Detailed Programme

Saturday, May 16, 2026

3:00 PM Registration

7:00 PM Dinner

8:10 PM Welcome Adresses
Introductory Remarks
FEBS overview presentation Zrinka Kovarik, PhD (FEBS MIC, IMI, Croatia)
FEBS Press Hajrah Khawaja, PhD (The FEBS Journal, UK)

8:40 PM Keynote lecture Stuart M. Levitz (UMass Chan Medical School, USA)
The perfect storm driving the fungal epidemic and how the research you are doing can counteract it

9:30 PM Welcome Reception

Sunday, May 17, 2026

7:30 AM Breakfast

8:30 AM Plenary Session 1: Clinical Challenges and Molecular Mechanisms of Fungal Infections and Antifungal Resistance

8:30 AM Bridget M. Barker (Northern Arizona University, USA) Introduction

8:50 AM Fariba M. Donovan (University of Arizona, USA) Coccidioidomycosis: Clinical, Diagnostic, and Therapeutic Challenges

9:20 AM Katrien Lagrou (KU Leuven, Belgium) Advancing Diagnostics and Understanding of Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Europe

9:50 AM Coffee Break

10:20 AM Jeniel E. Nett (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) Clinical challenges and pathogenesis of C. auris skin colonization

10:50 AM Chris Kosmidis (University of Manchester - NAC, UK) Advancements in Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis

11:20 AM Fanny Lanternier (Institut Pasteur, France) Advances in mycoses surveillance and management in Europe

12:15 PM Lunch

3:45 PM Workshop I: Clinical Challenges and Molecular Mechanisms of Fungal Infections and Antifungal Resistance

Chairs : Greetje VandeVelde (KU Leuven, Belgium) and Robert Cramer (Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, USA)

3:45 PM Adnane Sellam (Université de Montréal, Canada) Isw2-mediated chromatin remodeling governs antifungal tolerance and heteroresistance in Candida albicans

4:00 PM Clement Tsui (National Center for Infectious Diseases, Singapore) Evolution, diversity, and spread of fluconazole-resistant Candida parapsilosis isolates associated with increased ERG11

4:15 PM Sarah Beattie (University of Iowa, USA) A mold-active antifungal compound suitable for treatment of CNS fungal diseases

4:30 PM Theodore White (University of Missouri Kansas City, USA) Incidence of Fungal Infections in the United States over the Last 10 Years using Electronic Health Records

4:45 PM Coffee Break

5:15 PM Elevator Pitch, Session A

Chairs : Edward Wallace (University of Edinburgh, UK) and Fanny Lanternier (Institut Pasteur, France)

5:15 PM Margot Delavy (Memorial Sloan Kettering, USA) Investigating the characteristics of micafungin heteroresistance in Candida parapsilosis

5:21 PM Jianqiong Huang (Guangzhou Medical University, China) A ß-(1,3)-glucan binding protein is an effector of the resistance of Drosophila against Candida glabrata and Candida auris

5:27 PM Sara Alhihi (University of Perugia, Italy) Invasive Fungal Infections and Targeted Therapies in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

5:33 PM Jessica Allison (Queen's University of Belfast, UK) A One Health approach to Antifungal resistance: Investigating the development of azole cross-resistance in Candida species

5:39 PM Anagha C.T. Menon (Université de Montréal, Canada) Comprehensive insights into fungal sulfur metabolism and its role in fitness and pathogenicity in Candida albicans

5:45 PM Mathieu Giguere (Université Laval, Canada) FungAMRseer : Computational Prediction of Antifungal Resistance

5:51 PM Teresa Pissarro (ITQB NOVA, Portugal) Ocean secrets: Marine bacteria yield powerful antifungals

5:57 PM Margaux Charrier Le Blan (Université de Tours - CEPR, France) Dysregulated bronchial epithelial innate immunity promotes post-influenza Aspergillus superinfection

6:03 PM Dries Maes (KU Leuven, Belgium) Assessment of host-pathogen interactions and pathogen dissemination routes in preclinical cerebral cryptococcosis models

6:09 PM Jeany Söhnlein (University Hospital Würzburg, Germany) Employing human in vitro macrophage models to identify early immune response mediators against Aspergillus fumigatus

7:00 PM Dinner

8:00 PM Poster Session A

Monday, May 18, 2026

7:30 AM Breakfast

8:30 AM Plenary Session 2: Molecular Mycology: Next-Generation Insights into Fungal Virulence

8:30 AM Iuliana Ene (Institut Pasteur, France) Introduction

8:50 AM Jane Usher (University of Exeter - MRC CMM, UK) Cracking the Code of Combinatorial Stress: Genomic Innovation in Candida glabrata

9:20 AM Victoriano Garre (University of Murcia, Spain) Unlocking DNA Adenine Methylation–Based Regulation for Novel Mucormycosis Therapies

9:50 AM Coffee Break

10:20 AM Richard J. Bennett (Brown University, USA) Chromosome-level regulation of filamentation and host colonization in Candida

