- Session Chairs:
- Veronica Jimenez, California State University Fullerton
- Jeff Dvorin, Harvard University
1
10:00 am
Exploring the male-induced female reproduction of Schistosoma mansoni in a novel medium. Jipeng Wang, UT Southwestern Medical Center
2
10:15 am
Shifting perspectives: a modification to the life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei. Jaime Lisack, Universität Würzburg
3
10:30 am
Critical Role for Isoprenoids in Apicoplast Biogenesis by Malaria Parasites. Megan Okada, University of Utah
4
10:45 am
The Cryptosporidium single-cell atlas reveals key life cycle stages and a commitment to male and female development. Katelyn Walzer, University of Pennsylvania
11:00 am
Session 2A, Epitranscriptomics
5
11:05 am
N6-methyladenosine in poly(A) tails stabilize VSG transcripts. Idálio Viegas, Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa
6
11:20 am
Identification of an m6A-binding YTH protein regulating protein synthesis in the human malaria parasite. Ameya Sinha, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology
7
11:35 am
Adenine DNA methylation, 3D genome organization and gene expression in the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. Natalia de Miguel, INTECH
8
11:50 am
The Toxoplasma m6A epitranscriptome. Michael Holmes, Indiana University School of Medicine
12:05 pm Overview of VEuPathDB from David Roos
- Session Chairs:
- Jorge Cruz Reyes, Texas A&M University
- Bibo Li, Cleveland State University
9
11:05 am
The trypanosome Variant Surface Glycoprotein mRNA is stabilized by an essential unconventional RNA-binding protein. Esteban Erben, DKFZ
10
11:20 am
TbMYND1, a novel mRNA stabiliser that controls trypanosome migration through the tsetse. Aitor Casas-Sanchez, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
11
11:35 am
Telomere maintenance in response to DNA damage in malaria parasites. Jake Reed, Weill Cornell Medical College
12
11:50 am
Programmed DNA elimination in parasitic nematodes. Richard Davis, University of Colorado School of Medicine
12:05 pm Join Session 2A for a VEuPathDB overview by David Roos
- Session Chairs:
- Luisa Figueiredo, Instituto de Medicina Molecular
- Theresa Gwira, University of Ghana
13
2:00 pm
TcHTE expression is regulated by intracellular heme levels in Trypanosoma cruzi. Evelyn Tevere, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario
14
2:15 pm
Rho5 regulates lysophosphatidic acid induced macropinocytosis in Entamoeba histolytica. Achala Apte, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research
15
2:30 pm
A unique Na+-Pi cotransporter in Toxoplasma plays key roles in phosphate import and control of parasite osmoregulation. Beejan Asady, Johns Hopkins
16
2:45 pm
Toxoplasma gondii Resistance to Interferon-gamma Dependent Killing Requires a Parasite Oxygen Sensing Protein. Charlotte Cordonnier, University at Buffalo
3:00 pm
Session 4A, Lab and field genomics
17
3:05 pm
Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte diversity prior to and after malaria treatment with an artemisinin-based combination therapy. Mary Oboh, Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
18
3:20 pm
Whole-genome sequencing of Crithidia-like parasites isolated from relapsing human visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil. Sandra Maruyama, Federal University of Sao Carlos
19
3:35 pm
Utilizing interspecies comparisons between Toxoplasma gondii and Hammondia hammondi to identify mechanisms regulating stage conversion. Sarah Sokol Borrelli, University of Pittsburgh
20
3:50 pm
Whole genome capture enrichment sequencing of enteroparasite Cryptosporidium directly from patient stool samples. Asis Khan, NIAID, NIH
- Session Chairs:
- Shruthi Vembar, Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology
- Natalia de Miguel, INTECH
21
2:00 pm
Exploring the evolution and adaptive role of mosaic aneuploidy in clonal Leishmania donovani populations, with high throughput single cell genome sequencing. Malgorzata A Domagalska, Institute of Tropical Medicine
22
2:15 pm
Single-molecule dynamics of the trypanosomes’ VSG coat. Marie Schwebs, University of Wuerzburg
23
2:30 pm
Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals cellular heterogeneity, stage transition and antigenic variation during stress adaptation in synchronized Plasmodium falciparum. Krishanpal Karmodiya, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Pune.
