A conference on =93Structural Biology for the Bioeconomy: Infectious Diseas=
es and Biotechnology=94 will be held at the University of Cape Town from 1 =
December to 2012 to 4 December 2012. The conference will immediately preced=
e the annual conference of the Microscopy Society of Southern Africa (4-7 D=
ecember 2012) and will be held in the same venue on the University of Cape =
Town campus. The conference website is http://www.sbbe.co.za and more abou=
t the organisers can be found here: http://www.sbbe.co.za/structural-biolog=
y-conference-organisers/
Context
Work in the field of structure determination of protein and macromolecular =
complexes has made a real and significant impact on:
=95 The understanding of the mechanism of infection by pathogens
=95 The design of interventions in the form of drugs
=95 The design of preventative measures such as vaccines, barrier creams et=
c.
=95 The design of enzymes to make new industrial chemicals
=95 The design of novel herbicides and pesticides
=95 The design of energy efficient industrial processes exploiting engineer=
ed enzymes
=95 The use of engineered enzymes for environmental remediation
=95 The use of biomolecules to make novel =93bionanomachines=94
=95 The understanding of biological events so that novel strategies for int=
ervention in human health can be designed and produced or exploited to make=
new devices.
The conference will focus on the above areas and will highlight structural =
biology and biophysics research of direct economic benefit. The purpose of =
the meeting would thus be to:
=95 further understanding of the interaction between Structural Biology and=
Biophysics,
=95 promote awareness and development of Structural and Biophysics and asso=
ciated techniques at all levels in the Southern African region,
=95 further the exchange of knowledge w.r.t the latest research, results, t=
echniques, and ideas in all areas of Structural Biology and Biophysics,
=95 showcase the rapidly emerging South African research in Structural Biol=
ogy and Biophysics and the increasing numbers of excellent African research=
ers in this area,
=95 enable the South African researchers and students to hear presentations=
of work by international counterparts,
=95 network and explore the possibilities of both local and international c=
ollaborations/partnerships, as well as interdisciplinary interactions,
=95 foster the educational and research potential of students interested in=
pursuing Structural Biology and/or Biophysics as a career or major researc=
h tool, particularly those young researchers from previously disadvantaged =
communities
Themed areas of focus:
The conference will focus on the following 3 themes:
BioEconomy: By focusing on industrial enzymes as well as their optimization=
with respect to their production, their thermal and chemical stabilization=
as well as their catalytic efficiency. These are classical areas of biotec=
hnology, synthetic biology and nano-technology resulting in the large scale=
production of modified enzymes world-wide to produce a large array of chem=
icals and biological products under mild conditions. The rate of developing=
new products =96 both the enzymes themselves as well as commercial product=
s obtained by their use =96 is particularly high in this area of research=
=20
Health Innovation: By addressing and analyzing molecular processes underlyi=
ng infectious diseases. By investigating interacting proteins or enzymes cr=
itical to pathogenesis, the information obtained will directly flow into th=
e generation of new drugs to eradicate these diseases. In the case of South=
Africa tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS result in particularly heavy burden on th=
e population though other infectious diseases such as cholera and bacterial=
meningitis are also prevalent.=20
Human Capital Development: By providing access to excellent local and inter=
national researchers, postgraduate students will be exposed to cutting-edge=
research. Through personal contacts students and supervisors will be able =
to identify new exchange laboratories, allowing them to partly train in the=
partner country providing them with first-hand experience of methodologies=
and techniques not normally available to them.
Involvement of Young Scientists=20
Both the number and the size of research groups in Structural Biology are g=
rowing steadily in South Africa reflecting the growing interest and partici=
pation of postgraduate students at all levels in this discipline. In additi=
on, interest in structural biological techniques and analyses is growing in=
allied specializations in biotechnology and the health sector, significant=
ly increasing the pool of young scientists in from South Africa that will b=
enefit from this three-day conference. We hope to attract around 60 young s=
cientists and students from the various South African universities and from=
the CSIR.
Thanks and kind regards,
Amanda Dominy
Conference Organiser - SBBE 2012
Salamander Conference and Event Management
Email: admin from sbbe.co.za
Cell: +27 (0) 84-313-1613
Tel: +27 (0) 21-556-0653
Fax: +27 (0) 86-513-1799
Google Talk: gillespie.amanda=20
Postal: P.O. Box 140, Century City, Cape Town 7446, South Africa
