Candida and Candidiasis 2025

The programme of invited keynote speakers for the meeting includes:

Dr Bernhard Hube (Leibniz-HKI and FSU Jena, Germany)

Bernhard (Bernie) Hube has been active in the field of fungal infection biology, molecular biology, and host–fungus interactions for many years, with a particular focus on Candida albicans and C. glabrata. His research interests include extracellular enzymes (such as lipases and proteases), infection-associated genes, fungal morphology, peptide toxins, functional genomics, and the interaction of fungi with epithelial cells, macrophages, and neutrophils - studied through various in vitro and ex vivo infection models. He identified one of the first virulence genes in C. albicans and, together with Julian Naglik (King’s College London), contributed to the discovery of the first ribosomal peptide toxin in a human-pathogenic fungus.

Dr. Hube has co-authored more than 320 scientific publications and has served as editor and section editor for several journals and academic books. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) and an Honorary Member of the German-Speaking Mycological Society (DMykG). He has acted as coordinator, co-coordinator, or principal investigator (PI) in numerous national and EU-funded research initiatives. He has also served as Vice-President of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM) and co-chaired ISHAM and Gordon Research Conferences (GRC).

He earned his Diploma in Microbiology and PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) from the University of Göttingen, Germany, followed by an Honorary Research Fellowship at the University of Aberdeen, UK. He subsequently held positions as Senior Postdoctoral Fellow and Assistant Professor at the University of Hamburg, and later became Group Leader and Head of the Mycology Division at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin. Since 2007, Dr. Hube has led the Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Hans Knöll Institute) and holds the Chair of Microbial Pathogenicity at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany.

Dr Sarah Gaffen (University of Pittsburgh, USA)

Dr. Sarah Gaffen is the Gerald P. Rodnan Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Pittsburgh Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology. Dr. Gaffen directs a research program focused on defining signaling pathways and biological outputs of cytokines and their receptors. Dr. Gaffen’s lab is among the few to study signaling mechanisms mediated by the IL-17 family cytokines, and her group was the first to show that IL-17 is critical for immunity to oral mucosal infections, including periodontal immunity and host responses to with the commensal fungus Candida albicans. Treatment of autoimmune diseases has been revolutionized by “biologic” drugs that neutralize cytokines including the Th17/IL-17 pathway, IL-17 and Dr. Gaffen’s lab has defined many novel molecular signaling mechanisms that underlie autoimmunity and the consequences of anti-cytokine therapy on susceptibility to infections.

Dr. Gaffen received a Bachelors of Science from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, working with National Academy of Science member Dr. Marian Koshland. Dr. Gaffen performed postdoctoral studies at the University of California at San Francisco and the Gladstone Institute of Virology & Immunology. She has held faculty positions at the State University of New York at Buffalo Department of Oral Biology and has been at the University of Pittsburgh since 2008. Dr. Gaffen has authored more than 150 scientific papers and has been continuously funded by the NIH for over 20 years. Dr. Gaffen is an elected Fellow of the AAAS and the American Academy of Microbiology. She holds an NIH MERIT award and is currently President of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society.

Registration for Candida and Candidiasis is now closed.

Microbiology Society members get heavily subsidised registration fees for Annual Conference and other Society events—both online and in-person. Join now to enjoy these discounts as well as many other opportunities that are designed for microbiologists of all career stages.

All speakers and poster presenters are expected to attend in person.

Visa applications

If you need a letter of invitation for a visa application, we will be happy to supply this after we have received full payment.

Please note that all conference delegates are responsible for their own travel and visa arrangements; the Microbiology Society will not take any responsibility for travel or visa problems.

Visa Navigator (https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/visa-service/visa-navigator-2489244) tool for Germany.

Registration confirmation 

Upon registration, you should receive an automated confirmation email. Please contact [email protected] if, after 24 hours, this has not been received.

Payment information

All registration fees must be paid in full BEFORE arrival at the conference. Any outstanding registration fees must be paid before admittance will be granted to the conference.

