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The infection biology community gathered in Umeå to find synergies for the future

At the beginning of February, SciLifeLab, together with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), invited the infection biology community to a conference at SciLifeLab’s northernmost site in Umeå. The two day conference, “Infection Biology Across Scales”, covered topics ranging from pandemic preparedness and antimicrobial resistance to infection imaging and the microbiome’s connection to human health.

Maria Bernabeu, group leader EMBL. Photo: Josefin Lundgren Gawell

“These days have been a great opportunity for us all to learn about what the different organisations do. Now, when we have a clear foundation, we can start to develop and broaden infection biology research together,” says Maria Bernabeu, group leader and co-chair of the Infection Biology Transversal Theme at EMBL, who gave the introductory talk to infection biology. 

“MIMS being a national node in the Nordic EMBL Partnership, we were happy to facilitate this joint conference in Umeå. EMBL and SciLifeLab offer outstanding services, technologies and collaboration opportunities for researchers in Sweden.” says Oliver Billker, Director of MIMS, who opened the conference, including a history of Umeå University’s ties to Sami culture and an introduction to the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine.

Oliver Billker, Director of MIMS. Photo: Rebecca Forsberg
Tove Fall, professor in molecular epidemiology at Uppsala University. Photo: Rebecca Forsberg

“The organizers devoted four fascinating scientific sessions to important areas of microbial and infection research, where we thought collaborations could thrive. We also explored how the platforms and capabilities of SciLifeLab and EMBL can complement and support each other”, says Oliver Billker.

Following the opening, Jan Ellenberg, director of SciLifeLab stressed the importance of utilizing the growing amount of molecular biology data to take the next steps in life science research.

After the first day, with talks spanning topics from malaria to neutron imaging and a poster session on infrastructures, the participants were invited to an exhibition at Bildmuseet, Umeå University. The exhibition covered themes of AI and programming in art, which resonated with many of the participants. “The exhibitions put perspectives on how data can be used to create something beautiful”, says Tove Fall, professor in molecular epidemiology at Uppsala University.

Conference participants at the exhibition at Bildmuseet, Umeå University.
Photo: Rebecca Forsberg

Equipping ourselves for the future

Ulf Ribacke, co-organizer and scientific lead of PLP. Photo: Rebecca Forsberg

“Combining the infection biology expertise of EMBL, SciLifeLab and MIMS in order to create collaboration and synergy is key to be better prepared for what’s ahead”, says Ulf Ribacke, co-organiser of the conference and scientific lead of the Pandemic Laboratory Preparedness (PLP) capability at SciLifeLab.

“There will always be infectious threats looming over us, including the increase in antimicrobial resistance which is often referred to as a silent pandemic. By leveraging what we have already learned and developed during the COVID-19 pandemic and through continued development of new and cutting-edge methods and technologies, we can be better prepared for the future. During this conference, we have identified collaborations and synergies that will be invaluable for this” he says.

“The conference has been a success –
I couldn’t be happier”

With close to 120 participants on-site from SciLifeLab, EMBL, MIMS, Umeå University, and many more universities and organizations, frequent coffee breaks allowed for networking and the birth of new collaborations.
“I have had the opportunity to meet with many researchers that I want to have future collaboration with, both people that I knew from before and new acquaintances,” says Tove Fall, who opened the session on microbiome with a talk about gut microbiome connections to human health. 

Laura Carroll, DDLS Fellow and MIMS affiliated. Photo: Rebecca Forsberg

Laura Carroll has been involved in all three organisations, today as DDLS Fellow, affiliated with MIMS and a former postdoc at EMBL.
“I got very inspired by how I can extend and explore my science, and have many ideas that I will bring back to my lab”, says Laura Carroll. “I especially enjoyed hearing about the advancements and the next steps in pangenomics and learning more about microbiomes from a medical point of view.” 

Closing the conference Oliver Billker praised the many future collaborations and ideas for future experiments that sparked during the conference.

“The conference has been a success – I couldn’t be happier”, Ulf Ribacke concludes. 

Close to 120 participants from EMBL, SciLifeLab, MIMS, Umeå University and many other organizations and universities, Photo: Jenny Rehnman (c), www.jrehnman.se


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Last updated: 2025-02-05

Content Responsible: Rebecca Forsberg(rebecca.forsberg@scilifelab.se)