16th International Conference on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Organisms

We propose to host the 16th International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Organisms (CHRO) from August 28 - September 1, 2011 in Vancouver. Over the past 25 years, our meetings have been held around the world with the world's leading authorities in the field. <P> This biennial workshop, started in 1981, is an international forum dedicated to enhancing our knowledge of this fascinating group of bacterial pathogens. Campylobacter jejuni is now firmly established as a major cause of bacterial diarrhea in both developed and developing countries. C. jejuni is also one of the major causes of the Guillain-Barre syndrome and continues attracting intense investigation worldwide. Genomic/proteomic/glycomic research on Campylobacter has made important strides on understanding disease pathogenesis and biology and the organism. At the 2nd workshop in Brussels in 1983, Helicobacter pylori (then named Campylobacter pylori) was introduced to the world and the microbiological revolution of gastroduodenal disease began. The association of H. pylori with gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric carcinoma is now universally recognized. An understanding of the disease process involving H. pylori and hopefully, the means to prevent or control appears to be within reach as a great many scientists and clinicians are striving towards this end.<P> In recognition of the importance of H. pylori, Barry Marshall and Robin Warren were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2005 for their discoveries and Barry Marshall remains very active with CHRO meetings and gave a keynote address at the past CHRO meeting in Niigata, Japan in 2009. CHRO meetings have, and continue to be, the major venue for presenting research findings on Campylobacter and Helicobacter.<P> The goals of this conference are 1) to gather junior and senior investigators from around the world who specialize in areas encompassing all aspects of disease due to Campylobacter, Helicobacter and related organisms. These areas include microbial pathogenesis, genomics/proteomics/glycomics, immunology of infections, gastrointestinal pathophysiology, clinical management, public health, food safety, and human and animal ecology; 2) present overviews and updates in these diverse areas by keynote speakers who are experts in their field both inside the field and leading figures in pathogenesis; 3) present the latest results form investigators in these diverse areas in poster sessions and short invited talks; 4) foster new collaborative multi-disciplinary interactions to address pressing questions of pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of diseases due to Campylobacter and Helicobacter and 5) foster and encourage young scientists from different areas of the world to become actively involved in research on Campylobacter and Helicobacter.<P> Funds will be provided as travel grants to students and junior researchers to accomplish this. CHRO meetings address many areas of interest to NIAID as well as NIDDK and NCI. The CHRO meetings focus on understanding the natural history, pathogenesis, and host and immunological responses to infection by Campylobacter and Helicobacter. CHRO is a major venue for presenting new work on developing vaccines for these infections. Finally, genomics/proteomic/glycomic analysis of these gastrointestinal pathogens are a new and important area of research presented at CHRO meetings that contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis of infections.