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NEW ORLEANS -- The second year of the new ASM Microbe meeting promises to examine advances in diagnostics, the increasing need for anti-infective therapies, and the continuing issue of antibacterial resistance.
A joint meeting of the American Society of Microbiology and the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), ASM Microbe 2017 boasts seven tracks and over 500 sessions, with more than 575 speakers at the Ernest Morial Convention Center in New Orleans this year. The meeting starts on Thursday and runs through Monday.
"This meeting covers the whole spectrum -- from very basic science to applied microbiology and infectious diseases," the conference's co-chair, Robin Patel, MD, director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., told MedPage Today.
Similar to last year's meeting, ASM Microbe is broken up into seven tracks, based on areas of interest for attendees:
- Antimicrobial Agents and Infectious Diseases
- Applied and Environmental Science
- Clinical and Public Health Microbiology
- Ecological and Evolutionary Science
- Host-Microbe Biology
- Molecular Biology and Physiology
- Profession of Microbiology
Patel said that the Antimicrobial Agents and Infectious Diseases track, which includes new antibacterial agents, antimicrobial stewardship, infection control, neglected tropical diseases, and other global health issues, may be particularly relevant to clinicians.
She called the advances being made in both new antibacterial agents and new diagnostics as two of the potential headlines of the meeting. Some of the products have already been cleared by the FDA, others are still in clinical trials, and some anti-infectives in the earliest phases of development are among the most exciting drugs, she said.
"Many have novel spectra of activity or mechanisms of action -- and some will make it to clinical practice."
The "explosion in rapid diagnostics" may also be of interest to clinicians, Patel said -- the ultimate goal being the ability to obtain a diagnosis based solely on a clinical specimen, without the need for isolating or growing organisms. "No one technology does that, but a lot are moving in that direction."
She also highlighted the Clinical and Public Health Microbiology track as a potential area of interest for clinicians, adding that "it's a big meeting, with lots of concurrent sessions."
The keynote address will be delivered by Kate Rubins, PhD, a NASA astronaut and molecular biologist, who is the first person to sequence DNA in space and who has logged more than 115 days in orbit.
Patel said she is also looking forward to the "Future of ASM and President's Forum." In particular, she highlighted the talk by Christopher Woods, MD, co-director of the Duke University Center for Global Health in Durham, N.C., who is examining the concept of looking at a host response to diagnose infectious diseases. The goal is to one day be able to potentially use a simple blood test to distinguish the difference between viral and bacterial infections, Patel said.
She added that she is also excited about the ICAAC Lecture by Robert Bonomo, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, whom Patel characterized as "an antibacterial-resistance expert who will give a fantastic lecture."
Finally, Patel encouraged attendees to look at the new technology being showcased on the exhibit floor to see the combination of how the pharmaceutical industry "goes together" with the anti-infectives industry and "see the whole spectrum of how that might work."