3rd MOI Symposium of the Manchot Graduate School "Molecules of Infection"

The final MOI Symposium in the first round of the Manchot Graduate School "Molecules of Infection" took place in the beautiful surroundings of Gnadenthal Castle from the 6th to the 8th of March 2013. All doctoral researchers were asked to present their recent results in English to their colleagues and principal investigators. The whole Conference was characterized by high-quality presentations as well as lively and stimulating discussions.

The scientific highlights of the symposium were the "Manchot Lectures in Infection Biology", each presented by an outstanding researcher in the field:

• Dr. Agathe Subtil from the Pasteur Institute in Paris
• Dr. Özgür Bayram from the Institute for Microbiology and Genetics in Göttingen and
• Prof. Dr. Mathias Heikenwälder from the Institute of Virology at the Helmholtz-Zentrum in Munich

The speakers had been chosen and invited by the PhD students, presenting fascinating aspects of their current research. In addition to their own talks, the guest speakers provided insightful feedback on the work of the doctoral researchers. The lecture program was completed by an inspiring address of Dr. Thorsten Eierhoff from the BIOSS in Freiburg.

Altogether, the 3rd MOI Symposium was a very successful conclusion to the first round of the Manchot Graduate School “Molecules of Infection”, showing the young researchers’ scientific potential at its best.

From the 1st of April 2013 a new round of the Manchot Graduate School starts with eighteen new scholarship holders. The PIs involved in MOI II are very pleased, and grateful to the Jürgen Manchot Foundation for its generous funding and its continuing commitment to the goals of the Manchot Graduate School.

Photo: Prof. W. Däubener/HHU