First Round of Abstract Submission Ends: Aug 15, 2026
Extended Early Bird Ends: Jan 30, 2026
Plenary Speakers
Prof. Andreas Vilcinskas
Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Germany
Title: Drugs from Bugs: Antibiotic Discovery in Insects
Prof. Dr. Andreas Vilcinskas studied biology at Free University of Berlin (FU Berlin) where he also received his doctorate in 1994 and completed his habilitation in zoology in 1998. From 1999 to 2004 he held a substitute Professorship in Evolutionary Biology and Zoology at the Department of Biochemistry and Biology at the University of Potsdam. Since 2004 he is a full Professor for Applied Entomology at Justus Liebig University Giessen, where he directed from 2010 to 2022 the globally biggest collaborative research project in applied entomology, entitled LOEWE Center for Insect Biotechnology and Bioresources. Since 2015, he is the founding Director of the world's first – academic institute for Insect Biotechnology at the University of Giessen. Since 2009, he simultaneously heads the Branch Bioresources of Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology in Giessen. His expertise covers many areas of drug discovery especially in the field of antibiotics, genomics, proteomics, biotechnology. He is well-known for his research on insect-derived antimicrobial peptides and their development for medical applications.
Prof. Dr. Friedrich Götz
University Tuebingen, Germany
Title: Neurochemical-Producing Human Microbiota and Their Impact on Host Neuroreceptors
studied Biology and Chemistry at the University of Munich (LMU). He completed his PhD in Microbiology in 1978 and obtained his habilitation in 1985 at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). From 1979 to 1981, he held an EMBO long-term postdoctoral fellowship at the Biomedical Center in Uppsala, Sweden.
He received the DECHEMA Award in 1989 and the DGHM Award in 1991 for his scientific contributions to microbial genetics. In 1987, he was appointed Professor and Chair of Microbial Genetics at the University of Tübingen.
Götz is recognized as a leading scientist in microbiology and infection biology. His research focuses on the physiology of staphylococci; the role of lipoproteins as key players in immune responses and virulence; the analysis of synthetic, plant-derived antimicrobials; and, more recently, on neurotransmitter-producing microbiota and their effects on neuroreceptors and neurodegenerative diseases.
He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers, which have received over 47,000 citations. According to Google Scholar, his h-index is 111
Prof. Esperanza Martinez Romero
National University of Mexico, Mexico
Title: Bacterial human pathogens from edible plants
Dr. Esperanza Martinez Romero is Professor and Director at the Center for Genomic Sciences at the National University of Mexico. Her research interests are bacterial genomics and host-bacterial interactions. She was pioneer in using molecular markers and gene sequences to study biodiversity and discovered new bacterial species. She explores microbial communities using metagenomics and studies their functions using metatranscriptomics. She has published over 200 papers in peer reviewed international journals that have been cited over 26 000 times (h-index of 92). She has supervised 54 students, over half Ph.Ds. She received the Loreal-Unesco Prize for Women in Science, the Vinfuture Special Prize and the National Science Prize of Mexico. She has published in PNAS, Nature in Biotechnology, and in other specialized journals. She has obtained Mexican and International grants.
Prof. Junji Yodoi
Kyoto University, Japan
Title: 50Years ATL Research Human Retrovirology leading to Redox Control of Allergy Inflammation via TRX TBP-2 Redoxisome System
Dr. Junji Yodoi is the Prof.Em. Kyoto University and is the Chairman of JBPA (Japan Biostress Research Promotion Alliance). He is also the Research Advisor of KITC(Kyoto Municipal Institute of Industrial Techinology and Culture)(2023-). He is the discoverer of Adult T Cell Leukemia ATL, related to HTLV retrovirus, with his mentor Dr. Kiyoshi Takatsuki and others in early 70’s. He graduated from Kyoto Univ. Med.Sch M.D. 1971 and got Ph.D. 1981 . He was Assistant Professor in the Institute for Immunology in the Medical School ( Discoverer of IgE Immunoglobulin E. Kimishige Ishizaka Dept Head, in Kyoto Univ. Joint Appointment with Johns Hopkins Baltimore.) Research Associate in Johns Hopkins University Department of Medicine under Prof. Kimishige Ishizaka (1977-1980). He was the full professor in the Inst Virus Research Kyoto University (1989-2010). He was also appointed as the Human Stress Signal Research Center, Head od BioMedical SpecialResearch Unit, AIST (National Inst Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Japan) from 2001 to 2004. He was also a group leader of Translational Res Center, Thioredoxin Project, in Kyoto Univ Hospital from 2003 to 2007. He is a core member of International Redox Network, IRN, since 2004 and editorial board member of Redox-related many Journals. He was a WCU Distiuguished Invited Prof in Ewha Womans Univ. Seoul. (2011-2013) Member of UNESCO MCBN 1998, FASEB, Society of Mucosal Immunology, Japanese Society of Immunology, Japanese Society of Cancer.
Prof. Josef Deutscher
INRAE, AgroParisTech, Paris-Saclay University, France
Title: Metabolism meets virulence: Effects of carbon and nitrogen catabolism on listerial virulence gene expression
Will update soon.
Prof. Nowotny Norbert
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria
Title: Emerging virus infections of pandemic potential
Norbert Nowotny is an Austrian-born virologist with broad teaching and research interests and experience in all aspects of viral infectious diseases. He studied Biology (Zoology and Botany) at the University of Vienna and conducted his Ph.D. studies at the University of Vienna Medical School. He graduated to PhD sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae in January 1982 and completed his Habilitation (equivalent to Doctor of Science) in 1997. He joined the Institute of Virology of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria, in 1981. 1996-1997 he was Guest Researcher at Stanford University School of Medicine, USA (supported by a Schrödinger stipend of the Austrian Science Fund).
From 2001-2005 he served as Professor of Virology at the College of Medicine, UAE University, from 2012-2016 at the College of Medicine, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, where he was also Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and from April 2016 to May 2019 he served as Professor of Virology at the College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai. Thereafter he continued to work at the Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria, and he became Visiting Professor at MBRU / Dubai Health.
Prof. Nowotny’s research interests include virus infections at the environment / animal / human interface, emerging viral infections, viral zoonoses, and vector-borne virus infections. He has established international reputation in the areas of West Nile virus, Usutu virus, Borna disease virus, and coronavirus research. During the Covid-19 pandemic he gave numerous interviews in the Austrian media.
Prof. Nowotny has authored a significant number of high-impact peer-reviewed research publications, of which 276 are currently listed in PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Nowotny+N&sort=date.
