Fifth Annual Meeting of NaRePI put bacteriology research in the spotlight

The Namur Research Pole in Infectiology (NaRePI) held its fifth annual meeting on Monday December 4th, 2023, with a special emphasis on bacteriology research (www.narilis.be/events/narepi-2023). The event featured three distinguished microbiologists, who shared their expertise and latest research findings in the field. Prof. Kimberly Kline (University of Geneva) shed light on the pathogenesis of enterococcal biofilm-associated infections. Dr. Magdalena Szczesna (Imperial College London) provided insights into how cytosolic bacteria inhibit RNF213-mediated cell autonomous immunity. Dr. Liselot Dewachter (UCLouvain) presented her research on Streptococcus pneumoniae cell cycle regulation. The programme included also nine short talks selected from submitted abstracts. These presentations offered young researchers a valuable opportunity to present and discuss their ongoing research projects.

The meeting attracted approximately 85 attendees from the UNamur and other Belgian universities, including UCLouvain, ULiège, ULB, KU Leuven and UGhent. Moreover, six students enrolled in the Master in Molecular Microbiology (MMM) also took part in the event with great interest.

The gathering concluded with a Beer Hour, where participants continued their discussions in a relaxed atmosphere.

The organizers thank the FNRS, Seqalis for their support, as well as the UNamur for its contribution through the Special Research Fund (FSR) – “Doctoral Schools support”.