w w w . f e m s - m i c r o b i o l o g y . o r g

T h e o f f i c i a l n e w s l e t t e r f o r F E M S A f f i l i a t e s

A L S O I N

T H I S I S S U E :

F E M S S e c . G e n .

P r o f . T o n e

T øn j u m o n

T r a n s l a t i o n a l

R e s e a r c h

F E M S a t t h e

N V v M

C e n t e n a r y

P a r t i a l l i s t o f

2 0 1 1 F E M S -

s p o n s o r e d

m e e t i n g s

D e a d l i n e s f o r

F E M S G r a n t s

F E M S 2 0 1 1

u p d a t e

N E W i s s u e

o f t h e F E M S

F o c u s , n o w

a v a i l a b l e !

A F F I L I A T E S L E T T E R

A p r i l 2 0 1 1

The ultimate reference book on yeasts was pre-

sented to the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences

on Wednesday, April 20, 2011.

“The Yeasts, a Taxonomic Study” was made

possible through the hand of former FEMS

Yeast Research Chief Editor Dr Teun Boekhout,

American microbiologists Drs Cletus Kurtzman

and Jack Fell and 76 other authors. Dr Boek-

hout calls it an international project. “22 coun-

tries, 76 authors from those countries, so this

is like, you can say, maybe like a wiki project. A

lot of volunteers worked on these chapters and

in the end of course, made the book what it is,”

he beams.

This is the 5th edition of the book that was first

published in 1952. It contains 60 years of

Yeast history and the most extensive reference

for yeasts by

far. In fact, it is

so thorough

that it could

not fit in one

book so they

made three

books out of it.

“The first book

is an introduc-

tion with about

10 chapters on

various aspects

of yeasts like ecology and cell biology and

whatever. The second part is on the ascomy-

cetes yeasts like that saccharomyces and the

candidas. And the third volume is one the

basidiomycetes yeasts, let’s say Cryptococcus ,

and things like that”, Dr Boekhout explains.

The book is a reference to about 1500 yeasts,

double the number in the last edition published

in 1998. With the amount of new species dis-

covered by the

day, the group

will not wait an-

other 10 years to

publish the next

one.

“If we wait an-

other 10 years, it

will be out of

control. It will be

so huge that it

can’t be done. So

now we’re think-

ing about something like a wiki, continuing

this wiki approach by asking people to work on

the different parts of the yeast domain and

then update regularly,” says Dr Boekhout.

The book is also

available as an e-

book which will

be updated every

now and then. Dr

Boekhout expects

that the updated

printed version

will be published

in the next 5 to 6

years. “People

can buy either

the whole e-book

or individual

chapters. Also, the e-book allows us to update

more regularly because print is very expensive

but PDF is not so expensive. And that is the

way we go,” he explains.

The group is also working on a website to allow

for easy communication among microbiolo-

gists interested to join in the project and quick

updating of the species. But as to when this

will be available is yet to be known.

B i g g e s t r e f e r e n c e b o o k o n Y e a s t s p u b l i s h e d

Toasting to the biggest reference on yeasts. Dr Teun Boekhout is

joined by co-editors Drs Jack Fell (left) and Cletus Kurtzman (right).

The 5th Edition of “The

Yeasts, a Taxonomic Study”

is the most extensive by far.

w w w . f e m s - m i c r o b i o l o g y . o r g

Page 2 A F F I L I A T E S L E T T E R

Join us at the 4th

FEMS Congress in

Geneva, Switzerland

June 26-30, 2011

J u n e 1 , d e a d l i n e f o r n e w F E M S G r a n t s

Just as we reported to you last

month, FEMS attended and put up

a booth at the 100th Year Celebra-

tion of the Netherlands Society for

Microbiology. The event was held in

Papendal, The Netherlands from 18

-20 April, 2011.

Crown Prince HRH Willem Alexan-

der was the special guest. FEMS

General Manager Mrs Barbara Dar-

tee managed to meet him at the

corridor wherein she handed out

some FEMS products specially pre-

pared for the prince and his three

little girls.

