Overview
The Microbiology Society is delighted to be delivering the next meeting on Candida and Candidiasis as part of its Focused Meetings programme in 2023.
Candida and Candidiasis 2023 will bring together scientists studying diverse aspects of Candida biology, as well as interactions between these fungal species and their mammalian hosts. Candida species are commonly found colonizing multiple niches in the human body but are also responsible for a wide variety of important diseases that range from oral and vaginal candidiasis to life-threatening systemic infections. This meeting covers a broad spectrum of subjects that relate to Candida epidemiology, drug resistance, infection, host response, and therapeutics. The impact of Candida species on human health has recently garnered additional attention with the rapid emergence of the multi-drug resistant species Candida auris.
The goals of the meeting are to present the latest advances in the field, to spotlight the achievements of junior scientists, to ensure participation and promotion of diverse scientists, to promote synergistic and interdisciplinary interactions and to provide a forum for community-wide discussions and collaborations.
Organising committee:
Chair
Richard Bennett (Brown University, USA)
Co-Chair
Deborah Hogan (Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, USA)
Chair of Programme Committee
Mike Lorenz (University of Texas, USA)
Co-Chair of Programme Committee
Ilse Jacobsen (Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Germany)
Key topics:
Main sessions
- Candida biology and Candida-host interactions
- Host-Candida interactions: models and clinical studies
- Drug discovery, activity, and resistance
- Candida variation, genome dynamics and epidemiology
- Novel technologies and tools
- Clinical
Parallel sessions
- Late breaking topics
- Microbial interactions (microbiome, biofilms, co-infections)
- Fungal signaling/gene regulation
- Cell biology and morphology
- Metabolism
Further information will be announced in the build up to the meeting on our social media channels. Follow us on Twitter @MicrobioSoc using the hashtag #Candida2023. We will also be sharing stories on Instagram throughout the event.
Photo credit: iStock/Dr_Microbe
Programme
Session View
Sunday 14 May, Morning
Plenary I: Drug Discovery and Resistance
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Chair(s): Leah Cowen (University of Toronto, Canada) and Iuliana Ene (Institut Pasteur, France)
-
Echinocandin mediated cell wall remodelling induces tolerance mechanisms which promote persistent, drug recalcitrant infections
-
In-host echinocandin tolerance and evolution of resistance in Candida glabrata
-
Multiple genes of Candida albicans influencing echinocandin susceptibility in caspofungin-adapted mutants
-
High-throughput Chemical Screen Identifies Fatty Acid Biosynthesis Inhibition as a Broad-Spectrum Antifungal Strategy
-
Targeting Coenzyme A biosynthesis for antifungal development
-
High Throughput Screening of Repurposing Libraries in Search for Drugs with Novel Inhibitory Activity against Candida Biofilms
Plenary II: Variation and Genome Dynamics
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Chair(s): Geraldine Butler (University College Dublin, Ireland) and Christina Cuomo (Broad Institute, USA)
-
Genotype and phenotype diversity in Candida parapsilosis
-
Reassessing the Macroevolutionary Origins of Pathogenicity in Candida auris and Relatives Through Phylogenomic Analysis
-
ER stress induces high frequency CNV events and potentiates tolerance to azoles in Candida auris
-
The RNA interference pathway silences subtelomeric genes in Candida albicans
-
Evolutionary acquired insertion sequences control adaptation and virulence in Candida albicans
-
Antifungal drug concentration impacts the spectrum of adaptive mutations in Candida species
Sunday 14 May, Afternoon
Parallel Session A1: Candida Signaling/Gene Regulation
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Chair(s): Malcolm Whiteway (Concordia University, Canada) and Adnane Sellam (University of Montreal- Montreal Heart Institute, Canada)
-
Fluorescent microscopy to identify the location of Ppp1 a novel protein in Candida albicans
-
Cytochrome c regulates hyphal growth by interfering with cAMP-PKA signaling in Candida albicans