Cancellations

Refunds are not provided. However, substitutions of attendees can be made at any time before the event by contacting [email protected].

Invited and Offered Talks Abstract Booklet

Posters and Elevator Talks Abstract Booklet

Poster numbers, titles and presenters

Abstract submissions for the Candida and Candidiasis 2025 is now closed.

Both members and non-members of the Microbiology Society are welcome to submit an abstract for the meeting. All offered talks, presentations and posters will be selected from the abstracts submitted. Once submissions are closed, they will be reviewed by the session organisers, and submitters will be notified of the outcome from mid-May 2025. By submitting an abstract to this conference, you are indicating to the session organisers your commitment to attend the event.

Guidelines for poster presentations

• Poster size: A0 size 841mm(w) x 1189mm(h) - your poster must not exceed these measurements. 
• Poster layout: MUST BE portrait orientation.  
• Posters will be displayed on poster boards measuring 1m(w) x 2.5m(h), one to a side. 
• Adhesive tape will be provided for hanging up the posters, and the use of pins are not allowed for the posterboard.

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.

Candida and Candidiasis 2025 will be taking place in The ESTREL Congress Center (ECC), Berlin, Germany.

Find the google map here.

The Estrel Congress Center (ECC) is located at Ziegrastraße 225, 12057 Berlin, Germany.

The Estrel Congress Center (ECC) Berlin is a premier conference and event venue located within the Estrel Berlin complex. The ECC is renowned for its state-of-the-art technology, versatile spaces, and exceptional service, making it an ideal location for conferences, conventions, exhibitions, and special events. Its strategic location and comprehensive amenities make it a leading choice for both national and international events.

Directions

Car Parking:

• Convenient location with highway access only 1.5 kilometres away.
• Ample parking is available for guests.

By train:

• Sonnenallee S-Bahn commuter train station is just a three-minute walk from the ECC.

By bus:

• The bus stop located right in front of the ECC
• A taxi rank also available at the front of ECC

By Airport:

• Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) is 13 kilometres away, providing easy access for travellers.

Accommodation

ESTREL HOTEL-Betriebs GmbH offers a limited number of rooms at a discount for conference delegates for the nights 6–9 October 2025. 

The following rates have been secured at the ESTREL HOTEL-Betriebs GmbH:

• Standard Single room: Euro 178.00 + Berlin City Tax Euro 8.90 per room per night*
• Double room: Euro 190.00 + Berlin City Tax Euro 9.50 per room per night*

Please follow the accommodation link to book your hotel stay at the ESTREL HOTEL. 

* Berlin City Tax:
As of January 1st 2025, all guests are required to pay the Berlin overnight tax (City Tax) in the amount of 7.5% of the net room rate plus 7% value-added tax (VAT) in addition to the contracted room rates.

Breakfast Buffet
There is an additional charge of EUR 25.00 per person/day for the breakfast buffet plus city tax. 

If you have any questions or need assistance with accommodation arrangements, please contact the ESTREL HOTEL-Betriebs GmbH reservation team.

Society Events Grant

Applications for the Society Events Grant to support members attending Candida 2025 will open on 09 June 2025 and close on 23 June 2025 at 23:59 BST.

Grants will act as contributions towards registration, travel, and accommodation expenses only.

Eligibility requirements:

Eligible membership categories:

• Full Member
• Full Concessionary Member
• Postgraduate Student Members
• Undergraduate Student Members

Minimum membership period required:

A minimum membership period of one year and two consecutive membership payments is required. Postgraduate and Undergraduate with three-year memberships will need to have completed one-year memberships (three-year membership payment constitutes consecutive payment).

Please read all information carefully on the Society Events Grant page before submitting an application for funding.

Candida and Candidiasis 2025 is a four-day event attracting over 250 attendees. You will have ample opportunities to network with delegates across all career stages, oral and poster presenters, and authors publishing in our journals. Please download our exhibition and sponsorship pack for more details.

If you have any questions about the packages available, please email [email protected].

Candida and Candidiasis 2025 Sponsorship Brochure.pdf

Sponsors