Aside from the prince, the NVvM Centenary

was also graced by four other big names in the

scientific world, such as: Nobel Prize Awardees

in Physiology or Medicine Drs Barry Marshall

(2005), Harald zur Hausen (2008) and Sir

Paul Nurse (2001). Dr Craig Venter also gave a

speech on the reading and writing of the ge-

netic code. “Life is a DNA software”, he said.

“You change the software, you change the spe-

cies”, he added.

FEMS Focus was able to interview two of the

Nobel Prize Awardees present in the scene,

namely: Drs Harald zur Hausen and Sir Paul

Nurse. Their interviews will be the topic in the

next FEMS Focus issues.

Start-up Grants Fast Facts

Organizers of National or Regional

Microbiological Congresses with 50-

500+ participants may apply

Organizers must have their forms

endorsed by the local FEMS Delegate

Planned congresses must not overlap

with a FEMS Congress

Organizers should provide general

and budgetary information with a full

programme

Interested applicants are encouraged to read

the Grants Regulations before contacting the

FEMS Grants Administrator.

Application documents are also made available

online.

Starting this year, FEMS will provide start-up

grants to support National or Regional Micro-

biological Congresses. The annual budget for

these grants is 30.000 EUR.

The Start-Up Grants support successful organi-

zation of meetings and can be used by the or-

ganizers of said meetings in any respect.

The minimum amount of a Start-up grant is

1.000 EUR and the maximum is 3.000 EUR.

This amount depends on the number of the

society members and expected participants at

the congress:

50 to 200 participants; 1.000 Euros.

200 to 500 participants; 2.000 Euros.

500 participants or more; 3.000 Euros.

The deadlines for these grants are June 1

(for meetings occurring between July 1 and

December 30) and December 15 (for meet-

ings between January 1 and June 30).

R u b b i n g e l b o w s w i t h r o y a l t y a t t h e N V v M C e n t e n a r y

FEMS General Manager Mrs Barbara Dartee

hands a couple of FEMS products to Crown

Prince HRH Willem Alexander during the

NVvM Centenary.

Members of the FEMS Executive Board were also

present during the NVvM Centenary. From left to

right: Sec. Gen. Tone Tønjum, Publications Manager

Fergus Priest, Grants Secretary Vaso Taleski, Mrs

Dartee and Vice President Jean Claude Piffaretti.

w w w . f e m s - m i c r o b i o l o g y . o r g

Page 3 A p r i l 2 0 1 1

T r a n s l a t i o n a l R e s e a r c h : n o t l o s t i n t r a n s l a t i o n

FEMS Secretary-General

Tone Tønjum talks about

Translational Research in

this issue of the FEMS Af-

filiates Letter.

What is Translational Re-

search (TR)?

Translational research (TR) is

multidisciplinary research aim-

ing at building bridges between

basic science and clinical medi-

cine. This shortens the dis-

tance between research and the

benefit of the patient. Thereby,

novel discoveries in medicine

can quickly come into practical

use.

Why is TR important, also

in microbiology and infec-

tious diseases?

Some examples worth men-

tioning can be designing / creating / constructing and testing

novel diagnostics, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents, as

well as preventive measures such as vaccines and probiotics.

New directions in medicine move toward more personalized

medicine, requiring the delineation of both genetic and environ-

mental factors for a basis for validation.

Norway is one example where Translational Research

is well integrated into everyday human and animal

medical activities. Why can TR be implemented effi-

ciently in Norway? What are the particular attributes

facilitating TR in Norway?

In addition to TR being an integrated goal of the healthcare

strategic vision, addressing prime questions in current medi-

cine, this country has well-structured nationwide registries of

data, biobanks and knowledge transfer networks. These enable

the efficient flow of relevant information in addition to qualified

storage, handling and maintenance of biological materials in

biobanks.

Of course, these facilities can always become better and efforts

are dedicated to improving these assets. However, the current

situation is a good start for more TR and Norway is, for many

parties and networks, perceived as a good scenario for clinical

trials (e.g. testing drugs and diagnostics, etc.).

