two years after returning to the laboratory as Director of Recherche DR1, where he now continues his research work and took four years off to edit the “Handbooks of Molecular Microbial Ecology and Metagenomics”, “The Molecular Microbial Ecology of the Rhizosphere”, and “Biological Nitrogen Fixation” (See. Scietific History CV and below). 

Molecular Microbiology

Molecular Microbial Ecology

Plant –Microbe Interactions

The Plant Rhizosphere

Metagenomics

Biological Nitrogen Fixation

Bacterial Genomic Fingerprinting

Junhui Li (School of Mechanical and Electronical Engineering, Central South University, China) is a Professor. Professor Li has over forty journal publications (locally and internationally) and more than thirty conference papers. More than 10 national research projects are being hosted or completed. A provincial science and technology progress award (first prize, ranking 1) was obtained in 2008. His research interest is essentially on studies of material microstructures test (TEM with EDX, SEM, XRD, etc.) and numerical (e.g., FEM) simulation. He has worked extensively in other areas of micro and nano Manufacturing. 

Micro- and nano- structural studies of complexes in material characterization, manufacturing and automation microbiology, electronics interconnection, and nano-manufacturing.

 Prof. Ashok Rattan, formerly visiting Professor at College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Chairman, Laboratory Medicine, Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon, India  and ex Chief Executive, Fortis Clinical Research Ltd. (FCRL) is a Microbiologist of international standing. He has also worked with Religare SRL Diagnostics as Director of their Clinical Reference Laboratory in Gurgaon and Director of all SRL labs in Fortis / Escorts Hospitals in Delhi and NCR. He has also worked for World Health Organization (WHO) as Laboratory Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) administered Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.  Dr. Rattan has around two and a half decades of rich experience in the areas of diagnostics, research, and drug discovery besides academics. He has over a hundred publications to his credit and is named in 10 international patents. 

Prior to his WHO stint, Dr Rattan had a long standing association (7 yrs.) with Ranbaxy Research Labs as Director – Infectious Diseases (new drug discovery research) and worked as Additional Professor in the Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi (12 years).  

Dr. Ashok Rattan obtained his MD (Microbiology) from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in 1984. He has undergone training in Medical Education at Dundee Institute of Technology, Scotland, UK (1990), Neisseria infections in CDC, Atlanta and NIH, USA (1990) and has been trained in Molecular Biology of Mycobacteria (1997) in Prof. Erik C. Bottger's laboratory, Hanover, Germany and extended spectrum Beta lactamase (1997) in Prof. A. Baunfiend's lab, Munich, Germany. In 2004-05 he assisted in the MMV Ranbaxy project and was trained in FDA Clinical Trials Requirements by SOCRA, USA and in ICH-GCP by Quintiles in Tanzania.

He has conducted training workshop on WHONET, TB, Nosocomial infections, Opportunistic Infections and Laboratory support for Care and Treatment of HIV/AIDS infections and on PK/PD aspects of antibiotic action in many countries of the South East Asia, Caribbean and Latin American Region and is the author of the NBT subsided book on Antibiotics in Laboratory Medicine. 

Tuberculosis

Antibiotic Susceptibility testing

New Drug Discovery

Farhang Babamahmoodi born in Tehran- Iran 1950 and he studied medicine in Shahidbeheshti University of medical sciences and passed infectious diseases and tropical medicine course in Tehran University of medical sciences after that went to U.K (Glasgow) for more researches about Aids and immune deficiency problems. He was dean of Mazandaran University of medical sciences for 4 years and now he is the Chairman of infectious diseases department at Mazandaran University.

Research intrest:
Aids; Immune deficiency problems; zeonosis.hepatitis

His Research interest: Aids; Immune deficiency problems; zeonosis.hepatitis

Biography:
Amrita Dosanjh is a board certified pediatric pulmonologist and pediatrician, He had done his  B.A. Honors Biology, English Literature and also Honors Thesis from Brown University, Dept. of  Pharmacology. He completed his Post-Doctoral Fellowship in 1989-1993 at Harvard University.

