The International Blastocystis Network (IBN) becomes a member of the World Federation of Parasitologists

The International Blastocystis Network (IBN) becomes a member of World Federation of Parasitologists (WFP).

For the past few years, the Blastocystis community has been increasingly organised and proficient, as evidenced by the international meetings organised so far. And two years ago, the first special issue dedicated to Blastocystis research in a scientific journal was published in Parasitology International.

Therefore, it's time to formalise this network to further stimulate and promote activities related to Blastocystis research and to secure and expand interest in the series of meetings, which are currently held every third year.

At ICOPA 2018 in Daegu, Korea, IBN was registered officially as a member society of World Federation of Parasitologists (http://www.wfpnet.org/).

The network is currently headed by Prof Funda Dogruman-Al, Prof Kevin Tan, Dr Juan-David Ramirez, and Dr Rune Stensvold, and its management and leadership will be further developed in the upcoming meeting in October in Colombia.

IBN is on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/iBlastoNet/) and also on Twitter: @blastocystis

Please follow and support us!

Updates on 2nd International Blastocystis Conference

Three months until kick-off of 2nd International Blastocystis Conference in Bogotá!

A couple of updates:

• Abstract submission deadline has been postponed to 15th of August 2018. 
• We have had a couple of speaker cancellations. Drs Pauline Scanland and Katerina Pomajbikova will not be able to participate. Hopefully, we'll be blessed by their presence at the next big Blasto event. Instead, Drs Raul Tito-Tadeo and Hisao Yoshikawa have very kindly accepted to give keynote lectures and lead workshop sessions. And so we will still have a great event!

For more information on workshop and conference, please visit the official conference website here.

Since it's summer here in Europe, and since I love Phlox, I thought, I'd attach a couple of images that I received yesterday from my dear friend Jaco Verweij.

Updates on 2nd International Blastocystis Conference in Bogotá!

Hi everyone,

There's only little more than three months before the kick-off of our 2nd International Blastocystis Conference! And as in the case of our 1st conference in Ankara in 2015, participants are in for a real treat! I simply don't know where to begin... !

Well, for starters, here's the hotel in which the conference will take place (11–12 October). It's the Hotel Estelar La Fonata in Bogotá! I think it looks amazing!

Prior to the very conference (9–10 October), there will be a two-day workshop at Universidad del Rosario - Quinta De Mutis.

Please go to the conference website and find more information: http://www.urosario.edu.co/Blastocystis/en/home/

The line-up of faculty members is impressive; again, please visit website to update yourself with workshop leaders and keynote speakers.

We will be dealing with anything from diagnostics to genomics, from epidemiology to cell biology, from experimental models to phylogenetics!

There will be plenty of Colombian coffee to sample and you might also with to sign up for the gala dinner!

So, don't miss out on the opportunity to put yourself into the very epicentre of Blastocystis research and experience the dynamic city of Bogotá!

Importantly, the deadline for abstract submission is 1st of July, so please everyone: Get your act together - submit your abstract today and support us with your presence and your enthusiasm with regard to the most common parasite in the human gut: Blastocystis!

SEE YOU THERE!!!

ICOPA 2022 in Copenhagen?

Calling on all parasitologists, microbiologists, ecologists, evolutionary biologists, etc.: Please distribute and support our bid to host the ICOPA 2022 conference!




http://sbsp.eu/images/PDF/ICOPAnhagen_2022_mini_web.pdf
http://icopaxv.dk/documents.html
World Federation of Parasitologists
Wonderful Copenhagen