TR in a FEMS perspective: What are the challenges,

strengths and opportunities in Europe in a global per-

spective?

Europe has special demands for comprehensive TR programs

with its multicultural setting and increased migration and mo-

bility of man and microbes relevant for human and animal

medicine. To address these challenges, a collective effort is re-

quired.

The European Commission (EC) has, among other measures,

implemented the European Advance for Translational Research

in Science (EATRIS) which was initiated to develop a pan-

European action plan for networking, science and education in

TR.

Professor and chief physician

Tone Tønjum, MD PhD, is the

Director of Centre for Molecular

Biology and Neuroscience

(CMBN) with 200 scientists,

employees and students,

focusing on TR

The Rigaku X-ray Diffractometer is located wall-to-wall with the inten-

sive care unit. With its multidisciplinary nature, ample competence

and resources, CMBN represents a unique opportunity in addressing

important challenges in basic and translational research. In a time of

rapidly evolving scientific developments, CMBN has fuelled discover-

ies on genome instability and brain diseases including meningitis and

other CNS infections. Bacterial systems are exploited as causes of

major diseases as well as being relevant models for higher eukaryotic

systems, contributing to new developments in molecular medicine.

Through their activities and multidisciplinary nature, CMBN scientists

are bridging the gap between basic sciences and clinical medicine, as

an example of translational research well integrated into hospital

services.

w w w . f e m s - m i c r o b i o l o g y . o r g

T h e v o i c e o f m i c r o b i o l o g y i n E u r o p e . W e a d v a n c e a n d u n i f y m i c r o b i o l o g y k n o w l e d g e .

DEADLINES

Keverling Buismanweg 4, 2628 CL Delft, The Netherlands

T: +31-15-269-3920 / F: +31-15-269-3921 / E-mail: fems@fems-microbiology.org

June 1, 2011

December 15, 2011

FEMS National & Regional

Congresses Grants

June 15, 2011

December 1, 2011

FEMS Research Fellowships

FEMS Visiting Scientist Grants

October 1, 2011

FEMS Advanced Fellowships

September 1, 2011

April 1, 2012

FEMS Meeting Attendance Grants

March 1, 2012

FEMS Meeting Grants

Page 4

D A T E T I T L E O F M E E T I N G V E N U E

May 7 HFP2011: Molecular Mechanisms of

Host-Pathogen Interactions and Viru-

lence in Human Fungal Pathogens

France

May 11 7th European Workshop on Bacterial

Respiratory Chains: Biochemistry, Ge-

netics, Assembly and their Regulation

Sweden

May 14 13th International Cytomegalovirus/

BetaHerpesvirus Workshop

Germany

May 26 Fighting Infections: Challenges and

Recent Progress. A British-

Scandinavian Meeting in Microbiology

Norway

June 12 Multi-Drug Efflux Systems: From Mo-

lecular Mechanisms to Pharmacologi-

cal Modulation

Switzerland

June 15 7th ISAM: International Symposium of

Anaerobic Microbiology

Slovakia

July 17 Enzymes in the Environments: Activity,

Ecology and Applications

Germany

T h e F E M S A f f i l i a t e s L e t t e r

i s a p r o d u c t i o n

o f t h e F E M S C e n t r a l O f f i c e

F E M S - S P O N S O R E D M E E T I N G S

M a y - J u l y 2 0 1 1

The combined Online Subscription to ALL FEMS Journals costs only €185. Subscribe now.

4 t h F E M S C o n g r e s s U p d a t e

Have you signed up for the 4th Congress of Microbiolo-

gists? To be held in Geneva, Switzerland, this will include

many interesting events.

You will find the list of topics to be tackled at the con-

gress here. For a list of speakers, please click this link.

Here is the list of interesting symposia and workshops. If

you are looking for someone to share a room with, you

may follow FEMS 2011 on Facebook and join in the dis-

cussion.

For more information on the Scientific Program and Pre-

liminary Timetable, please click the links.