He received so many Certificates: 

•  National Medical Boards-   parts I,II,III,
• Board Certified-Pediatrics (1991 /1999/2005 recertified) Pulmonary (1994/2001 /2008 recertified).
• Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and Sub-board of  Pulmonary Pediatrics.
• Lung Transplantation certification (Stanford, 1996)
• Bronchoscopy Course: University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill - 1991).ACLS Certified (1995)
• Licensure: California: 1988- present.

He developed multiple areas of research within the field.

These include:

• Pediatric Asthma
• Lung Transplantation including infections occurring among immune compromised patients
• Mechanisms of pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation

Pediatric Asthma

Lung Transplantation including infections occurring among immunocompromised patients

Mechanisms of pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation

pulmonologist and pediatrician

Dr. Svetlana Ermolaeva is a Head of Ecology of Pathogenic Bacteria Laboratory at the Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, Russia. She obtained her B.S.in physics and M.D. in molecular biology at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Russia, and her PhD and ScD in microbiology and genetics at the Gamaleya Institute. She specializes in molecular biology and ecology of pathogenic bacteria. Her current researches include biomedical applications of nonthermal plasma known as plasma medicine.

Molecular Microbiology, Bacterial Genomics, Microbial Ecology, Sapro and Zoonosis, Plasma Medicine

Dr. Gbolahan 'Ola Babalola obtained his PhD  in Medical Virology from University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. He was awarded several grants like “Bill and Halinda Gates Travel Grant” , “Recognition for outstanding service as an online mentor of the American  Society for Microbiology minority monitoring Program” and several other awards/grants.

He is currently serving as a Adjunct Professor in Wesley University of Science and Technology, Ondo. He has vast teaching experience and has given several lectures in seminars in General Microbiology, Microbial Genetics and Molecular Biology, Pharmaceutical Microbiology; Analytical Microbiology and Quality Control.

He has given Assessment of Industrial Attachment, Undergraduate Project Supervision, Advanced Microbial Genetics.

He is a fellow of “American Socienty of Microbiology”
He has written technical reports on environmental pollution-related studies.

He has several published works on Virology/Microbiology.

Gbolahan Ola Babalola is currently applying the Polymerase Chain Reaction PCR technology to investigations in biotechnology including

Identification of microorganisms.

Biofuel from microorganisms using domestic and agricultural wastes.

Production of bio-flocculants and pigments by microorganisms;

Cultivation of mushrooms (especially indigenous ones) on domestic and agricultural wastes.

ODANIR GARCIA WAR is graduated in Biomedicine from the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters "Barao de Maua" - Ribeirao Preto / SP - Brazil (1981), Bachelor of Science (1986), with specialization in Biology (1987) from the "Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul" - Tres Lagoas / MS - Brazil, Degree in Biological Sciences "Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul" - Tres Lagoas / MS - Brazil (1993). Public Health Specialist - Sanitarian, from the National School of Public Health, "Oswaldo Cruz" - Rio de Janeiro / RJ, Brazil (1989). Master in Biotechnology "University of Sao Paulo" Sao Paulo / SP - Brazil (2002) and a PhD in Sciences - Microbiology from the “University of Sao Paulo" São Paulo / SP - Brazil (2006). "Is currently Associate Professor acting courses : Degree in Biological Sciences and Nursing "Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul" Tres Lagoas Campus/MS - Brazil, which operates in the areas of teaching, research and extension and academic tutor undergraduate research and scholarship remained. Teacher and Researcher Guerra has experience in the area of ​​Medicine, Nursing and Biology and currently research in the areas of Microliologia, Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering, Molecular Genetics of Microorganisms and Public Health, with an emphasis on quality of life, epidemiology and disinfecting surfaces, where has published articles in scientific journals and conference proceedings, symposia and congresse.

Microliologia, Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering, Molecular Genetics of Microorganisms and Public Health

Biography: 
Anass Jawhari has a strong experience in biochemistry and structural biology of macromolecular assemblies of proteins and antibodies. He holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry & structural biology from Louis Pasteur University (‘Strasbourg, France). After a Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Dino Moras (IGBMC & French academy of Science), he worked as research associate in the Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, US) and in The Gene Center (Munich, Germany) before joining private institutions as Research Investigator, Head of Structural Biology and now Chief Scientific Officer of CALIXAR. He has more than 15 years experience in research & developments projects related to molecular aspects of cancer & infectious diseases.

