Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm
The Structural Biology of Host-Parasite Interaction
Discussion Leaders: Damian Ekiert (Johns Hopkins University, United States) and Mélissa Léger-Abraham (Harvard Medical School, United States)
7:40 pm - 8:00 pm
Chi-Min Ho (Columbia University, United States)
"Visualizing The Molecular Effects of an Anti-Malarial Translation Inhibitor Inside Malaria Parasites"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm
Yi-Wei Chang (University of Pennsylvania, United States)
"Toward A Structural Mechanistic Understanding of the Apicomplexan Rhoptry Secretion System at The Host-Parasite Interface"
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm
Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:00 pm
C. Erec Stebbins (German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Germany)
"Parasitizing Parasites: The African Trypanosome in Science and Medicine"
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm
Discussion
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm
Lilach Sheiner (University of Glasgow, United Kingdom)
"Understanding the Divergent Biology of Apicomplexan Mitochondria via Structural Analysis"
9:20 pm - 9:25 pm
Discussion
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
The Cell Biology of Parasites and Host-Parasite Interaction
Discussion Leaders: Vasant Muralidharan (University of Georgia, United States) and Caroline Keroack (Brown University, United States)
9:00 am - 9:20 am
Natalia de Miguel (INTECH (CONICET-UNSAM), Argentina)
"Extracellular Vesicles from The Parasite Trichomonas Vaginalis : Role in Cell Communication"
9:20 am - 9:30 am
Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am
Philipp Olias (Justus Liebig University, Germany)
"Insights From Theileria : Commonalities in Host Cell Reprogramming and Exploitation"
9:50 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:10 am
Supratim Pradhan (Indian institute of technology Kharagpur, India)
"Preferential Host Lipid Acquisition Leading to The Breakdown of Amphotericin-B Responsiveness in Clinical Isolates of Leishmania Donovani "
10:10 am - 10:15 am
Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:05 am
Tania Rozario (University of Georgia, United States)
"Exploring Stem Cell And Germ Cell Niches In The Tapeworm Hymenolepis Diminuta"
11:05 am - 11:15 am
Discussion
11:15 am - 11:35 am
Adam Sateriale (Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom)
"Cryptosporidium : A Growing (Microvilli) Problem"
11:35 am - 11:45 am
Discussion
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Bruno Martorelli Di Genova (University of Vermont, United States)
"Implications of Purine Auxotrophy in Toxoplasma Gondii "
11:55 am - 12:00 pm
Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm
Andres Tibabuzo (Morgridge Institute for Research, United States)
"Host-Parasite Interactions of the Third Kind"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm
Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm
Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The GRC Power Hourâ„¢
The GRC Power Hourâ„¢ is designed to address diversity and inclusion in the scientific workplace by providing a safe environment for informal and meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages. The program supports the professional growth of all members of our communities, including ethnicity, race and/or gender identity by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring.
Organizer: Monica Mugnier (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States)
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Biophysical and Mechanical Aspects of Host-Parasite Interaction
Discussion Leaders: Freddy Frischknecht (Heidelberg University, Germany) and Paul Sigala (University of Utah School of Medicine, United States)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm
Markus Engstler (University of Wuerzburg, Germany)
"Physical Aspects of Trypanosome Biology - From Single Molecule Motion To Collective Behavior in The Host"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm
Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm
Gira Bhabha (Johns Hopkins University, United States)
"How Microsporidian Parasites Use Ballistic Organelles To Invade Host Cells"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm
Isabelle Tardieux (CNRS, France)
"Decoding The Dynamic Interplay Between Adhesion And Force During Toxoplasma Motility"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm
Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm
Leon Lettermann (Heidelberg University, Germany)
"Bridging the Gap Between Surface Flows and Motility Patterns of Malaria Sporozoites"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm
Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm
Ludivine Royer (Institut Cochin, Paris, France, France)
"Identification and Characterization of a New Actor in the Regulation of the Mechanical Properties of Erythrocytes Infected with Plasmodium Falciparum "
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Parasite Genomics and Epigenetics
Discussion Leaders: Jessie Kissinger (University of Georgia, United States) and Jenna Oberstaller (University of South Florida, United States)
9:00 am - 9:20 am
Janelisa Musaya (Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme/Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi)
"Hybridization in Urogenital Schistosomiasis (HUGS)"
9:20 am - 9:30 am
Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am
Manuel Llinas (Penn State University, United States)
"Exploring The Impact of Structural Variants of PfAP2-G On Sexual Commitment"
9:50 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:10 am
N. Bishara Marzook (The Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom)
"A Microscopy-Based CRISPR Screen Reveals The Essential Host Genome for Cryptosporidium Replication and Development"
10:10 am - 10:15 am
Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:05 am
T. Nicolai Siegel (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany)
"High-Resolution scRNA-Seq Reveals Genomic Determinants of Antigen Expression Hierarchy in African Trypanosomes"
11:05 am - 11:15 am
Discussion
11:15 am - 11:35 am
Thomas Otto (Universities of Glasgow , United Kingdom)
"Using Computational, Single Cell and Spatial Methods to Explore Host-Parasite Interactions"
11:35 am - 11:45 am
Discussion
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Tiago Rodrigues Ferreira (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, United States)
"Loss of Leishmania Mitochondrial Minicircle DNA is Associated with Attenuated Parasite Virulence in Mice"
11:55 am - 12:00 pm
Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Parasite Evolution and Population Genetics
Discussion Leaders: Jayne Raper (Hunter College, City University of New York, United States) and Sebastian Shaw (University of Pennsylvania, United States)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm
Victoria Ingham (Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany)
"Insecticides and Parasites: Do They Interact?"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm
Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm
Scott Dawson (University of California, Davis, United States)
"Host-Parasite Relationship Drama: New Approaches Uncover Giardia's Secure Attachment Style"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm
Martin Kolisko (Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic)
"Expanding the Menu: Novel Diversity of Free-Living Bacterivorous Colpodellids, Relatives of Apicomplexa"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm
Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm
Dominic Amuzu (MRC Unit, The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Gambia)
"Distribution of Polymorphisms in Malaria Associated Host Genes ARL15, ATP2B4, CD40, G6PD and INPP4B across Selected Malaria Endemic African Populations."
