Saturday
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Arrival and Check-in
3:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
3:45 pm - 4:30 pm
Keynote Session: Skills and Knowledge To Be A Successful Research Scientist
Discussion Leader: Brittany Shapiro (Texas A&M University, Health, United States)
3:45 pm - 4:20 pm
Steven Norris (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, United States)
"What is A Research Scientist?"
4:20 pm - 4:30 pm
Discussion
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Spirochete Virulence Mechanisms and Host-Pathogen Interactions
Discussion Leader: Samuel Garcia Huete (Institut Pasteur, France)
7:30 pm - 7:45 pm
Mara Goodyear (University of Victoria, Canada)
"Identification of Long Non-Coding RNAs Involved in Regulating The Host Endothelial Response to Treponema Pallidum"
7:45 pm - 7:50 pm
Discussion
7:50 pm - 8:05 pm
Jeff Bourgeois (Tufts University, United States)
"Dissecting Peromyscus leucopus Interactions With Ixodes scapularis and B. burgdorferi "
8:05 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:25 pm
Milena Carvalho Carneiro (University of São Paulo, Brazil)
"Activation of the Complement System in Patiences with Pulmonary Hemorrhagic Syndrome Associated with Human Leptospirosis"
8:25 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:45 pm
Aldo Trejos (University of Washington, Seattle, United States)
"Restoring the Infectious Phenotype of a Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum Strain Incapable of TprK Antigenic Variation"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:05 pm
Samantha Crane (Rocky Mountain Laboratories, DIR/NIAID/NIH, United States)
"Investigating the Role of a Putative Bacterial Glutathione Peroxidase (bh0519A) in the Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever Spirochete Borrelia hermsii"
9:05 pm - 9:10 pm
Discussion
9:10 pm - 9:25 pm
Stylianos Papadopoulos (Institut Pasteur, France)
"No Evidence for Cytokine Storm but Signs of Cardiac Injury Upon Acute Leptospirosis in Mice"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Sunday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 11:00 am
Spirochete Regulatory Mechanisms, Vaccines and Diagnostics
Discussion Leader: Nathan Stone (Northern Arizona University, United States)
9:00 am - 9:15 am
Taylor Van Gundy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States)
"Identification of an Essential Gene for Borrelia Burgdorferi That Has RNA Chaperone Activity"
9:15 am - 9:20 am
Discussion
9:20 am - 9:35 am
Grégoire Davignon (Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, New Caledonia)
"Transcriptomic Insights into the Genetic Regulations of Leptospira interrogans within a Mature Biofilm."
9:35 am - 9:40 am
Discussion
9:40 am - 9:55 am
Khalil Deveaux (University of Washington, United States)
"Development of Treponema pallidum -Specific Aptamers for Syphilis Point of Care Assays"
9:55 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:15 am
Kristina Delgado (UConn Health, United States)
"Drawing Insights from the Rabbit Model of Syphilis: Identifying Syphilis Vaccine Candidates and Investigating Protective Antibody Functionality against Treponema pallidum "
10:15 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:35 am
Lauren Farris (Texas A&M University, United States)
"B. Burgdorferi Genes Contribute to the Type I Interferon Response"
10:35 am - 10:40 am
Discussion
10:40 am - 10:55 am
Ryan Fishman (National Institutes of Health, United States)
"Discovering sRNAs Important for B. burgdorferi Infectivity"
10:55 am - 11:00 am
Discussion
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Poster Session
Coffee will be served in the poster area from 11:00 am - 11:30 am
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Mentorship Component: Funding Crash Course for Early Stage Spirochete Researchers
Discussion Leader: Natalie Anselmi (University at Buffalo, United States)
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Panel Discussion
Caree Panel
Melissa Caimano (University of Connecticut, United States)
Jon Skare (Texas A&M University, United States)
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Evaluation Period
Complete the GRS Evaluation Forms; Election of Future Chair(s)
3:00 pm
Seminar Concludes