Research Interest:
Native membrane protein solubilization/ stabilization, multi-protein complex, therapeutic antibodies, vaccines, structure function relationship, crystallography /electron microscopy and immunology.

Dr. Masashi Emoto is a professor of Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences in Japan. He got the professorship in 1993 and his main research theme is NKT cells. Before coming back to Japan, he has worked at Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology as a higher ranking senior scientist with Prof. Dr. Stefan H. E. Kaufman, who is now a president of International Union of Immunological societies, and published many articles in prestigious journals with high impact factor. He has concentrated on identification of new natural ligand(s) for invariant NKT cells and nowadays he has succeeded to determine their chemical structures. Thus, he is a leading scientist in the field of NKT cells.

NKT cell, NK cell, Intracellular bacteria, Listeria, Salmonella

Dr.Amit Kumar Tyagi received his PhD degree in Applied Microbiology from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India where he studied the antimicrobial potential of different phytochemicals against food spoiling and disease causing microorganisms in in-vivo and in-vitro food models. During his PhD, he was awarded for European grant ‘Erasmus Mundus Corporation Window’ for doing part of his thesis work in University of Bologna, Italy. His work at the university of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center revealed that TNF exhibit pro-inflammatory activities and may mediate carcinogenesis through the activation of a transcription factor NF-κB. The gene products regulated by NF-κB have now been linked to cellular transformation, tumor cell survival, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, chemoresistance, and radioresistance. Mostly carcinogens, tumor promoters, growth factors, inflammatory agents, chemotherapeutic agents, radiation, viruses, bacteria, cigarette smoke, alcohol and other life style factors activate NF-κB and another transcription factor STAT3. Dr Tyagi’s research group is working on safe and multi-targeting chemopreventive agents derived from natural resources suppress NF-κB and STAT3 pathway and suppress tumorigenesis.

Study of transcription factors NF-kappaB and STAT3 signaling pathway, death receptor pathway, extrinsic and intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, anticancer properties of natural compounds in both in vitro and nude mouse models, study of cell cycle by flow cytometry, study of oxidative stress in animal models, antioxidants, study of genotoxicity by chromosomal aberration and micronuclei assay, study of gene expression by using western blotting and RT-PCR, DNA binding assay by EMSA, reporter gene expression, Immunohistochemical analysis, studies on both in vivo and in vitro experimental models, SEM, TEM, AFM, Food Microbiology and Food Chemistry, Food preservation, SPME-GCMS.

Dr. Maulin P Shah, currently Head & Sr. Manager – Industrial Waste Water Research Lab, Division of Applied & Environmental Microbiology Lab at Enviro Technology Limited, Ankleshwar-393002, Gujarat, India got his Ph.D in Environmental Microbiology from Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. He has served as an Assistant Professor at Godhra, Gujarat University in 2001. Dr. Maulin P Shah is a Microbial Biotechnologist with diverse research interest. A group of research scholars working under his guidance on areas ranging from Applied Microbiology, Environmental Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Industrial Liquid Waste Management to solid state fermentation. Dr. Maulin P Shah has more than 90 research publication in highly reputed national & international journals. He has completed one research projects in 2010 in his lab, funded by National Agency. He directs the Research programme at Enviro Technology Ltd, Ankleshwar. He has guided more than 20 Post Graduate students in various disciplines of Life Science.  Dr. Maulin P Shah extends his expertise in various National as well as International Reputed Journal as Editor& Editorial Board Member like Open Access Book of Cloud Publication, Journal of Environment Pollution & Human Health. He is an Editor-in-Chief of two journals viz. International Journal of Environmental Bioremediation & Biodegradation as well as Journal of Applied & Environmental Microbiology (Science & Education Publishing., USA), Editorial Board Member of American Journal of Microbiological Research, Electronic Journal of Energy & Environment, International Journal of Environment & Sustainability.  He is also serving as a Reviewer in various journal of National & International Repute.