24
2:45 pm
Relatedness and mutation shape the genomic diversity of recurrent Plasmodium vivax infection. Ian Cheeseman, Texas Biomedical Research Institute
3:00 pm
Session 4B, Nutrition and metabolism
25
3:05 pm
TcAMPK: a cellular energy homeostasis hub regulator with unique characteristics in Trypanosoma cruzi. Tamara Sternlieb, INGEBI - CONICET
26
3:20 pm
The malarial Stearoyl-CoA desaturase is essential only for parasite late liver stage development. Sunil Narwal, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute
27
3:35 pm
Loss of TgLaforin, a glucan phosphatase, renders T. gondii tachyzoites unable to survive without glutamine. Robert Murphy, University of Kentucky
28
3:50 pm
Molecular and biochemical characterization of a phosphoglycerate kinase containing a Per-Arnt-Sim domain, from Trypanosoma cruzi. Wilfredo Quiñones, Universidad de Los Andes
- Session Chair:
- Regina Joice Cordy, Wake Forest University
Each speaker will give an overview of their career and experience as a scientist and as a Black scientist. There will then be an open discussion between the panelists to highlight some of the issues that each have faced. A question and answer period, open to all attendees will follow their discussion.
Kojo Mensa-Wilmot, Kennesaw State University
Faith Osier, Kemri-Wellcome
De'Broski Herbert, University of Pennsylvania
Derrick Robinson, University of Bordeaux
- Session Chairs:
- Dominique Soldati-favre, University of Geneva
- Andy Waters, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology
- Session Chairs:
- Chi-Min Ho, Columbia University
- Clare Harding, University of Glasgow
29
10:00 am
Plasmodium protein export complex functions at both the parasite-host cell interface and within the parasite. Mikha Gabriela, Burnet Institute
30
10:15 am
ROP16 facilitates type III Toxoplasma gondii cyst development through activation of STAT6. Joshua Kochanowsky, University of Arizona
31
10:30 am
Toxoplasma gondii GRAbs host cytosolic proteins by interacting with the host ESCRT machinery. Yolanda Rivera-Cuevas, University of Michigan
32
10:45 am
The expression of a novel multigene family is correlated with channel activity in Babesia bovis-infected erythrocytes. Hassan Hakimi, National Research Center for Protozoan diseases (NRCPD), Obihiro University
11:00 am
Session 6A, Developmental Cell Biology
33
11:05 am
The esophageal gland mediates host immune evasion by the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni. Jayhun Lee, Morgridge Institute for Research
34
11:20 am
Knockout of the UNC-51 like kinases ULK-4 and Fused disrupts motile flagella assembly in Leishmania mexicana. Ciaran McCoy, University of Oxford
35
11:35 am
A novel protein complex is essential for the maturation of transmission-stage malaria parasites. Rebecca Clements, Harvard Medical School
36
11:50 am
Genome-wide screens identify Toxoplasma gondii determinants of parasite fitness in IFNγ-activated murine macrophages. Yifan Wang, University of California, Davis
- Session Chairs:
- Markus Ganter, Heidelberg University
- Josh Beck, Iowa State University
37
10:00 am
Mitotic microtubules emanate from a novel intranuclear compartment of Plasmodium falciparum blood stage centrosomes. Caroline Simon, Centre for Infectious Diseases - Heidelberg University Hospital
38
10:15 am
Characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi Alpha tubulin acetyltransferase (ATAT). Victoria Alonso, IBR-CONICET
39
10:30 am
Trypanosoma cruzi High Mobility Group B (TcHMGB): a pleiotropic player in trypanosome biology. Pamela Cribb, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, IBR-CONICET-UNR
40
10:45 am
A hurdle race to translate the coding sequence: translation in the presence of multiple upstream open reading frames happens via a mix of reinitiation and leaky scanning in Plasmodium falciparum. Chhaminder Kaur, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
11:00 am
Session 6B, Host Determinants
41
11:05 am
The interaction of Trypanosome Lytic Factor (TLF) with metacyclic promastigotes of L. major reduces C3b deposition and complement mediated lysis of the parasites. Jyoti Pant, Hunter College, City University of New York
42
11:20 am
The CLIP-domain serine protease CLIPC9 regulates melanization downstream of SPCLIP1, CLIPA8, and CLIPA28 in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Gregory Sousa, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine
