Zebrafish Infection and Immunity 7

Keynote Speakers 2023
 
Dr Mai Nguyen Chi is a group Leader at the Laboratory of Pathogens and Host Immunity, at University of Montpellier and CNRS, France. As an immunologist, she is interested in how macrophages dynamically adapt their state, behaviour and function during an immune response. From single cells to whole organism, she is tackling this question using a simple model, the transparent zebrafish larva. She developed innovative genetic tools for direct tracking of the dynamics of macrophage polarization during wound healing and infection, showing that macrophage polarization is extremely dynamic. In her keynote lecture she will summarize the current state of knowledge about the macrophage polarization and how it can be subverted during bacterial infections.
 
Dr Daan Vorselen is Assistant Professor at the Cell Biology and Immunology group of Wageningen university. Throughout his research career Daan worked on a variety of topics, from prediction of population collapse of laboratory yeast colonies, to probing of mechanical properties of extracellular vesicles in blood disorders, to phagocytic behaviour of immune cells. His current work aims to understand rapid and complex immune cell dynamics, and particularly the role of physical forces in shaping these dynamics. He uses a truly interdisciplinary approach, combining development of biophysical methods with quantitative imaging and advanced molecular biology approaches. In his keynote lecture he will present recent results on the dynamics and molecular basis of force generation during phagocytosis.