10:50 AM Evelina Tutucci (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands) Spatial and Temporal Regulation of Gene Expression During Hyphal Growth in Candida albicans

11:20 AM Matthew G. Blango (Leibniz - HKI, Germany) The epitranscriptome as an underappreciated regulatory layer in human fungal pathogens

12:00 PM Group Photo

12:30 PM Lunch

3:45 PM Workshop II: Molecular Mycology: Next-Generation Insights into Fungal Virulence

Chairs : Michael C. Lorenz (University of Texas McGovern Medical School, USA) and Elizabeth Ballou (University of Exeter - MRC CMM, UK)

3:45 PM Jerome Govin (Institute of Advanced Biosciences, France) From epigenetic vulnerabilities to new chromatin functions in Candida

4:00 PM Christophe d’Enfert (Institut Pasteur, France) Mapping of expression quantitative trait loci identifies novel properties of the genetic clusters structuring the Candida

4:15 PM Jeffrey Rybak (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, USA) Clinically emergent mutations in RBA1 are genetic determinants of Candidozyma auris pathogenic adaptation

4:30 PM Joachim Morschhäuser (University of Würzburg - IMIB, Germany) A septation initiation network (SIN) comprising three essential protein kinases controls cytokinesis in Candida albicans

4:45 PM Coffee Break

5:15 PM Elevator Pitch, Session B

Chairs : Evelina Tutucci (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Jonathan Richardson (King's College London, UK)

5:15 PM Darian Santana (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, USA) A Candida auris Clonal Subpopulation Seeds Resistance Emergence Under Fluconazole Stress

5:21 PM Seung-Heon Lee (University of Toronto, Canada) Identification of Hsp90 genetic interactors in Cryptococcus neoformans

5:27 PM Marhiah Montoya (University of Missouri Kansas City, USA) Systematic classification and Text Mining-Based Mapping of Fungal ICD Codes to Support Clinical, Epidemiologic, and Translational Studies of Human Fungal Pathogens

5:33 PM Maialen Areitio (Vetsuisse Faculty,Switzerland) Malassezia spp. and Candida auris interactions at the host skin interface

5:39 PM Zixu Wang (VU Amsterdam University, Netherlands) Forging the Fatal Tip: How Candida albicans Builds Its Pointy Hyphal Weapon

5:45 PM Ivan Ibanda (University of Liverpool, UK) Quantitative Systems Pharmacology Analysis of Cell Fate Decisions under Oxidative Stress in Candida albicans

5:51 PM Marina Álvaro Moya (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain) Characterization of the Immune Response Induced by a Gut Microevolved Candida albicans Strain

5:57 PM Laura Marthe (Sorbonne Université - Cimi, France) Fungal invasion studied in an innovative stratified epithelia model using live cell imaging combined with damage sensitive reporters

6:03 PM Katie Quinn (Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, USA) Glycolysis is Necessary for Aspergillus fumigatus Pulmonary Infection Initiation

6:09 PM Rasha Zaher (Leibniz-HKI, Germany) Phagosomal dynamics during Lichtheimia corymbifera infection of macrophages

7:00 PM Dinner

8:00 PM Poster Session B

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

7:30 AM Breakfast

8:30 AM Plenary Session 3: Molecular Mechanisms of Cross-Kingdom Interactions and Their Impact on Pathogenesis

8:30 AM Guilhem Janbon (Institut Pasteur, France) Introduction

8:50 AM Iliyan D. Iliev (Weill Cornell Medicine, USA) Immunity and Inflammation form the prism of gut fungal commensalism - IUBMB Speaker

9:20 AM Aurélie Deveau (Université de Lorraine - IAM, France) Interkingdom interactions in toxic environment: when fungi and bacteria teams up to survive and grow in deadly conditions

9:50 AM Coffee Break

10:20 AM Michael C. Lorenz (University of Texas McGovern Medical School, USA) Interkingdom interactions between Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis are ruled by secreted peptides

10:50 AM Ilse D. Jacobsen (Leibniz - HKI, Germany) The good and the bad: Strain-dependent virulence synergism between Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans

11:20 AM Ioly Kotta-Loizou (Imperial College London, UK) Mycovirus infection in Aspergillus fumigatus

12:30 PM Lunch

Free Afternoon and Evening

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

7:30 AM Breakfast

8:30 AM Plenary Session 4: Beyond Mycology, Interdisciplinary Approaches to Fungal Research

8:30 AM Marcio L. Rodrigues (Fiocruz, Brazil), Introduction

8:50 AM Dominique Ferrandon (Université de Strasbourg - IBMC, France) Genetic analysis of Drosophila host defenses against microbial infections: protection against secreted virulence factors 

9:20 AM Christian R. Landry (Université Laval, Canada) Towards a complete understanding of antifungal resistance

9:50 AM Coffee Break

10:20 AM Toni Gabaldón (IRB Barcelona, BSC-CNS, Spain) Discovery of environmental yeast hybrids with pathogenic potential: evolutionary and clinical implications

10:50 AM Antonio Di Pietro (University of Córdoba, Spain) Transposons drive rapid adaptation in a clonally evolving fungal pathogen