43
11:35 am
Characterization of Trypanosomes from Vectors, Skin and Blood of Cattle in Southern Ghana. William Ekloh, WACCBIP, University of Ghana
44
11:50 am
Common genetic variation in human red blood cells drives growth rate variation in P. falciparum parasites. Emily Ebel, Stanford University
- Session Chairs:
- Vasant Muralidharan, University of Georgia
- Melissa Léger-Abraham, Harvard Medical School
45
2:00 pm
The key to egress? Babesia bovis perforin-like protein 1 (PLP1) with hemolytic capacity is required for blood stage replication and is involved in the exit of the parasite from the host cell. Martina Paoletta, INTA - CONICET
46
2:15 pm
Phospholipase activity within the parasitophorous vacuole is essential for blood stage growth and efficient egress in Plasmodium falciparum. Abhinay Ramaprasad, The Francis Crick Institute
47
2:30 pm
Babesia divergens cGMP-dependent kinase (PKG) is required to exit the replication cycle and initiate egress. Brendan Elsworth, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
48
2:45 pm
Actomyosin forces and the energetics of red blood cell invasion by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Thomas Blake, Imperial College London
3:00 pm
Session 8A, Mitochondrial Biology
49
3:05 pm
Divergent proteins of unknown function in a Plasmodium mitoribosomal complex. Swati Dass, Drexel University College of Medicine
50
3:20 pm
Understanding the role of mitochondrial-pellicle membrane contact sites in Toxoplasma gondii. Kylie Jacobs, Indiana University School of Medicine
51
3:35 pm
Developmental regulation of edited CYb and COIII mitochondrial mRNAs is achieved by distinct mechanisms in Trypanosoma brucei. Joseph Smith, University at Buffalo
52
3:50 pm
Site-Specific and Substrate-Specific Control of Accurate mRNA Editing by a Helicase Complex in Trypanosomes. Zachary Goodall, Texas A&M University
- Session Chairs:
- Sumiti Vinayak, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Gira Bhabha, NYU School of Medicine
53
2:00 pm
Complexome profile of Toxoplasma gondii mitochondria identifies a divergent cytochrome bc1 complex. Andrew Maclean, University of Glasgow
54
2:15 pm
Deciphering the mitochondrial quality control mechanism in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Caroline Dewar, University of Bern
55
2:30 pm
Mitochondrial keto-acid dehydrogenases are essential for the generation of acetyl-CoA in asexual Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Justin Munro, Pennsylvania State University
56
2:45 pm
Plastid biogenesis in malaria parasites requires the interactions and catalytic activity of the Clp proteolytic system. Anat Florentin, Hebrew university in Jerusalem
3:00 pm
Session 8B, Invasion
57
3:05 pm
An Alveolata secretory machinery adapted to parasite-host cell invasion. Marta Cova, CNRS, University of Montpellier
58
3:20 pm
Rapid BioID in Plasmodium ookinetes identifies a protein with dual function during mosquito infection. Jessica Kehrer, University of Heidelberg Medical School
59
3:35 pm
Loss of a conserved MAPK causes catastrophic failure in assembly of a specialized cilium-like structure in Toxoplasma gondii. William O'Shaughnessy, UT Southwestern Medical Center
60
3:50 pm
Screening the TCAMS library of small molecules for inhibitors of AMA1-RON2 interaction. Geervani Daggupati, Johns Hopkins University
Introduction of Keynote Speaker, Akhil Vaidya. David Roos, University of Pennsylvania
Stumbling Towards Truth: Basic Research Guiding Antimalarial Drug Discovery. Akhil Vaidya, Drexel University College of Medicine
- Session Chairs:
- Mattie Pawlowic, School of Life Sciences University of Dundee
- Jennifer Guler, University of Virginia
70
10:00 am
Phenotypic characterization of trypanosomes cells treated with tetracyclic iridoid, ML F52 suppression of flagella attachment proteins. Georgina Djameh, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research
71
10:15 am
Development of azithromycin analogues with dual-modality antimalarial activity. Amy Lee Burns, Pennsylvania State University
72
10:30 am
IRON OXIDE NANOPARTICLES FORTIFIED ARTESUNATE – can we use a nanomedicine approach for warfare against malarial parasites? Deepika Kannan, Shiv Nadar University
73
10:45 am