Environmental Microbiology, Environmental Bioremediation, Biodegradation, Microbial Diversity, Industrial Waste Water Treatment, Waste Water Genetics, Industrial Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering.

Dr. Claudio Vieira da Silva is a full time Professor in the Department of Immunology at the Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He completed his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the Federal University of São Paulo, with a period sandwich at Yale University (2007) and did a postdoctoral stage at the Federal University of São Paulo in 2008.  Dr. Claudio Vieira da Silva coordinates the Trypanosomatids Laboratory. He is an Advisor Professor of Undergraduate, Master and PhD fellows working with Cell Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania amazonensis.

Cell Culture, Transfection and RNA i Treatment

Cell Biology Research Tools

Recombinant Protein Cloning, Expression and Purification

Immunology Research Tools

Parasitology

Scientific Innovation

Dr.Jean-François Picimbon born 11-11-1969 in Marseille (France) and completed his Ph.D (1992-1995) in Neurosciences-Neurobiology Univ. Provence (Aix-Marseille I), CNRS-INRA co-direction, doc and postdoc USA and Canada, S.T.A. JISTEC Research fellow-Tsukuba (Japan), Alexander von Humboldt fellow-Stuttgart (Germany), “One of the top ten most talented international young scientists” (14th NAITO Conference, “Bioactive Natural Products and their Mode of Action, Kanagawa, Japan, 2001), Asst/Assoc. Prof. (2001-2005) “Pheromone Group”, DNA lab, Ecology Department, Lund University (Sweden), Research School Functional Genomics-Bioinformatics (Göteborg), Adjunct Asst/Assoc. Prof. Agric. Univ. Gembloux (Belgium), Erasmus-Socrates Sweden-Belgium-Lithuania-Czech Republic, Habilitation (2005) Environmental Biology-Biochemistry Univ. Pau-Pays de l’Adour (France), scientific expert (2006-2009) UK-China joint lab insect biol., Nanyang Normal Univ. (NYNU), "Henan Province, Department of Entomology, China Agricultural Univ. (CAU)", Beijing, "High Level Oversea Scientist" and "Taishan Scholar Oversea Scientist", Full-professor (Nov. 2009), BioTech Research Center/Shandong Academy Agricultural Sciences, Distinguished Professor (July 2015), Qilu Polytechnic University, Division of Microbial Resources & College of Agricultural Sciences, Director (July 2015), Jinan, Shandong Province, P.R. China", guest lecturer at Shandong Normal University (College of Plant Protection) and Qingdao Agricultural University (College of Food Sciences), Associate Editor of International Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry & Molecular Biology (Sci Doc Publishers), Editorial Board Member of SOJ Genetic Sciences and SOJ Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (Symbiosis Group), reviewer for more than 25 international journals, more than hundred scientific publications, book chapters and conferences at the international level, member of dozen international societies and governmental institutions. France’s permanent representative to Shandong. Matter of biographical record “Who is Who” in the World (“Pheromones and Chemosensory Proteins of Insects”). 

Neuroscience and Neurobiology

Entomology and Chemical Ecology

Agricultural Microbiology, human health and insect control

Dr. Aseer Manilal is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia since 2013. He has published 35 articles in Scopus Indexed International journals having a cumulative impact value 23.6 and Scopus H index 10. Research interests of author are natural antimicrobials and Probiotics. He has awarded various fellowships from various Govt. funding agencies such as Department of Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, India for his achievements in research activities. His name has been enlisted in the Marquis Who's Who in the World & Dictionary of International Biography, Cambridge, England. Recently he has been awarded Certificate of Appreciation for the best performance from Arba Minch university (2016).

Research interests are natural antimicrobials and Probiotics.   

