Workshop on Comparative Genomics of Malaria Parasites

A workshop hosted jointly by the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics of the American Museum of Natural History and the Department of Medical Parasitology of the New York University School of Medicine.

The workshop will take place at the People Center at the American Museum of Natural History on September 21, 2007, from 8am to 6:30pm.

For a full list of abstracts and participants, please download the PDF version of the program.

Organizers: Susan Perkins (AMNH) & Jane Carlton (NYU)

Program

8:00-8:30am -- Coffee and pastries

8:30-8:35am -- Welcome, George Amato, Director of the AMNH Sackler Inst. for Comparative Genomics

8:35-8:50am -- Introduction to the Workshop, Susan Perkins, AMNH

Session I -- GENOMES

8:50-9:10am -- Placing Apicomplexa on the Eukaryotic Tree of Life, Laura Katz, Smith College

9:10-9:30am -- Comparative Genomics of Plasmodium Species, Jane Carlton, NYU

9:30-9:50am -- The Genome of the Primate Malaria Parasite Plasmodium knowlesi, Uli Boheme, Sanger Institute

9:50-10:10am -- Insights into Mitochondrial Physiology of Apicomplexan Parasites through Comparative Genomics, Akhil Vaidya, Drexel University

10:10-10:40am -- Coffee break

Session II -- FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS

10:40-11:00am -- Comparative Transcriptome Analyses of P. falciparum Field Isolates, Zbynek Bozdech, Nanyang Technological University

11:00-11:20am -- Development of a Pan-Rodent Long Oligonucleotide Microarray for Global Genomics and Transcriptomic Study of Plasmodium yoelii, P. berghei and P. chabaudi, Peter Preiser, Nanyang Technological University

11:20-11:40am -- Identifying Intergenic Regions Conserved by Selection in Malaria, Jeffrey Chuang, Boston College

11:40am-12:00pm -- Microsatellites and SNPs for Genetic Mapping and Studies of Malaria Parasite Populations, Xinzhuan Su, NIH

12:00-12:20pm -- Host-Parasite Coevolution: Evidence from Plasmodium vivax in Southern Mexico, Deirdre A. Joy, NIH

12:20-1:30pm -- Lunch and tours

Session III -- THE "OTHER" MALARIA PARASITES

1:30-1:50pm -- Lizard Malaria Parasites as an Entry into the Broad Evolutionary, Ecological, and Genetic Diversity of Plasmodium, Susan Perkins, AMNH

1:50-2:10pm -- Phylogeny and Diversification of the Malaria Parasites, Ellen Martinsen, University of Vermont

2:10-2:30pm -- Using Genetics to Understand the Interactions of Introduced Avian Malaria, its Mosquito Vector and Native Songbirds in Hawaii, Robert Fleischer, Smithsonian Institution

2:30-2:50pm -- Into and Out of the Liver: Dynamic Aspects of the Hepatic Phase of a Malaria Infection, Ute Frevert, NYU

2:50-3:10pm -- Old World Monkey Malaria Parasites that Can Infect Humans, Balbir Singh, University Malaysia Sarawak

3:10-3:40pm -- Coffee break

Session IV -- MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF GENE LOCI IN PLASMODIUM

3:40-4:00pm -- Low-Complexity Regions in Plasmodium falciparum: Missing Links in Genome Evolution, Martine Zilversmit, NYU

4:00-4:20pm -- Structure Function Analysis of the Plasmodium vivax DBP Ligand Domain, John Adams, University of South Florida

4:20-4:40pm -- Worldwide Population Genetics of the AMA-1 locus of Plasmodium vivax : the Signature of Migration History, Austin Hughes, University of South Carolina

4:40-5:00pm -- Multigene Families - Invasion and Evasion Puzzles, Mary R. Galinski, Emory University

5:00-5:20pm -- IDEA (Interactive Display for Evolutionary Analyses): Providing a Bird's Eye View of Genome-Wide Molecular Evolution Analyses, Joana C. Silva, TIGR

5:30-6:20pm -- NIH Eukaryotic Pathogens & Vectors Working Group: Can we act as a cohesive group in order to attract funding for comparative genomics of Plasmodium species?, Discussion led by Jane Carlton

6:20-6:30pm -- Wrap-up, Victoria McGovern, Burroughs Wellcome Fund