Invited lecture, given by prof. Mandic Mulec at the famous Harvard University at the Microbial Sciences Initiative, Cambridge (MA). She talked about results obtained during bilateral project between her team and Harvard team and also presented the latest results achieved within this project, especially those addressing territoriality and competition during swarming of pairs of B. subtilis strains over agar surfaces. The lecture was very well attended and lead to a very lively discussion. In addition prof. Mandić-Mulec was also invited to lecture in 2016/17 at Copenhagen University, at the Nanjing Agricultural University, China; Friedrich Schiller University, Jena School for Microbial Communication, at the Internal Workshop of the CRC 987, Microbial Diversity in Environmental Signal Response, Marburg; she gave a lecture at Theodor Escherich workshop: Microbiome engineering for health issues.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 4692856Radboud University and some of its international partners offer carefully selected summer school courses that inspire students and researchers and provide them with the opportunity to extend their network. The courses are intended for international and Dutch students at Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD level, postdocs and professionals. In 2016 the course on »Biofilms: From Molecular Anatomy to Supramolecular Systems« proposed by prof. David Stopar, has been selected an presented to a group of 12 selected students from seven different countries. During the course the development of several medically and environmentally important biofilms on a molecular level have been presented. Molecular processes that are responsible for attachment to the surface and development of biofilms have been identified. The importance of surface chemistry, hydrophobicity, roughness, surface energy, and electrostatics was described. The composition of extracellular matrix that binds cells together was reviewed and the role of exopolysaccharides, proteins and eDNA in formation of biofilm mechanics and architecture was discussed. Finally molecular processes that lead to detachment and dispersal of biofilms in the environment were presented. The course was a great success and the course received the highest student’s marks among 28 courses offered in 2016.
B.05 Guest lecturer at an institute/university
COBISS.SI-ID: 4696696Prof. Petkovič and Acies Bio d.o.o. that are members of the project team have acquired the financing of the H2020-EU TOPCAPI project in January 2017, where they will coordinate specific WPs. The project will exploit the power of industrial actinomycetes as microbial cell factories to produce high value compounds: a starter compound for the semi-synthesis of a new topical anti-acne drug and intermediates for semi-synthetic conversion to medically important type II polyketide tetracyclines to be used against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. These host species will be characterised using systems biology approaches, applying integrated data analysis to transcriptomics and metabolomics experiments, combined with predictive mathematical modelling to drive the rapid improvement of these microbial cell factories for industrial drug production using advanced metabolic and biosynthetic engineering approaches.
D.01 Chairing over/coordinating (international and national) projects