Programme Highlights & Keynotes

The ESCMID Global programme is constantly evolving to keep up with the fast paced field of infection. Here you can see the latest changes to the ESCMID Global programme and some key sessions that will address current hot topics or important innovations that you won’t want to miss.

Programme Highlights

Pipeline Monday - NEW

The addition of a new drug R&D pipeline track will facilitate exchange between academia, healthcare, industry, and policymakers. It will feature a heavy focus on AMR but will extend to other aspects of CM & ID 
such as vaccines and diagnostics. New sessions formats will appear dedicated to the R&D of new antimicrobials and tech innovation bringing hybrid content co-developed with industry in this new separate track.

Keynotes

Staphylococcus aureus host-microbe interaction: ecology, disease, and vaccine development

  Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg

Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg

Keynote speaker
Washington University in St. Louis

Staphylococcus aureus can go unnoticed in the composition of human skin microflora. However, if this Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen enters the blood or respiratory tract of the host, S. aureus can cause serious infections like pneumonia and sepsis. In this keynote lecture, Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg will review the pathogenesis and virulence, focusing on the interaction between S. aureus's alpha-toxin and the host's receptor ADAM-10. Additional topics on current treatments and vaccine development will be highlighted. 

Defending against dengue: global epidemiology and strategies for prevention and control

  Fernanda Castro-Boulos

Fernanda Castro-Boulos

Keynote speaker
Instituto Butantan

Dengue is one of the common viral vector-borne diseases today including persistent outbreaks in Asia and Latin America. Extensions into North America are currently signals of its global importance as global warming increases the likelihood of dengue spreading into regions previously unaffected. With new vaccines available, policy makers have difficult decisions to take in selecting the proper one for the population at risk. This keynote lecture aims to explore the geographic distribution, clinical presentation, treatment algorithms and potential utility of current vaccines against Dengue.

What genomics brought to the knowledge of tuberculosis, leprosy and Buruli ulcer

  Stewart Cole

Stewart Cole

Keynote speaker
Institut Pasteur, Paris and Ineos Oxford Institute

Tuberculosis, leprosy and Buruli ulcer are the three most common infectious diseases caused by the same family of mycobacteria: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae, and Mycobacterium ulcerans, respectively. Stewart Cole will discuss perspectives on the current knowledge of these three mycobacteria infectious diseases and how genomics played an integral role in transforming the diagnosis, treatment and prevention practices for these infectious diseases. His keynote will reflect much of his current research that builds the bridge between fundamental science and medicine.

Infections after solid organ transplantation through the looking glass: past, present and future

  Jay Fishman

Jay Fishman

Keynote speaker
Harvard Medical School

Solid organ transplantation has progressed dramatically globally with advances in immunology, immunosuppression, organ preservation and even xenotransplantation. Newer and more potent immunosuppressive regimens have led to decreased rates of rejection while increasing the risk of infections. Our understanding of patterns of infectious disease after solid organ transplantation provide a foundation for advances in standard-of-care protocols mitigating infection with pre-transplant screening, vaccination, prophylaxis and molecular diagnostics. Jay Fishman will discuss the evolution of infection after solid organ transplantation, approaches to prophylactic and pre-emptive strategies, and the deployment of molecular and immunological testing strategies. This session looks to the future, elucidating exciting new technologies enabling clinics to provide more organs to patients with greater safety. 

HIV: from needle park to injectables

  Huldrych Günthard

Huldrych Günthard

Keynote speaker
University Hospital Zurich

From the initial emergence of the epidemic in needle parks to recent breakthroughs in injectable treatments, this keynote session offers an in-depth exploration of the history of HIV-1. This keynote lecture will provide a comprehensive understanding of the HIV landscape including scientific advancements, societal responses and current medical interventions. Attendees will gain insights into the challenges faced by individuals and communities affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as the progress made in combating the disease through compelling narratives and historical perspectives.

Asia: An AMR hot zone

  David Paterson

David Paterson

Keynote speaker
National University of Singapore

AMR is a global public health threat, especially in Asia where high population density, fewer antibiotic regulations and surveillance, poor sanitation and limited access to quality healthcare have resulted in a disproportionate number of deaths from drug-resistant infections. David Paterson is the Director of ADVANCED ID - a clinical trials network across over 20 Asian countries. This keynote lecture will give an overview of AMR in ASIA and review the results of the epidemiological study ACORN-HAI. Additionally, it will explore strategies for developing clinical trial capacity in many low- and middle-income countries in Asia and why this is vital in combating AMR in the long term.

Infectious disease challenges in an ever-changing environment

  Pamela Rendi-Wagner

Pamela Rendi-Wagner

Keynote speaker
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

Since 2005, ECDC focused on improving lives in Europe and globally through sound science by working with the European Union and global partners to drive public health policy and practice. In 2025, the agency will celebrate its 20th birthday and be equipped with a new mandate; this is a good time to look ahead. As we move into the second quarter of the 21st Century, there is a need for proactive and anticipatory approaches to public health to identify and prepare for unknown future threats and seize opportunities to reduce the impact of infectious disease. In this keynote, the new ECDC Director will outline some of these threats, and novel activities/approaches by the Centre to prevent and control them. These include setting up EU reference laboratories, establishing and coordinating an EU Health Task Force for rapid health interventions in the event of major outbreaks, and new frameworks for assessing EU countries’ preparedness.

The new frontiers in antimicrobial stewardship

  Karin Thursky

Karin Thursky

Keynote speaker
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Infectious Diseases

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat according to the WHO and one of the strategies to reduce the burden of AMR on global public health is reducing unnecessary antibiotic usage. Karin Thursky is one of the pioneers in the field of antibiotic and antifungal therapy publishing various studies on the prudent use of antimicrobials. The aim of this keynote is to give an overview on ways to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics as well as give perspectives on the future of AMR and the impact on modern medicine

Tuberculosis: where are we now and where should we be

  Guy Thwaites

Guy Thwaites

Keynote speaker
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU)

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a pressing global health issue, exacerbated by the growing prevalence of drug-resistant strains, including multi-drug resistant TB. Clinical trials are needed to fill in the missing evidence for this life-threating disease. This keynote lecture will review the current situation regarding TB treatment and highlight where the gaps are. Guy Thwaites will describe the need for new clinical trials concerning drugs for the optimal treatment of TB as well as the potential for host-directed therapies.

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