The 3rd biennial Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases Research Symposium was held on 15 - 16 September 2011 in the Hutton Theatre at Otago Museum in Dunedin.
Our very special keynote speakers were Dr Stewart Cole, whose name is synonymous with groundbreaking tuberculosis research, and Dr Ian Orme who visited us from Colorado State University.
Professor Stewart Cole, keynote speaker
Professor Stewart Cole is an international authority on the molecular- genetics and genomics of tuberculosis. His work includes basic research on the pathogenicity, evolution and genomics of the tubercle and leprosy bacilli as well as translational work on drug design and development of antituberculosis agents. He has published over 250 scientific papers and review articles, and holds many patents. In 2009, he was awarded the WHO Stop TB Partnership Kochon prize for his extraordinary contribution to fighting tuberculosis. Presently, Prof. Cole leads the research unit dedicated to TB drug discovery at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and serves as the Director of the Global Health Institute.
Professor Ian Orme, special guest speaker
This meeting also featured a special guest speaker, Professor Ian Orme, from Colorado State University, who delivered a plenary address during the research session. Ian Orme is a University Distinguished Professor at Colorado State University. He is a noted tuberculosis immunologist and an international expert in animal models for mycobacterial disease. In his research he has described, using gene disrupted mice, the key roles for the IL-12 and gamma interferon cytokine pathways in mycobacterial diseases. More recently his laboratory has developed the first protocols for flow cytometric analysis of the immune response to TB in guinea pigs. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
2011 Webster Centre Symposium Programme PDF 280KB
Professor Stewart Cole.
Professor Ian Orme.