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May 8-11, 2017

Understanding how fungi cope with stress has important implications and consequences for fundamental as well as applied sciences. Hence, a diverse group of experienced and innovative researchers will present at the Second International Symposium on Fungal Stress. Please join us at Universidade Federal de Goiás in Goiânia, Brazil 2017 for the ISFUS 2017.

General Information

The world is at the cross roads in relation to many issues: human health, climate change, food production and spoilage, etc. Fungal biology, and fungal stress in particular, can help to inform and/or solve many of these issues. For instance, fungi can be used for bioremediation; to replace synthetic pesticides by using them for biological control of insect pests; fungi can be used to produce biofuels, novel antibiotics, enzymes and useful chemicals; soil-dwelling fungi may enable production of crops in arid land; and foods can be manipulated to prevent proliferation of fungal xerophiles; fungi grow on many substrates and can help to recycle organic waste. In addition, fungal pathogens represent a serious threat for crops and animals, including humans. Thus, understanding how fungi deal with stress during growth or while infecting a host will help to optimize the use of fungi in biotechnological applications and to fight fungal diseases.

This conference is being held in Brazil because this nation is at the cross roads of work on fungal stress. There is a long tradition of studies on metabolism of trehalose, a unique and universal fungal stress metabolite; biofuel production (including pioneering work on ethanol stress); entomopathogenic fungi to control insect pests (especially in relation to manipulation of stress metabolism); fungi in food production and food spoilage.

This symposium has been designed to facilitate interactions between world leaders from Brazil and other countries, and between established researchers and young students/ scientists including undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs from Brazil and elsewhere. This will catalyze future interactions between Brazilian groups and those from other countries. The first ISFUS (ISFUS 2014), held in São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil has thus far resulted in the publication of more than 30 collaborative articles, including papers in leading journals such as ISME Journal and Environmental Microbiology, as well as a special issue of Current Genetics that was devoted to ISFUS 2014, which published 18 papers.

For the International Speakers, it will be a unique opportunity to see first-hand the great scientific level in Brazil and to discuss their work with other colleagues with similar interests. At the same time, the distinguished group of researchers and the synthesis of science present will lead to cross-cutting discussions and stimulate new lines of research in relation to current world issues; both pure and applied. Small but highly focused meetings can provide the best quality of interaction between speakers, students, and other scientists, and the size of the meeting (no more than 200 attendants) is designed to maintain a degree of intimacy and thereby optimize interactions between all delegates (speakers, those presenting posters, and others, international and national; young and established scientists). The long lunch break and social activities provide many opportunities for all the delegates to interact, share ideas, and make lasting professional contacts.  Hence, the model of the meeting should produce a high number of collaborations afterwards.

The most striking difference in this symposium is that it will generate at least 35 original or review articles in a special issue in the journal Fungal Biology written by the speakers and the students that attend the meeting.

ISFUS 2017 will offer a unique education opportunity and interdisciplinary insights for undergraduate and graduate students as well as to postdocs, mid-career researchers, and university professors in the context of fungal stress. This symposium is also registered at Universidade Federal de Goias (ppgbrph and ppgmtsp) as graduate course work where the masters and PhD students can take this course work as graduate credits. There are nine primary undercurrents within the symposium, though these are not mutually exclusive:

1. Fungal biology in extreme environments;

2. Stress mechanisms and responses in fungi: molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, cellular biology;

3. Fungal photobiology in the context of stress;

4. Role of stress in fungal pathogenesis (in plant- and animal systems);

5. Fungal stress in agriculture: including biological control of insect pests;

6. Fungal stress in the industry: including biofuel and food production.

7. Ionizing radiation and fungal stress

8. Astrobiology.

9. Fungal stress and its implications on Bioremediation.

These topics were selected in the context of the research-related and applied issues of the day (see above).

(Informações retiradas do site do evento).