Dr. Hemanta K. Majumder was the former Chairman of the Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division at Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Jadavpur, Kolkata. A Ph.D in Biochemistry (1975) from University of Calcutta, he did his Post doctoral research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA (1976-1979) and at University of Zurich, Switzerland (1979-1981). He was a Visiting Associate at University of California, Berkeley, USA (1988-1990). He joined IICB in 1981. He was a Visiting Scientist at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, USA (1993), at University of Cambridge, UK (1993), University of Rome (2009), and at the University of Aarhus, Denmark (2010). He has delivered lectures on invitation at Robert Koch Institute, Berlin and Ludwig Maximillian University (LMU), Munich, Germany (2013 and 2015). He has made outstanding contribution towards development of therapeutics against the disease kala-azar. He was elected as Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (FNA), Indian Academy of Sciences (FASc), National Academy of Sciences (FNASc), Fellow of the West Bengal Academy of Sciences and Technology (FAScT) and Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (FTWAS).  He has produced twenty two (22) Ph.Ds and supervised 30 (thirty) post graduate students. He was also the Working Chairman of West Bengal State Council of Science and Technology, Govt. of West Bengal from 2004 to 2011. Dr. Majumder is presently holding the position of Raja Ramanna Fellow of the Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India atCSIR- Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata.

Dr. H.K. Majumder's research interest has been centred around Leishmania with special reference to kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) of the organism, basic biology  of DNA topoisomerase(s), targeted therapeutics and programmed cell death (PCD) in this unicellular organism.His contribution on DNA topoisomerases, the key enzymes that govern topology of kDNA has been marked by orginality. Presently he has dedicated his research on different types of DNA topoisomerases from basic DNA enzymology to developmental threapeutics and clinical pharmacology. His expertise on biochemistry, molecular biology and parasitology has been successfully utilized in DNA  topoisomerases based drug development against leishmaniasis.

Dr. Eleanor Jennings has over 15 years of remediation experience as an environmental microbiologist and biogeochemist.  She has a B.S in Biology and Chemistry, a Master’s Degree in aerobic petroleum environmental microbiology and a Ph.D. in anaerobic petroleum environmental microbiology.  This was followed by post-doctoral positions in both geosciences and chemical engineering.  She currently has used molecular and isotopic technologies to remediate contaminants including:  hydrocarbons, fuel oxygenates, brine (including historic, hypersaline brine scars), metals, industrial waste, chemical and pharmaceutical waste, chlorinated compounds, and explosives/munitions. Her project locations have included crude oil production and holding sites, refineries, terminals, storage facilities and retail service stations.  Additional project locations include active and decommissioned military facilities, active and decommissioned industrial chemical and pharmaceutical plants, and power plants.  To date, Dr. Jennings has worked on remediation projects on multiple continents, and has over 20 peer-reviewed publications and over 80 national and international presentations on the topic of bioremediation technologies.  She is also a national board member and national chairperson for the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), is a national safety board member for the American Petroleum Institute (API), and is the US national representative to the Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC). 

Research interests include the biological remediation of complex compounds in anaerobic and extreme environments.  In addition, interests include the use of microbes to leach compounds from landfills for resource extraction;  microbially-enhanced energy production from oil sands, shales, and spent oil reservoirs; microbial bioremediation/biosequestration of nuclear or radioactive materials;  bioattenuation of emerging contaminants;  microbial degradation of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment facilities; and the biological corrosion of pipelines.

Dr. Dutta received his Ph.D. in 2004 from Jadavpur University, India, and did his early postdoctoral research at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, and Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA. After completing senior postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, he joined the Department of Medicine faculty in 2015. Dr. Dutta has significant expertise in microbiology, molecular biology, and animal models of TB infection. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers on relevant topics.

He is a member of the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy; American Journal of Microbiological Research; The International Arabic Journal of Antimicrobial agents; Advances in Medicine, Austin Tuberculosis: Research & Treatment; Journal of Vaccines Research & Vaccination; World Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases; Clinical Reviews and Opinions; WebmedCentral plus Infectious Diseases, and Journal of Bacteriology & Mycology.

His research focuses on characterizing the efficacy of novel drugs and drug combinations against M. tuberculosis in murine and guinea pig models, with the goal of shortening the duration of TB chemotherapy. He is using multidisciplinary techniques, including computational modeling and high-throughput genetic screens in various animal models, including nonhuman primates, in order to elucidate M. tuberculosis essential pathways involved in latency and reactivation, as well as detection of TB biomarkers in people with HIV infection. 

