Last week in Leuven we welcomed 240 attendees to the second edition of Emerging Applications of Microbes in Leuven for 2 days packed with the latest in microbiology research. Seeing so many discussions during the coffee breaks, poster sessions, and conference dinner was inspiring. You can take a look at the photos here.
Here are some of the Impressions of our conference reporters Doris van Bergeijk and Hans Gerstmans, who both work at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology.
Developing a new generation of antibiotics
Hans: “The field of microbiology is evolving exceptionally fast with breakthroughs and applications in different fields such as sustainable agriculture, microbial synthetic biology, human health, etc. This was also clearly represented by the speakers of this VIB Conference.
As a phage enthusiast, I especially enjoyed the talk of Rob Lavigne (Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, BE) about how his lab tries to develop a new generation of antibiotics based on molecules that bacteriophages use to take over their bacterial host. Also how Belgium is taking the lead worldwide in developing a roadmap to apply bacteriophages in healthcare settings was inspiring.
Being a conference reporter for the first time, gave an extra dimension and a whole new experience to the conference. I’m looking forward to trying out my new ideas in the lab and collaborating with the newly made connections. You can count me in for the next edition of this conference!”
Taking a broad look at the applications of microbes
Doris: “It was a great experience to play an active role as a conference reporter during the ‘Emerging applications of microbes’ conference. Many top researchers in the field discussed their recent data, often including exciting unpublished results. Additionally, many young researchers were able to share their research during the flash talks and poster sessions. The conference covered a broad range of topics within the microbiology field, including the fermentation of pherohormones as a sustainable alternative to insecticides (Irina Borodina, DTU Biosustain) and the lessons that yeast teaches us about circular DNA in eukaryotes (Birgitte Regenberg, University of Copenhagen).
It also offered insights into how we can use bacteria to produce solar fuels and chemicals from carbon dioxide (Shafeer Kalathil, Northumbria University) and how yeast can be engineered to synthesize medicinal compounds (Christina Smolke, Stanford Bioengineering). I was amazed by the impact and significance of the science presented, especially the focus on sustainability which is more relevant now than ever."
Activating citizen science to gain new insights
Doris: "I was very impressed by the citizen science project (Soja in a 1000 Gardens) presented by Sofie Goormachtig of VIB center of Plant Systems Biology and Ghent University, for which over a thousand citizens of Flanders grew soy in their own garden. The plants are now analyzed in the lab to identify soil bacteria that promote the growth of soy to study whether soy can be grown locally instead of importing it from South America. As a microbiome fan, I also very much enjoyed the talk of Jos Raaijmakers (Netherlands Institute of Ecology) about the use of bacteria to enhance sustainable food production not only locally, but also in other parts of the world such as Africa.
The most inspiring lecture for me was that of Andy Goodman (Yale School of Medicine) about the role of the gut microbiome in drug metabolism and how gut microbes can significantly influence toxicity levels of specific drug metabolites. Yet, all scientific talks were inspirational and I look very much forward to the next edition!”
We want to thank all participants, speakers, and sponsors for making this a memorable event and look forward to welcoming you to the next edition.
You can take a look at the upcoming VIB Conferences here.