11:20 AM André Fleissner (Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany) Microbial dialogs: Intra- and interspecies communication in filamentous fungi

12:15 PM Lunch

3:45 PM Workshop III: New Frontiers in Molecular Mycology: Interdisciplinary Approaches and Cross-Kingdom Interactions

Chairs : Attila Gacser (University of Szeged, Hungary) and Josh Obar (Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, USA)

3:45 PM Edward Wallace (University of Edinburgh, UK) Post-transcriptional control of fungal growth and virulence by the RNA-binding protein Ssd1

4:00 PM Bernado Ramírez-Zavala (University of Würzburg - IMIB, Germany) Functional analysis of uncharacterized putative essential protein kinases of Candida albicans

4:15 PM Brooke Esquivel (University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC), USA) Analysis of the Canine Oral Mycobiome and Implications for Human Health

4:30 PM Leijie Jia (Leibniz-HKI, Germany) Convergent evolution of a fungal effector enabling phagosome membrane piercing

4:45 PM Coffee Break

5:15 PM Elevator Pitch, Session C

Chairs : Fariba Donovan (University of Arizona, USA) and Benoit Briard (Université de Tours - CEPR, France)

5:15 PM Philipp Brandt (Institut Pasteur, France) Decoding aneuploidy regulation through a genome-wide overexpression screen in Candida albicans

5:21 PM Julia Muenzner (Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany) Not all chromosomes are equal: chromosome-specific aneuploidy stability in Candida albicans

5:27 PM Tania Vanzolini (University of Urbino, Italy) The antifungal humanized monoclonal antibody Dia-T51 and its synergy with amphotericin B: in vitro and in vivo studies

5:33 PM Stef Jacobs (KU Leuven, Belgium) Exploiting collateral sensitivity to combat multidrug-resistant Candida: from treatment dynamics to drug repurposing

5:39 PM Mrinalini Parmar (IRB Barcelona, BSC-CNS, Spain) Disrupting drug resistance by exploiting collateral sensitivity to design novel therapeutic strategies for Candida auris and Candida glabrata infections

5:45 PM Keita Kayama (Institut Pasteur, France) Lipid Metabolism and Extracellular Vesicle Production in Cryptococcus neoformans

5:51 PM Alessia Sulla (University of Perugia, Italy) Organoid cultures as a 3D platform to study fungal infectious diseases

5:57 PM Thomas Easter (University of Manchester, UK) Mucorales spores demonstrate species-specific interactions with airway epithelial cells

6:03 PM Raquel Fernandes (ICVS, University of Minho, Portugal) Itaconate suppresses macrophage antifungal activity and promotes susceptibility to Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis

6:09 PM Simone Piccioni (Leibniz-HKI, Germany) How Aspergillus fumigatus clearance is shaped by alveolar sac morphology

7:00 PM Dinner

8:00 PM Poster Session C

Thursday, May 21, 2026

7:30 AM Breakfast

8:30 AM Plenary Session 5: Molecular Insights into Host-Pathogen Interactions: Fungal Evasion and Immune Defenses

8:30 AM Teresa Zelante (University of Perugia, Italy), Introduction

8:50 AM Margherita Bertuzzi (University of Manchester, UK) Novel insights into the antifungal potency of the alveolar epithelium

9:20 AM Joshua J. Obar (Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, USA) Understanding the totality of MAVS-dependent responses within alveolar macrophages after Aspergillus fumigatus challenge

9:50 AM Coffee Break

10:20 AM Kelly M. Shepardson (UC Merced, USA) Type I IFN Signaling, via IFNb, Contributes to the Regulation of Damage and Antifungal Responses During Aspergillus fumigatus Infection

10:50 AM Rebecca Hall (University of Kent, UK) Environmental control of C. albicans innate immune evasion

11:20 AM Benoit Briard (Université de Tours - CEPR, France) Complement-mediated inflammasome activation during bacterial-fungal surinfection

12:15 PM Lunch

3:45 PM Workshop IV: Molecular Insights into Host-Pathogen Interactions: Fungal Evasion and Immune Defenses

Chairs : Rebecca Hall (University of Kent, UK) and Richard Bennett (Brown University, USA)

3:45 PM Camaron Hole (University of Tennessee Health Science Center, USA) Neutrophils Modulate the Immune Response to Cryptococcus neoformans

4:00 PM Elvira Román (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain) Is there a role for Candida albicans adhesins during in the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract ? 

4:15 PM Justyna Karkowska-Kuleta (Jagiellonian University, Poland) Species-specific host modulation by extracellular vesicles from Candida yeasts 

4:30 PM Marc Swidergall (Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, USA) Early-life fungal colonization reveals stage-specific immune regulation in the oral mucosa 

4:45 PM Coffee Break

5:15 PM Keynote lecture Geraldine Butler (University College of Dublin (UCD) - Conway Institute, Ireland)
Evolutionary perspectives from fungal genomics

6:00 PM Award ceremony

6:30 PM Conclusion and Farewell Event

Friday, May 22, 2026

Departure