-
Candidalysin uses an unexpected mechanism to form membrane pores
-
Dynamics of cell wall β-1,6-glucans in Candida albicans
-
Candida albicans Sap6 induces NLRP3-mediated oral epithelial inflammation
-
Modulation of fungal hypoxic growth by TOR pathway and the chromatin remodeler Ino80
Parallel Session A2: Metabolism
-
Chair(s): Duncan Wilson (University of Aberdeen, UK) and Harshini Weerasinghe (Monash University, Australia)
-
Eat to compete: Understanding immunometabolic interactions during Candida auris infection
-
A commonly used prebiotic impacts Candida albicans phenotypes central to gut commensalism and pathogenesis
-
The Candida glabrata Parent Strain Trap
-
The Hxk1 protein of Candida albicans influences expression of both metabolic and virulence related genes
-
Trans-cellular tunnels induced by Candida albicans facilitate invasion through successive epithelial cells without host damage
-
Zinc treatment prevents vulvovaginal candidiasis immunopathology by blocking Candida albicans Pra1
Monday 15 May, Morning
Plenary III: Host-Candida Interactions
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Chair(s): Iliyan Iliev (Cornell University, USA) and Michail Lionakis (NIH, USA)
-
Ab-AIRE-ant response: Autoimmunity, IFN, STAT1, and mucosal candidiasis
-
Candida-induced granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells are protective against polymicrobial sepsis
-
Candida albicans extracellular vesicles trigger type I IFN signaling via cGAS and STING
-
Gut fungal microbiota in neuroimmunity and inflammation
-
Deep tissue infection by an invasive human fungal pathogen requires lipid-based suppression of the IL-17 response
-
The role of EGFR in Candida albicans infection
Plenary IV: Candida Biology and Host Interacitons
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Chair(s): Haoping Liu (University of California, Irvine, USA) and Joachim Morschhäuser (University of Würzburg, Germany)
-
In Candida albicans, Opaque Cell-Type Memory through Thousands of Cell Divisions Requires the Continuous Presence of WOR1
-
A role for IME4 and m6A in regulating the C. albicans parasexual cycle
-
The Candida albicans transcription factor RFX1 regulates oral mucosa infection
-
Regulation of inflammatory cell death by Als3 of Candida albicans hyphae
-
Characterizing Candida albicans hyphal regulation in the context of host macrophages
-
The conserved Ypk1 protein kinase signaling pathway is rewired and not essential for viability in Candida albicans
Monday 15 May, Afternoon
Parallel Session B1: Microbial Communities
-
Chair(s): Rebecca Hall (University of Kent, UK) and Priya Uppuluri (University of California Los Angeles, USA)
-
Pseudomonas aeruginosa increases the susceptibility of Candida albicans to amphotericin B in dual species biofilms
-
Inter-Kingdom metabolism underlies exacerbated bacterial toxin production during Candida albicans-Staphylococcus aureus co-infection
-
Extracellular vesicle cargo provide cooperative and competitive roles in mixed Candida spp. biofilm interactions
-
Characterizing the role of Candida species during gastrointestinal infection by Clostridioides difficile
-
Population-level evolution in mixed-species yeast cultures caused by changes in growth conditions
-
Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis form a complex nutritional network during in vitro coinfection altering host cell damage
Parallel Session B2: Cell Biology
-
Chair(s): Alexandra Brand (University of Exeter, UK) and James Konopka (Stony Brook University, USA)
-
Proper morphogenesis is needed for Candida albicans stress resistance and virulence
-
Bacteria-mediated killing of Candida albicans: the role of the fungal cell wall in resisting bacterial attack
-
Filament branching in Candida albicans
-
Unraveling how Candida albicans forms sexual biofilms
-
Candida albicans interactions with the host autophagy machinery during infection of epithelial cells
-
The phospholipid flippase, Neo1, is required for the reorganisation of plasma membrane lipids required for invasive hyphal growth in Candida albicans
Tuesday 16 May, Morning
Plenary V: Variation and Genome Dynamics
-
Chair(s): Aaron Mitchell (University of Georgia, USA) and Tobias Hohl (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA)
-