Discovery of a novel antiparasitic compound that promotes leishmanial tubulin polymerization. Dawn Wetzel, UT Southwestern Medical Center
11:00 am
Session 10B, Metabolites and Lipids
74
11:05 am
De novo synthesis of phosphatidylcholine is essential for the promastigote but not amastigote stage in Leishmania major. Samrat Moitra, Texas Tech University
75
11:20 am
Gut metabolites influence susceptibility to Cryptosporidium infection. Lisa Funkhouser-Jones, Washington University School of Medicine
76
11:35 am
Accessible Cholesterol in the Erythrocyte Plasma Membrane is Essential for P. falciparum Invasion and Growth. Avantika Ahiya, College of Medicine, Drexel university
77
11:50 am
Plasmodium berghei Sporozoites in Nonreplicative Vacuoles Are Eliminated by a PI3P-mediated Autophagy-independent Pathway. Annina Bindschedler, University of Bern
- Session Chairs:
- Sophie Uyoga, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme
- Maria Francia, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo
62
10:00 am
Moving Junction Complexes: Promising Targets for Vaccination against Toxoplasmosis. Rania Najm, American University of Beirut
63
10:15 am
Blocking Plasmodium falciparum sporogonic development in the mosquito with human-derived single-chain antibodies. Anna Maria Weyrich, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology
64
10:30 am
TcTASV antigens delivered in Baculovirus confer protection against Trypanosoma cruzi infection, notably reducing levels of circulating trypomastigotes, parasite tissue load and mortality. Yamil Ezequiel Masip, Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Rodolfo Ugalde", IIBIO (UNSAM - CONICET)
65
10:45 am
Biological and morphological consequences of dsRNA‑induced suppression of tetraspanin mRNA in developmental stages of Echinococcus granulosus. Seyed mohammad mousavi, Research Center for Hydatid Disease in Iran, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman
11:00 am
Session 10A, Biology for Drugs
66
11:05 am
The parasite coat protein VSGsur binds suramin to confer drug resistance. Johan Zeelen, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum
67
11:20 am
Whole-cell phenotypic screening of MMV pathogen box unravels new small molecules affecting late-stage development of plasmodium. Alok Patra, Singapore University of Technology and Design
68
11:35 am
Killing parasites within the Anopheles female as a new strategy for malaria control. Douglas Paton, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
69
11:50 am
Chemogenomic approach to identifying nematode chemoreceptor drug targets in the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. Damien O'Halloran, George Washington University
- Session Chairs:
- Cyrille Botté, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes
- Anita Koshy, University of Arizona
78
2:00 pm
Save it for later: insect stages of Trypanosoma cruzi use fatty acids to grow and differentiate. Rodolpho Ornitz Oliveira Souza, Institute of Biomedical Sciences - University of São Paulo
79
2:15 pm
Defining P. berghei parasite host interplay in vivo at the single cell level. Franziska Hentzschel, University of Glasgow
80
2:30 pm
Endogenous fatty acid synthesis via the fatty acid elongase (ELO) pathway is critical for Trypanosoma cruzi growth. Lucas Pagura, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
81
2:45 pm
Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii acyl-CoA synthetases reveal the critical roles in lipid synthesis and parasite development of TgACS1 and TgACS3. Serena Shunmugam, Institute of Advanced Bioscences
3:00 pm
Session 12A, Tissue Tropism
82
3:05 pm
Variant Surface Glycoprotein Expression in Tissue-resident Trypanosoma brucei. Alexander Beaver, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
83
3:20 pm
Trypanosomes having pHun: cyclic AMP signalling in perception and response to pH gradients. Sebastian Shaw, Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania
84
3:35 pm
Fatty acid- and retinol- binding proteins secreted by parasitic nematodes dampen host immune responses by interfering with host lipid signaling mechanisms. Sophia Parks, University of California Riverside
85
3:50 pm
The fibrinolytic system enables the onset of Plasmodium infection in the mosquito. Thiago Silva, NIH
- Session Chairs:
- Monica Mugnier, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Praveen Nina, Central University of Tamil Nadu
86
