Keynote speakers

Robert Woods, talk title: "Antibiotic Resistance Evolution in Enterococcus faecium, a Pathogen Specializing on the Healthcare Environment".

Abstract: tba

https://www.michiganmedicine.org/profile/230/robert-woods

Silvie Huijben, talk title: "Selective Pressures and Resistance Evolution in Mosquito Populations: Challenges and Opportunities".

Abstract: Insecticide resistance in mosquitoes poses a major challenge to vector control. To explore its evolutionary dynamics, we examined selective pressures on Aedes aegypti carrying kdr mutations under varying insecticide doses. Using genetic crosses of resistant and wild-type strains, we quantified selection at high and waning doses, showing that resistance fitness depends on dose and allele dominance. Importantly, we showed that the level of selection is dependent on the insecticide coverage of the population. We further assessed fitness costs in the absence of insecticides and the influence of temperature and humidity. Finally, through experimental evolution, we tested four resistance management strategies, finding that low-dose exposure and high-dose refuge approaches slowed resistance but compromised population control. These findings offer new insights into resistance evolution and a framework for optimizing vector control strategies.

J. Arvid Ågren, talk title: "The eternal disquiet within: The evolution of within-organism conflicts",

Abstract: In its original formulation, Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was about individual organisms: individuals that struggle to survive and individuals that compete to reproduce. Central to this individual-centred account is an assumption of an organismal unity-of-purpose, that all parts of the organism work together to enhance the fitness of the individual organism. Organismal unity, however, is constantly threatened from within by entities like cancer cells and by selfish genetic elements, genes that have the ability to promote their own transmission at the expense of other genes, and other forms of genomic conflicts. Such conflicts are not just theoretically possible, but selfish genetic elements are a dominant component of eukaryotic genomes and cancers occur across the tree of life, from plants to primates. I will discuss how and why within-organism conflicts arise, what they mean for evolutionary theory, and how they can help us design better cancer treatments. 

Amelia Jernigan, talk title: "HPV and Cervical cancer: How evolved are we?"

Abstract: Dr. Jernigan will describe the pathophysiology and history of HPV evolution alongside humans as well as our heroic and often wildly successful attempts to detect, treat and eliminate HPV related diseases and malignancies. She will review what is known about prevalence of various strains of HPV and HPV related malignancies through time and geography and the relationship between these and access to screening and vaccination. She will then discuss current strategies and suprising barriers to applying these strategies and the implications they may have on the trajectory of HPV and HPV related diseases.