Over 85 people registered to take part in this live afternoon event organised by the University of Bristol's Infection and Immunity Research Network, which allows Early Career Researchers (ECRs) the opportunity to go through an abstract submission process, gets them in front of a captive audience to hone their presentation and communication skills and, most importantly, lets them share their experiences and research with fellow staff and students at the University. 

Overview

The programme consisted of 8 oral and 15 poster presentations (following an abstract submission process) given by ECRs from three faculties and six schools across the University, as well as talks by two invitd keynote speakers:

• Dr Alex McCarthy (Lecturer in Innate Immunity, Imperial College London) – Alex’s group is based at the MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology & Infection. They study the role of innate immune receptors in the generation and modulation of innate immune responses in host immunity and inflammation, and how pathogens exploit these receptors to manipulate innate immune responses.
• Prof Laura Bowater Professor of Microbiology Education and Engagement, University of East Anglia) – Laura leads an interdisciplinary research project focused on public engagement with the global problem of antibiotic resistance (AMR), working with the Society of General Microbiology to create a Citizen Science project. The research will be focused on the laboratory aspects of hunting for new antimicrobial products but will also examining whether citizen science can effectively engage the public with the issues that underpin the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

The Programme

The full list of oral speakers is reproduced below (in order of appearance):

• Chinelo Etiaba (Undergraduate student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Hemozoin, a by-product of malaria infection, suppresses the neutrophil oxidative burst
• Tim Satchwell (Senior Research Associate, School of Biochemistry): Uncovering the role of host red blood cell proteins in malaria parasite invasion
• Michael Beer (PhD student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Multiple Determinants of Carbapenemase Activity in Class A β-lactamases Revealed by Computation
• Xiayi Liu (PhD student, Bristol Dental School): Investigating use of nanoflake-coated titanium as a potential approach strategy to combat implant infections
• Alex McCarthy (Imperial College London): Human Streptococcal pathogens target CEACAM1 receptor
• Taru Silvonen (Research Assistant, Bristol Medical School): Views towards vaccination among people aged 55 and over in the UK
• Julia Crunden (Postdoctoral Research Associate,  School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): The role and interaction networks of Hsp90 in the fungal pathogens of humans, Candida glabrata and Candida albicans
• Henry Oswin (PhD student, School of Chemistry): An investigation of the airborne stability of Group A Streptococcus
• Kirsty Goudar (Research Associate, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Substrate and inhibitor interactions of Class D OXA β-lactamases
• Laura Bowater (University of East Anglia): Engaging with Public Engagement: developing my career path

Poster presenters included:

• Alla Abed (PhD student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Human interactome of MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 envelop and membrane proteins
• Hanin Alamir (PhD student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): TIM3 suppresses Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Anti-Tumour function in a Three-Dimensional Tumour Spheroid Model
• Amal Alsubaiti (PhD student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Suppression of the function of human anti-tumour T cells with a defined T cell receptor by human tumour spheroids
• Rachael Barr (EBI Clinical Primer, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Understanding the antibody response to Group A Streptococcus by exposure risk
• Sandra Bivegete (PhD student, Bristol Medical School): Updated national prevalence estimates of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in countries within the European (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA): a systematic review
• Dora Bonini (PhD student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): MspA: a scaffold for lipotechoic acid synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus?
• Daisy Crick (PhD student, Bristol Medical School): Investigating the validity of GlycA as an inflammatory biomarker in the ALSPAC cohort
• Max Erdmann (PhD student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Establishment of versatile transient dual-reporter replicon systems for SARS-CoV-2
• Éimear Foley (PhD student, Bristol Medical School): Peripheral blood cellular immunophenotype in depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis
• Michaela Gregorova (PhD student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Immune cell responses to dengue virus infection in obese/overweight versus non-obese children and young adults
• Irill Ishak (Postdoctoral Research Associate, Bristol Dental School): Synergistic approach to inhibit bacterial infections on titanium medical implants
• Emily Milodowski (PhD student & GW4-CAST Fellow, Bristol Veterinary School): Dynamic changes in peripheral blood lymphocyte immune profiles of stage IV metastatic melanoma patients treated with PD-1 blockade
• Claire Naveh (MSci student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Showing their age: CD10lo immature neutrophils in severe inflammation
• Tiah Oates (PhD student, School of Biochemistry): Identifying specific macrophage-erythroblast interactions within erythroblastic islands utilising bespoke live cell interaction analysis

Prizes

Tallying judges' scores resulted in a number of prizes being awarded:

• Best oral presentation (1^st place): Chinelo Etiaba for Hemozoin, a by-product of malaria infection, suppresses the neutrophil oxidative burst. Chinelo received a £50 Amazon voucher kindly donated by Qiagen.
• Best oral presentation (joint 2^nd place, a £30 cash prize for each):

• Julia Crunden for The role and interaction networks of Hsp90 in the fungal pathogens of humans, Candida glabrata and Candida albicans, and
• Henry Oswin for An investigation of the airborne stability of Group A Streptococcus

• Best poster presentation (1^st place): Rachael Barr for Understanding the antibody response to Group A Streptococcus by exposure risk, who receives a £50 cash prize
• Best poster presentation (2^nd place): Max Erdmann for Establishment of versatile transient dual-reporter replicon systems for SARS-CoV-2, who receives a £30 cash prize
• Best poster presentation (3^rd place): Michaela Gregorova for Immune cell responses to dengue virus infection in obese/overweight versus non-obese children and young adults, who receives a £20 cash prize 

Congratulations are extended to all presenters for taking part.                                                                                                          

The Network is supported by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute and we thank them for the financial support required to run the event.