Biology of Parasitism: Modern Approaches Directors: Patricia Johnson, University of California, Los Angeles; Heidi Elmendorf, Georgetown University; Daniel Goldberg, Washington University School of Medicine Course Date: June 14 - August 2, 2008 Online Application Form, (PDF) Deadline: February 1, 2008 2007 Lecture Schedule (PDF)

A unique course for advanced graduate students, postdocs, and independent investigators, who are seeking thorough training in modern approaches to the study of protozoan and helminthic parasites. Limited to 16 students.

The focus of this course is on the molecular basis of parasite function and the host/parasite interaction with special emphasis on the most recent and exciting developments in these areas. The course consists of daily lectures juxtaposed with intensive experimental work. About 40 invited speakers will give a lecture in their area of expertise and meet informally with students. These lectures will cover virtually all of the systems and areas of active research in modern parasitology. The laboratory portion of the course strikes a balance between ensuring that students acquire the technical expertise necessary to pursue these areas of research in their own careers while maintaining the element of the search for the unknown. Furthermore, the students will have the opportunity to work side-by-side at the benchtop with faculty recognized as leaders in their respective fields. The following areas are among those to be covered in the experimental portion of the course: (1) antigenic variation and cytoadherence in malaria; (2) drug design and development for treatment of trypanosomiasis and malaria; (3) immunology and pathogenesis of protozoan and filarial infections and (4) host:parasite interactions using Leishmania, Toxoplasma, and Trichomonas as model systems.

This course is supported by grants from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and Merck.

2007 Faculty and Lecturers:

Judith Allen, University of Edinburgh

David Artis, University of Pennsylvania

Antonio Barragan, Karolinska Institute

Katja Becker, Giessen University

Yasmine Belkaid, NIH

Stephen Beverley, Washington Univ. School of Medicine

John Boothroyd, Stanford University

Isabelle Coppens, Johns Hopkins University

Kirk Deitsch, Weill Medical College of Cornell Univers

Mark Drew, Washington Universtiy School of Medicine

Heidi Elmendorf, Georgetown University

Paul Englund, Johns Hopkins Medical School

Markus Engstler, Darmstadt University of Technology

Michael Ferdig, U. Notre Dame

Francisco Gamarro, Instituto de Parasitología , CSIC

Daniel Goldberg, Washington University

R. Kip Guy, St Jude Children's Research Hospital

Kasturi Haldar, Northwestern University

David Horn, London Sch. Hyg. Trop. Med.

Stefan Kappe, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute

Jessica Kissinger, University of Georgia

Andrew MacDonald, University of Edinburgh

James McKerrow, University of California, San Francisco

Victor Nussenzweig, NYU School of Medicine

Sean Prigge, Johns Hopkins SPH

Pradipsinh Rathod, University of Washington

David Roos, University of Pennsylvania

Robert Sabatini, University of Georgia

Phillip Scott, University of Pennsylvania

Theresa Shapiro, Johns Hopkins University

Alan Sher, NIH

David Sibley, Washington Univ. Sch. Med.

Upinder Singh, Stanford University

Boris Striepen, University of Georgia

Ken Stuart, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute

Rick Tarleton, University of Georgia

Gary Ward, University of Vermont

Andy Waters, LUMC