2:00 pm
Diverse evolutionary pathways thwart the use of collateral sensitivity as a strategy to suppress resistance for Plasmodium dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors. Rebecca Mandt, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
87
2:15 pm
Genetic analysis of transmission stage production and virulence in schistosome parasites. Winka Le Clec'h, Texas Biomedical Research Institute
88
2:30 pm
Reevaluation of the Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum genomes reveals misassembly, karyotype differences and chromosomal rearrangements. Luisa Berná, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo
89
2:45 pm
Development of a computational workflow for functional variant detection in Plasmodium falciparum drug selections. Madeline Luth, University of California, San Diego
3:00 pm
Session 12B, Antigenic Variation
90
3:05 pm
The VSG-exclusion (VEX) complex orchestrates VSG allele-exclusive interactions with the spliced-leader locus in trypanosomes. Joana R Correia Faria, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee
91
3:20 pm
Trypanosoma brucei RAP1 has an RNA binding activity that is essential for VSG monoallelic expression. Amit Gaurav, Cleveland State University
92
3:35 pm
The location of Trypanosoma cruzi glycoproteins in the plasma membrane is determined by their GPI anchor acceptor sequence. Giannina Carlevaro, Biotechnology Research Institute
93
3:50 pm
A VSG epitope defined by calcium binding is associated with immunodominance in the host antibody repertoire. Francisco Aresta-Branco, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
- Session Chairs:
- Omar Harb, University of Pennsylvania
- Selina Bopp, Harvard University
During this session lab heads will host tables in Remo where students and postdocs can come by to meet them and discuss science. This is a great way to virtually meet future labs you want to work in or collaborate with. Anyone is welcome to attend. PIs please sign up here: https://upenn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8C9lPwG3kqWAjg9
- Session Chairs:
- Marc-Jan Gubbels, Boston College
- Friedrich Frischknecht, University of Heidelberg
94
10:00 am
Development of a conditional protein degradation system to study essential gene function in the diarrheal parasite, Cryptosporidium parvum. Maria G Nava, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
95
10:15 am
Use automated Spatially Targeted Optical Micro Proteomics (autoSTOMP) to explore the efforter proteins near the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) of Toxoplasma. B. Yin, University of Virginia
96
10:30 am
Untargeted metabolomic characterization of chronically infectious Toxoplasma gondii forms in a novel in vitro model identifies an unexpected mechanism of persistence. Céline Christiansen, Robert Koch Institute
97
10:45 am
Cellular barcoding reveals permissive host brain colonization by Toxoplasma gondii. Matthew Child, Imperial College London
98
11:00 am
Single Cell Sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum . Shiwei Liu, University of Virginia
99
11:15 am
Development of tsetse fly-transmitted African trypanosomes in primary human skin equivalents. Christian Reuter, University of Würzburg
- Session Chairs:
- Jean-Claude Dujardin, Institute of Tropical Medicine
- Scott Lindner, Pennsylvania State University
100
10:00 am
Bulk Segregant Approaches to Nutritional Genomics in Plasmodium falciparum. Xue Li, Texas Biomedical Research Institute
101
10:15 am
Identification of Multiple Determinants Associated with Chloroquine and Quinine Resistance in a Novel Plasmodium falciparum Genetic Cross. Mariko Kanai, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
102
10:30 am
A single-cell RNAseq atlas of Schistosoma mansoni identifies a key regulator of blood feeding. Lu Zhao, UT Southwestern Medical Center
103
10:45 am
Establishment of quantitative RNAi-based forward genetics in Entamoeba histolytica and identification of genes required for growth. Akhila Bettadapur, UC Davis
104
11:00 am
High-throughput functionalization of the Toxoplasma gondii proteome. Tyler Smith, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
105
11:15 am
A SplitCas9 based phenotypic screen identifies two crucial genes involved in egress in Toxoplasma gondii. Wei Li, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich