Science Needs for Microbial Forensics: Developing Initial International Research Priorities (2014)

SUNDAY, 13 OCTOBER

18:00–19:30

Welcome Reception (Palace Hotel)

Welcome from sponsoring organizations

• Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts—
  • Zvonko Kusić, FCA, President
  • Dragan Dekaris, FCA, member, Department of Medical Sciences
• U. K. Royal Society and International Union of Microbiological Societies—Elinor Buxton for Geoffrey Smith
• U.S. National Academy of Sciences—John Clements

MONDAY, 14 OCTOBER

Registration, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
**All plenary sessions at Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts

9:00

Opening Plenary
Chair: John Clements

Welcome/Meeting Goals: John Clements
Introduction: “The Emerging Field of Microbial Forensics”:
Randall Murch

• Why is there a need for microbial forensics and why is it important? What is the current state of the art and today’s cutting-edge techniques and infrastructure? How do the forensics used for criminal investigations differ from epidemiological investigations for public health?
• What are the major research challenges for the field? How can basic science be used to solve the current challenges for microbial forensics and how might this help in other areas, such as public health?

Comments:

• Piers Millet
• Mats Forsman

Q&A

10:30

Break

11:00

Plenary: Microbial Ecology and Diversity—Microbial Forensics in the Context of Population Genetics
Chair: Paul Keim

• What is known, in general, about the ecology of pathogens globally—Ruifu Yang
• Microbial ecology and diversity in the context of microbial forensics—Aaron Darling

Q&A

12:00

Lunch (Palace Hotel)

Lunch Speaker
Chair: Geoffrey Smith
Talk: “Croatian Accomplishments in Forensics Genetics”—Dragan Primorac

13:30

Plenary: Clinical and Forensic Approaches to Microbial Identification
Chair: Dragan Primorac

• Technologies and techniques for forensics—Dana Kadavy
• Clinical diagnostic practices—Alemka Markotić

Q&A

14:45

Plenary: Technologies and Approaches for Identifying Microbes for Law Enforcement—The 2001 Anthrax Letters
After a talk about the anthrax letters case, a panel of experts will make short comments to amplify specific aspects or perspectives, offer lessons from other cases.
Chair: Gilles Vergnaud
Speaker: Paul Keim
Comments:

• Anthrax-contaminated heroin in Scotland and Germany—Richard Vipond
• Hepatitis C case in Spain—Fernando González-Candelas
• An international perspective: Inspections for biological weapons capabilities—Rocco Casagrande
• An international perspective: UN Security Council Resolution 1540—Dana Perkins

Q&A

16:15

Poster Session and Reception, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
This session is intended to allow participants to discuss their research in an informal setting.

• Welcome from Pavao Rudan, FCA, Secretary General of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts

TUESDAY, 15 OCTOBER

• Haruo Watanabe
• Stephen Morse
• Raymond Lin

Q&A

10:30

Break

11:00

Plenary: Sampling and Preservation Methods
A talk will address key issues, such as public health versus criminal investigation, transportation and storage, accepted protocols and practices, and the more general question of whether there is a need for standardized methods that are shared internationally. A panel of experts will make comments at points during the talk.
Chair: Bruce Budowle
Speaker: Adam Hamilton
Comments:

• Stephen Morse
• Cerys Rees

Q&A

12:15

Lunch (Palace Hotel)

Lunch Speaker
Chair: Herawati Sudoyo
Talk: “The Importance of Reference Collections and the Role of the World Data Center for Microorganisms”—Juncai Ma

13:45

Plenary: Validation and Reference Materials for Microbial Forensics
A talk will address key issues, such as guidelines and components for validation, transportation and storage, test materials, and whether there is a need for internationally accepted standards for validation.
Chair: Cindi Corbett
Speaker: Bruce Budowle

Q&A

14:45

Plenary: Bioinformatics and Data
Chair: Habib Bukhari

• Role and importance of bioinformatics and computational genomics in microbial forensics—Jongsik Chun
• Managing large datasets—Aaron Darling

Q&A

16:00

Break

16:30

Breakout sessions
These sessions will address questions intended to set the stage for the concluding sessions on the final day, such as:

• If resources were not an issue, in what kinds of science should we invest?
• Given that there are resource constraints, what critical investments should receive immediate priority?

17:30

Adjourn

17:35

Visit to the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts

19:30

Conference Dinner

WEDNESDAY, 16 OCTOBER

Q&A

9:45

Breakout Sessions
These sessions will refine and develop further the ideas that emerged from the first breakout sessions and initial plenary discussion.

10:45

Break

11:15

Concluding Plenary
Chair: John Clements
Brief summaries of key points from the morning sessions General discussion
Consideration of other issues, such as

• Starting the dialogue toward development of international standards
• Creating opportunities for education and training
• Assessing viability of an international body (e.g., UN Secretary General’s Investigation Mechanism) to provide first response and investigative assistance

12:30

Adjourn