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm
Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm
Lulu Singer (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States)
"Hide and Go Seq: Capturing the Antibody-VSG Arms Race During Trypanosoma brucei Infection"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Host Response to Infection and Parasite Countermeasures
Discussion Leaders: Tatiane Lima (California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, United States) and Lamba Omar Sangare (Texas A&M University, United States)
9:00 am - 9:20 am
Monica Mugnier (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States)
"Antigen Diversification in Trypanosoma Brucei "
9:20 am - 9:30 am
Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am
Shaden Kamhawi (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, United States)
"Blood and Bleeding: A Centerpiece of Sand Fly-Leishmania Interactions"
9:50 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:10 am
Maura Ruyechan (UC Davis, United States)
"Trogocytosis of Human Cells by Entamoeba Histolytica Enables Protection from Human Serum Complement Lysis"
10:10 am - 10:15 am
Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:05 am
Elia Tait Wojno (University of Washington, United States)
"Prostaglandin Regulation of Type 2 Inflammation During Helminth Infection"
11:05 am - 11:15 am
Discussion
11:15 am - 11:35 am
Justin Boddey (The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australia)
"Long-Acting Antimalarials Targeting Late Liver Stages for Malaria Chemovaccination"
11:35 am - 11:45 am
Discussion
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Alex Rosenberg (UGA, United States)
"A Combination of Four Nuclear Targeted Effectors Protects Toxoplasma Against Interferon Gamma Driven Human Host Cell Death During Acute Infection"
11:55 am - 12:00 pm
Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm
Joey Verdi (Panosome GmbH and the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Germany)
"Using T. Brucei 's Unique Properties to Develop Therapeutic Antibodies against Difficult Targets in Cancer and Other Diseases"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm
Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm
Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
The Extended Phenotype: Parasite Manipulation of Host Behavior
Discussion Leaders: Gerald Spaeth (Institut Pasteur, France) and Peter Back (Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School, United States)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm
Carolyn Elya (Harvard University, United States)
"The Last of (Fung)us: Mechanisms of Fruit Fly Behavioral Manipulation by The Killer Fungus Entomophthora Muscae "
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm
Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm
Frederic Libersat (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel)
"Exploiting Neurotransmitter Crosstalk: The Intricate Chemical Warfare Between A Parasitoid Wasp And its Cockroach Host"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm
Robert Yolken (johns hopkins school of medcine, United States)
"Are we Underestimating the Prevalence of Toxoplasma Infections and their Relationship with Neuropsychiatric Disorders?"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm
Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:20 pm
General Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Business Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Parasite Developmental Biology
Discussion Leaders: Laura Knoll (University of Wisconsin Madison, United States) and Jianbin Wang (University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States)
9:00 am - 9:20 am
Jim Collins (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, United States)
"Sex, Drugs, and Schistosomes: Control of Schistosome Sexual Development by A Non-Ribosomal Peptide Pheromone"
9:20 am - 9:30 am
Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am
Ana Gomes (CNRS - University of Montpellier, France)
"Uncovering Cell Cycle Checkpoints in Malaria Parasites"
9:50 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:10 am
Corey Rennolds (University of Georgia, United States)
"Prospective Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Stem Cells in the Rat Tapeworm, Hymenolepis Diminuta "
10:10 am - 10:15 am
Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:05 am
Sebastian Lourido (Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States)
"Lost in A Crowd: How Toxoplasma Manages Resources at High Density"
11:05 am - 11:15 am
Discussion
11:15 am - 11:35 am
Luisa Figueiredo (Instituto de Medicina Molecular, University of Lisbon, Portugal)
"The Role of Host Adipose Tissue in Trypanosomiasis"
11:35 am - 11:45 am
Discussion
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Robyn Kent (OUHSC, United States)
"Single-Cell RNA Sequencing and Immunohistochemical Analysis of Reactivating Toxoplasma Bradyzoites in Vivo."
11:55 am - 12:00 pm
Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Parasite Metabolism and Drug Targets
Discussion Leaders: David Sibley (Washington University Sch. Med. in St. Louis, United States) and Purnima Bhanot (Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, United States)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm
Margaret Phillips (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, United States)
"Non-Covalent Selective Proteasome Inhibitors for Malaria"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm
Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm
Chris Huston (University of Vermont, United States)
"Identification of Potent and Orally Efficacious Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors to Treat Cryptosporidiosis"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm
Ujjini Manjunatha (Novartis BioMedical Research, United States)
"Engineering Tissue-Specific Stability of Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase Inhibitors to Treat Pediatric Cryptosporidiosis"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm
Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm
Ignacio Durante (George Washington University, United States)
"Characterization of a Putative T. Brucei Fexinidazole Resistance Gene Encoding a Novel Glutathione-S-Transferase Protein"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm
Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm
Camilla V Pires (University of South Florida, United States)
"Single Cell RNAseq Reveals the Role of Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein 5 (LRR5) in the Plasmodium Falciparum Artemisinin Response"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Departure