WSEMID2025 | Microbiology and Infectious Diseases | Top Conference in Microbiology

Prof. Rui Tan

Southwest Jiaotong University, China

Title: Establishment and Application of Trace Component Pharmacological Screening Model Based on Stem Cell Model

Prof. Dr. R. Tan received her bachelor and master diplomas from Traditional Chinese Medicine of Chengdu University, and Ph. D. degree in 2004 from there with her doctorate dissertation completed at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. She has been appointed as full professor (since 2007), department chair, vice-dean at Southwest Jiaotong University. Dr. Tan used to work as a postdoctor at University of Harvard (2009 and 20101), Boston, USA.

Professor and PhD’s supervisor, the member of the Chinese National Pharmacopoeia Committee, the leading talent in health and hygiene in Sichuan Province, and the director of the Frontier Research Center for Drug Quality Standardization and Efficacy Evaluation in Sichuan Province of China. Dr. Tan’s research focuses on traditional Chinese medicine pharmacological substances and mechanisms of action, standardization and safety of traditional Chinese medicine quality standards, and the establishment of stem cell models to screen trace components of traditional Chinese medicine. Dr. Tan has published over 260 papers in prominent journals such as Advanced Healthcare Materials, Acta Pharmaceutia Sinica B and International Immunopharmacology. She has led and participated in more than 50 national and provincial-level scientific and technological projects. She was awarded 7 times provincial-level scientific and technological progress awards; invited 5 times presentations at international conferences and granted over 10 patents. She edited 8 monographs including "Chinese Tibetan Medicine", "DNA Barcode Sequence of Commonly Used Tibetan Medicinal Plants".

Prof. Guo-Ping Zhou

Rocky Mount Life Sciences Institute, USA

Title: Studies of Inhibition of Neural Cell Adhession Molecule Polysialylation Overexpression Related to Cancer Cell Migration

Professor Dr. Guo-Ping Zhou is currently a Chief Scientist in Rocky Mount Life Sciences Institute, USA. He is also an Adjunct Professor of several academics in the United States and China. Dr. Zhou received his Ph.D in Biophysics from University of California at Davis, and completed his postdoctoral training at Stanford University and Harvard University, respectively. Dr. Zhou determined the 3D NMR structures of some proteins, protein-DNA complexes, super lipids such as dolichol and other polyisopren-yls, as well as polyisoprenol recognition sequences and polysialyltransferase. Dr. Zhou has successfully introduced the elegant Wenxiang diagrams to elucidate the mechanisms of the coiled-coil proteins, protein-lipids, protein-DNA interactions, and prion protein misfolding observed by NMR. Meanwhile, he has also published many papers in Bioin-formatics. Prof. Zhou’s current research interests focus on inhibition of polysialylation of neuronal cell adhesion molecules (NCAM). The lab led by Prof. Zhou discovered sev-eral ligands based on the previous in vitro and recent NMR experiments, as well as mo-lecular docking model studies. These ligands may be effective inhibitors in inhibiting tumor cell migration. In addition, Dr. Zhou has edited and is editing some special issues on structural biology for several influential scientific journals such as Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, Current Medicinal Chemistry (CTMC), Amino Acids, Protein & Peptide Letters (PPL), and International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS).

Dr. Bengü Ergüden

Turkey

Title: Crucial Role of the Phenol Group for Antimicrobial Activity of Natural Compounds

Dr. Bengü Ergüden earned a master‘s degree in Chemistry from Middle East Technical University, Turkey and completed her PhD in Molecular Biology at the ZMBH, University of Heidelberg, Germany. She earned the Associate Professor title in 2022 and is currently a faculty member at Department of Bioengineering, Gebze Technical University, Turkey. Her research focuses on microbiology, bacteriology, mycology, antimicrobial agents, including their synthesis, characterization, and mode of action.

Dr. Pratap Vydyam

USA

Title: Tafenoquine-Atovaquone Combination: A Breakthrough for Radical Cure and Sterile Immunity in Human Babesiosis

Pratap Vydyam is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Section of Infectious Diseases at Yale School of Medicine, specializing in infection biology and translational drug discovery for hemoprotozoan parasites. With over 12 years of research experience, Pratap has made significant contributions to the development of novel therapeutics for infectious diseases such as babesiosis and malaria. His work focuses on identifying drug targets, optimizing lead compounds, and evaluating preclinical efficacy using advanced molecular and biochemical techniques. Pratap earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Hyderabad, India, where he studied the role of Rad51 recombinase in Plasmodium falciparum and developed small-molecule inhibitors for malaria treatment. At Yale, he has led groundbreaking research, including the sequencing of the Babesia duncani genome, the development of diagnostic tools, and the discovery of novel drug combinations, such as Tafenoquine-Atovaquone, which has been patented for its efficacy against babesiosis. Pratap has published peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals, including Nature Microbiology, Science, and The Journal of Infectious Diseases. He is a recipient of the Young Scientist Award and has been an invited speaker at numerous international conferences. Pratap is passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists and advancing global health through innovative research.

Prof. Cristina-Crenguta Albu

Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania

Title: Integrating Genomic Technologies in Dental Practice: Innovations and Challenges in Periodontal Disease Management

Dr. Cristina-Crenguta Albu is an Associate Professor, with the degree of a Habilitated Doctor in the Department of Medical Genetics at Bucharest, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania, and General Manager of Bucharest "Alco San" Medical Center, Romania. She received her M.D. degree in Medicine from Bucharest, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania, in 1991 and her Ph.D. degree in Medicine (Ophthalmology) from Bucharest, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania, in 2001.

Dr. Cristina-Crenguta Albu is a member of several editorial boards, including Current Trends in Genetics and Microbiology, Journal of Genetics and Genomes, Journal of Chemical Biology & Pharmaceutical Chemistry, International Journal of Human Genetics and Genetic Disorders, Edelweiss Journal of Genetics, and Journal of Biomedical and Life Science.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9783-149X
Key research areas: Medical Genetics, Ophthalmology

Keynote Speakers