BioterrorismExperts will meet in September for the bi-annual anthrax research conference
More than 300 scientists and researchers from all over the world who work on Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, and B. cereus and B. thuringiensis, two closely related bacilli, will be heading to Victoria, British Columbia for the Bacillus ACT 2013 conference, which will be held 1-5 September.
Scientists and researchers from all over the world who work on Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, and B. cereus and B. thuringiensis, two closely related bacilli, will be heading to Victoria, British Columbia in September.
The bi-annual conference, set for 1-5 September, will see members of the regional scientific community to present their work and meet more than 300 global peers.
“World renowned scientists studying genomics, epidemiology, ecology, cell structure and function, gene regulation, bacterial development, toxins and bacteria-host interactions of these species will present their work,” said Bacillus ACT 2013 co-Chair Paul Jackson of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).
A Lawrence Livermore Lab release reports that experts interested in rapid diagnostics, vaccine development, therapeutics, and methods of decontamination also will be participating in this conference, which was last held in 2011 in Bruges, Belgium, Jackson said.
“The benefit of choosing international destinations is that we can tap into local knowledge and bring global expertise together in one location. Delegates meet and form friendships and collaborations that may never have happened if they had not come to this conference,” he added.
Jackson said Victoria, British Columbia, was chosen for its reputation as a destination and access to scientific hubs in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and across California. This year’s conference is organized and sponsored by LLNL’s Global Security Principal Directorate, which applies multidisciplinary science and technology to anticipate, innovate, and deliver responsive solutions to complex global security needs.
The release notes that due to the high caliber of the delegates, the conference also attracts patrons, allowing them to showcase their technology, capabilities and products to this international community of researchers.
The deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 May 2013, and notification of acceptance will be sent no later than 21 June. For more information, visit the Web site.