Natural variation in the Candida albicans biofilm regulatory network
-
A Gain-of-function Mutation in Zinc Cluster Transcription Factor Rob1 Drives Candida albicans Adaptive Growth in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung Environment
-
Convergent evolution of the mitochondrial iron transporter Mrs4 in chronic fungal Cystic Fibrosis infections
-
Parasexual recombination in Candida albicans exceeds meiotic frequencies in ascomycetes
-
Echinocandin heteroresistance causes prophylaxis failure and facilitates breakthrough Candida parapsilosis infection
-
Stress-induced rapid genome instability events enable multiple adaptive strategies to survive antifungal stress
Plenary VI: Drug Discovery and Resistance
-
Chair(s): Judith Berman and Rebecca Shapiro
-
Antifungal Drug Tolerance in Candida albicans at the species-wide scale
-
Transient aneuploidy mediates azole heteroresistance in C. albicans
-
Inducible tolerance and persistence in Candida glabrata through calcineurin signaling
-
Differential Dependence of PDR1 Variants on Coactivator Complexes in Response to Azole
-
Identification of Amphotericin B Resistance Determinants in Candida auris
-
A master bZIP transcriptional regulator in C. auris links metabolism, tissue tropism, morphogenesis and antifungal multidrug resistance
Tuesday 16 May, Afternoon
Plenary VII: Cutting-edge approaches
-
Chair(s): Matthew Anderson (The Ohio State University, USA) and David Kadosh (University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USA)
-
CRISPR-based functional genomic tools and application to understanding antifungal resistance and the mechanism of action of novel antifungals
-
Candida glabrata, new tools to study stress, pathogenesis and drug resistance
-
An intestine-on-chip to dissect Candida albicans infections and evaluate therapeutic approaches
-
Rapid, efficient auxin-inducible protein degradation in Candida albicans
-
A novel rRNA hybridization-based approach to rapid, accurate Candida identification directly from blood culture
-
A quick and cheap PCR tool to identify Candida species on gDNA directly extracted from positive blood cultures
Lecture View
Sunday 14 May
-
Registration
-
Echinocandin mediated cell wall remodelling induces tolerance mechanisms which promote persistent, drug recalcitrant infections
-
In-host echinocandin tolerance and evolution of resistance in Candida glabrata
-
Multiple genes of Candida albicans influencing echinocandin susceptibility in caspofungin-adapted mutants
-
High-throughput Chemical Screen Identifies Fatty Acid Biosynthesis Inhibition as a Broad-Spectrum Antifungal Strategy
-
Targeting Coenzyme A biosynthesis for antifungal development
-
High Throughput Screening of Repurposing Libraries in Search for Drugs with Novel Inhibitory Activity against Candida Biofilms
-
Refreshments
-
Genotype and phenotype diversity in Candida parapsilosis
-
Reassessing the Macroevolutionary Origins of Pathogenicity in Candida auris and Relatives Through Phylogenomic Analysis
-
ER stress induces high frequency CNV events and potentiates tolerance to azoles in Candida auris
-
The RNA interference pathway silences subtelomeric genes in Candida albicans
-
Evolutionary acquired insertion sequences control adaptation and virulence in Candida albicans
-
Antifungal drug concentration impacts the spectrum of adaptive mutations in Candida species
-
Career Development Session
-
Lunch (lunch boxes)
-
Fluorescent microscopy to identify the location of Ppp1 a novel protein in Candida albicans
-
Eat to compete: Understanding immunometabolic interactions during Candida auris infection
-
Cytochrome c regulates hyphal growth by interfering with cAMP-PKA signaling in Candida albicans
-
A commonly used prebiotic impacts Candida albicans phenotypes central to gut commensalism and pathogenesis
-
Candidalysin uses an unexpected mechanism to form membrane pores
-
The Candida glabrata Parent Strain Trap
-
Dynamics of cell wall β-1,6-glucans in Candida albicans
-
The Hxk1 protein of Candida albicans influences expression of both metabolic and virulence related genes
-
Candida albicans Sap6 induces NLRP3-mediated oral epithelial inflammation
-
Trans-cellular tunnels induced by Candida albicans facilitate invasion through successive epithelial cells without host damage
-
