Workshop on Quantitative Models to Assess Infectious Bacterial Disease Stages

to join the New Mexico Consortium Network and indicate "Workshop on Infectious Bacterial Disease Stages" as the Event.  More information about this workshop is available on the NMC Network site.

For information on getting Los Alamos and the NMC, please follow this link.

Workshop Welcome

Welcome to the NMC Workshop on Host-microbial interactions. We look forward to meeting you at Los Alamos, NM, Dec 9-11, 2009. We expect participants from 5 countries and 10 institutions, who represent at least eight disciplinary views (microbiology, immunology, cell pathology, epidemiology, statistics, mathematics, biomedical engineering, and computer sciences). Together, they will explore the information capabilities of a research approach that collects data on both microbes and leukocytes.

Taking advantage of data generated by some of the participants, the goal of the workshop is to elicit or identify, through an interdisciplinary dialogue, potential interpretations, applications, and/or opportunities associated with host-microbial data patterns. By looking not at individual (host- or microbe-related) variables but at data patterns generated by the host-microbial interaction, we expect to differentiate patterns observable across populations from those specific of individual populations and/or subjects. Given the diversity of disciplines involved in this dialogue and the fact that all presentations will be based on data patterns, we expect this workshop will give us all a unique opportunity to integrate concepts and tools relevant to the study of bacterial infections.

The workshop will be held at the New Mexico Consortium building in the Los Alamos Research Park. The workshop will begin at 8:30 AM, Dec 9, 2009. Transportation from the Holiday Inn at Los Alamos (2455 Trinity Dr, Los Alamos, NM 87544) to and from the venue will be provided. A vehicle will be available since 8:00 AM, Dec 9. For additional inquiries, please call or write to lsparks@newmexicoconsortium.org (505-412-4200).

Topic to be discussed include: 

• Bacteria and mammals: a five million-year old interaction, still evolving.
• Identifying when infections occur by assessing the host’s immune response
• Relative proportions of leukocyte-microbial interactions
• Experimental data on host-microbial-temporal interactions.
• Leukocyte-microbial disease staging
• Statistical basis of disease staging
• Repeatability of major vs. minor pathogen-induced leukocyte patterns

Potential applications

• Prognosis
• Identifying false negative diagnostics
• Quality control
• Addressing errors due to dichotomization of continuous data
• ROC analysis and culture-free diagnoses

• Assembling and evaluating a new diagnostic approachs
• Flow cytometry and digital image analysis
• New microbiological technologies

Organizers: Helen Cui, Katharine Chartrand, Jeanne Fair, Mac Hyman, V. M. Kenkre, Ariel Rivas

For additional information contact  Mac Hyman ( hyman@lanl.gov )