I pursued a Ph.D in Chemistry as a fellow with Dr. Chao-Jun Li at McGill University (2004-2008). During my Ph.D, I developed a rapid catalytic synthesis of isoflavonone derivatives starting from Salicylaldehyde and phenylalkyne using gold as catalyst (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2007). The latter methodology allowed me to efficiently synthesize natural and non-natural products such as isoflavones, azaisoflavones and pterocarpens (Synlett 2007, Tetrahedron. Lett.2007) known to have medicinal properties [treat hormone-dependent breast cancer; possess anti-microbial activity and activity against snake and spider venom]. Then, I joined with my Canadian Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the laboratory of Dr. Ronald Breslow at Columbia University (New York, 2008-2010) where I designed and synthesized various artificial enzymesfor the study of the transamination reaction (JACS2009). In addition, I synthesized compounds bearing tin and sulfur atoms in order to understand their conductance at the molecular level (for single-molecule electronic devices) in collaboration with Dr. Latha Venkataraman (Nature Nanotechnology 2011 and 2012). To bridge my extensive chemistry training with the medical field, I accepted a Research Associate position at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr. Brent Stockwell (2010-2013). In his laboratory, I used a computer-based drug screening approach (ie. high throughput screening) to identify (among 5 million of compounds) small molecules that could inhibit Rat Sarcoma (RAS) mutated enzymes. In such difficult-to-treat cancer-related mutations, small inhibitory molecules are “hot” potential therapeutic targets. Therefore I designed, synthesized and tested (in various biological assays) small molecules to understand their mechanism of action toward various diseases. In addition, I studied the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of these bioactive small molecules by improving their pharmaceutical properties (eg: potency, solubility, plasma stability, microsomal stability and ADME/PK) (Cancer Discovery 2011, PNAS 2011, 2014, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2012, Cell 2012, 2014, JACS 2014, Nat. Chem. Biol. 2016).

Dr. Skouta’s research interests and activities span many traditional and emerging disciplines of chemistry and biology, with noteworthy focuses on the use of organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry and computational chemistry as tools to solve biological problems. Currently, Dr. Skouta is developing new catalytic reactions to synthesize interesting compounds, including natural products, with biological properties. These compounds will be tested in neurodegenerative and cancer disease models toward drug discovery and new treatments.

• Utpal Bhadra has reached the last step amongst the community of world’s eminent scientists by getting nominated for different societital fellowship for his pioneer discovery of Co-suppression mechanism in animals as a co first author. 
• It was a major foundation pillar for RNA interference technology which got quickest Nobel prize after discovery in history Nobel awardees. He was awarded as FRS of Biology and Chemistry (UK) in 2016.
• His group is being one of the top 10 young scientists in the world. He is the first in his country to receive International titles like the Fellow of UNESCO and Fellow of Aegis (Australia).
• He is the only Indian scientist to have received the Senior Welcome trust fellowship from UK and the Young investigator fellowship from Human Frontier of Science program (G8 countries).  
• He was also selected as the Excellent Investigator from the French Academy of Science.
• He has received more than 30 International Renowned Awards in Science in a very short time frame of 56 years.
• He as a pioneer of gene silencing he has been spreading the core concept for Gene silencing and RNAi across Asia and India and has gained popularity as the “RNAi man” among the Indian population.
• He is the only Indian Scientist in Asia to have published his manuscripts in the world’s best trio journals- Science, Nature Genetics and Cell (four) for his pioneer discovery. The paper he has published in Science is ranked amongst One of the 10 Topmost Cited Papers In Science since last three years.
• He has been serving as an Editor for Twelve International Journals including Nature Scientific Reports, elife etc.and has contributed chapters in 10 best science books including the first book on RNAi in the world edited by Dr. Greg Hannon, CSHL.

• Molecular Biology & Genetics Epigenetics
• Gene Silencing &RNA interference
• Drosophila and Mammalian Genetics
• Gene Silencing
• RNAi technology
• Biogenesis and mechanism