Modulation of fungal hypoxic growth by TOR pathway and the chromatin remodeler Ino80
-
Zinc treatment prevents vulvovaginal candidiasis immunopathology by blocking Candida albicans Pra1
-
Refreshments
-
Elevator Session A
-
Poster Sessions A
Monday 15 May
-
Registration
-
Ab-AIRE-ant response: Autoimmunity, IFN, STAT1, and mucosal candidiasis
-
Candida-induced granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells are protective against polymicrobial sepsis
-
Candida albicans extracellular vesicles trigger type I IFN signaling via cGAS and STING
-
Gut fungal microbiota in neuroimmunity and inflammation
-
Deep tissue infection by an invasive human fungal pathogen requires lipid-based suppression of the IL-17 response
-
The role of EGFR in Candida albicans infection
-
Refreshments
-
In Candida albicans, Opaque Cell-Type Memory through Thousands of Cell Divisions Requires the Continuous Presence of WOR1
-
A role for IME4 and m6A in regulating the C. albicans parasexual cycle
-
The Candida albicans transcription factor RFX1 regulates oral mucosa infection
-
Regulation of inflammatory cell death by Als3 of Candida albicans hyphae
-
Characterizing Candida albicans hyphal regulation in the context of host macrophages
-
The conserved Ypk1 protein kinase signaling pathway is rewired and not essential for viability in Candida albicans
-
Lunch
-
Clinical Session 1
-
Pseudomonas aeruginosa increases the susceptibility of Candida albicans to amphotericin B in dual species biofilms
-
Proper morphogenesis is needed for Candida albicans stress resistance and virulence
-
Inter-Kingdom metabolism underlies exacerbated bacterial toxin production during Candida albicans-Staphylococcus aureus co-infection
-
Bacteria-mediated killing of Candida albicans: the role of the fungal cell wall in resisting bacterial attack
-
Extracellular vesicle cargo provide cooperative and competitive roles in mixed Candida spp. biofilm interactions
-
Filament branching in Candida albicans
-
Characterizing the role of Candida species during gastrointestinal infection by Clostridioides difficile
-
Unraveling how Candida albicans forms sexual biofilms
-
Population-level evolution in mixed-species yeast cultures caused by changes in growth conditions
-
Candida albicans interactions with the host autophagy machinery during infection of epithelial cells
-
Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis form a complex nutritional network during in vitro coinfection altering host cell damage
-
The phospholipid flippase, Neo1, is required for the reorganisation of plasma membrane lipids required for invasive hyphal growth in Candida albicans
-
Refreshments
-
Elevator Session B
-
Poster Sessions B
Tuesday 16 May
-
Registration
-
Natural variation in the Candida albicans biofilm regulatory network
-
A Gain-of-function Mutation in Zinc Cluster Transcription Factor Rob1 Drives Candida albicans Adaptive Growth in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung Environment
-
Convergent evolution of the mitochondrial iron transporter Mrs4 in chronic fungal Cystic Fibrosis infections
-
Parasexual recombination in Candida albicans exceeds meiotic frequencies in ascomycetes
-
Echinocandin heteroresistance causes prophylaxis failure and facilitates breakthrough Candida parapsilosis infection
-
Stress-induced rapid genome instability events enable multiple adaptive strategies to survive antifungal stress
-
Refreshments
-
Antifungal Drug Tolerance in Candida albicans at the species-wide scale
-
Transient aneuploidy mediates azole heteroresistance in C. albicans
-
Inducible tolerance and persistence in Candida glabrata through calcineurin signaling
-
Differential Dependence of PDR1 Variants on Coactivator Complexes in Response to Azole
-
Identification of Amphotericin B Resistance Determinants in Candida auris
-
A master bZIP transcriptional regulator in C. auris links metabolism, tissue tropism, morphogenesis and antifungal multidrug resistance
-
Lunch
-
Clinical Session 2
-
CRISPR-based functional genomic tools and application to understanding antifungal resistance and the mechanism of action of novel antifungals
-
Candida glabrata, new tools to study stress, pathogenesis and drug resistance
-
An intestine-on-chip to dissect Candida albicans infections and evaluate therapeutic approaches
-
Rapid, efficient auxin-inducible protein degradation in Candida albicans
-
A novel rRNA hybridization-based approach to rapid, accurate Candida identification directly from blood culture
-
A quick and cheap PCR tool to identify Candida species on gDNA directly extracted from positive blood cultures
-
Refreshments
-
Elevator Session C
-
Poster Sessions C
-
Drinks Reception
-
Conference Dinner
Social programme
Data: Monday 15 May 2023
Canada Showcase 2023
Registration for Canada Showcase 2023 is now closed.
Data: Monday 15 May 2023
Time: 18:00-20:30 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Location: McGill Faculty Club, Montréal, Canada
Tickets: Free – but please reserve your place via this booking link.
The Microbiology Society is pleased to announce our first international Showcase in Montréal, Canada hosted by the Microbiology Society staff.
This is a free networking event where attendees will have the opportunity to network with local like-minded people over drinks and canapes, find out how you can Get Involved with the Society, to advance your career, build your networks, raise your profile and communicate your work and more!
You can find more information and register on the Canada Showcase 2023 event page.
Speakers
The programme of invited keynote speakers for the meeting include:
Carol A. Kumamoto (Tufts University, USA)
Carol Kumamoto is a Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology and Vice Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. The Kumamoto laboratory investigates many aspects of the physiology of the fungus Candida albicans, a significant opportunistic pathogen and a human commensal. Dr. Kumamoto and her co-workers found that C. albicans gut colonization has numerous effects on the gut ecosystem including promoting a protective immune response to a bacterial pathogen, Clostridioides difficile, decreasing the ecological resistance of the gut bacterial microbiota and affecting the gut-brain axis, increasing anxiety-like behavior in mice.
Dr. Kumamoto received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles studying the maturation and processing of type V procollagen in chicks. She was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Jon Beckwith at Harvard Medical School where she discovered the E. coli chaperone SecB and demonstrated its role in protein secretion. She moved to Stanford University for further postdoctoral training with Dr. Robert Simoni where she used genetic suppression to identify interactions between subunits of the energy transducing F1Fo ATPase complex of E. coli. She joined the faculty at Tufts University School of Medicine in 1986 and initiated her work on C. albicans soon after. Dr. Kumamoto has served on journal editorial boards and NIH grant review committees. She has been recognized for excellence in both teaching and research, including being elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Damian Krysan (University of Iowa Health Care, USA)
Dr. Krysan grew up in South Dakota and attended Grinnell College in Iowa. After obtaining a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at Northwestern University , he worked in the pharmaceutical industry and was part of the Abbott team that brought the HIV protease inhibitor Ritonavir (and now COVID adjuvant) to the clinic. He then attended medical school at the University of Michigan and completed his pediatrics and pediatric infectious disease training there as well. He was introduced to the awesome power of yeast genetics in the laboratory of Roberta Fuller. His independent career at the University of Rochester and now at the University of Iowa has focused on genetic approaches to understanding C. albicans and C. neoformans pathogenesis as well as antifungal drug discovery and pre-clinical development. He is currently the Samuel J. Fomon Chair of Pulmonology/Allergy/Infectious Disease and Director of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Division at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Abstracts and Posters
Candida and Candidiasis 2023 Abstract Book
How to write a great abstract
Candida and Candidiasis 2023 Abstract Book
Guidance for offered talk presenters:
- Presentation length: 15 minutes total (please leave around 2 minutes for Q&A).
- Please prepare your presentation in widescreen (16:9) format as a PowerPoint or PDF and bring the file to the meeting on a USB memory stick or ensure the file is accessible via cloud storage.
- If you wish to present from your own device please let us know in advance.
Guidelines for poster presenters:
- Maximum poster size: 44'' (h) x 44'' (w) - your poster must not exceed these measurements.
- Posters can be affixed by Velcro (provided at the meeting).
- Posters will be displayed on poster boards measuring 4' x 8', two to a side.
- You will be informed of your poster number by email prior to the event.
Abstract guidance
Abstracts must be a maximum of 250 words. The Society has produced a guide to give delegates some tips on how to write a great abstract, which can be downloaded below:
How to write a great abstract
Please note that the abstract is the only information session organisers use when deciding whether to accept your work for presentation as an offered oral or poster. If accepted, it will also be published in the abstract book for the meeting – so think carefully about what needs to be included.
Microbiology Outstanding Poster Prize
Microbiology is pleased to provide the Best Poster Prize to a scientific poster at the Candida and Candidiasis 2023 meeting, selected by members of the Microbiology Editorial Board, will win a cash prize and be featured on the Microbe Post. All posters displayed at the meeting are automatically entered for the prize.
Registration
Registration for Candida and Candidiasis 2023 is now closed.
Destination & Venue
Destination Montreal
Candida and Candidiasis 2023 will be taking place in Canada for the first time, in the vibrant city of Montréal.
Montréal is a busy, exhilarating city and is the most populous municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec. The city is a leading international-calibre destination and the scientific excellence of Montreal institutions is recognized around the world.
Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel
1201 Boulevard Rene-Levesque West
Montreal
Quebec
H3B 2L7
Canada
The meeting takes place at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel in downtown Montreal. Guests can enjoy a range of amenities, friendly service and a comfortable stay in the recently renovated hotel rooms. The hotel is set in a bustling city center location steps from Bell Centre and St. Catherine's Street and close to Montreal attractions like The Underground City and The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Accommodation
Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel is offering a limited number of rooms at a discounted rate of CA $229 per night for conference delegates.
Book your group rate for Conference on Candida and Candidiasis - Montreal, May 2023
Bookings must be made online via the link above.
Accessibility
The hotel has accessible guest rooms with 32” wide doorways and fully accessible routes from the public entrance to accessible guest rooms.
All amenities and facilities, including the spa, restaurant, business centre and all meeting spaces, are fully accessible.
Further information on the venue’s accessibility can be found Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel website.
Sustainability
Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel is part of ‘Marriot International’, which provides the following statement about its Serve 360 sustainability initiative:
“Guided by our sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, Marriott International commits to creating positive and sustainable impact wherever we do business.” - Marriot International
You can find out more on the Marriot website.
Grants and Professional Development
Society Conference Grants and Travel Grants are available to support those wishing to attend this meeting.
The Society also provides support for childcare, caring needs or other similar caring costs for Microbiology Society Members through the Society Conference Grant.
For more information please visit our Grants page or contact [email protected] for any questions.
Sponsorship
Candida and Candidiasis 2023 Sponsorship Brochure
Sponsorship opportunities are available for this meeting.
Please download our exhibitor and sponsor pack to view our options, which suit varying budgets and help create the opportunities you need to connect with new and existing customers. If you have any questions about the packages please email [email protected].
Candida and Candidiasis 2023 Sponsorship Brochure
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