Antimicrobial Resistance – Genomes, Big Data and Emerging Technologies

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major challenge in our globalised world, and tackling it will take the combined resources and effort of researchers working across different disciplines. Technical advances in recent years continue to expand our ability to collect vast amounts of genomic information on pathogens, and a wealth of data is being collected in epidemiological and surveillance studies, including on the socio-economic burden of AMR.

Our 4th conference in this series will bring together basic researchers, clinicians, computer scientists, and policymakers interested in pathogen genomics, epidemiology, surveillance, and machine learning to explore the recent advances and current challenges of the field.

This year’s programme will once again focus on genomic evidence and how to implement it in clinical practice and policy for AMR control. The meeting will highlight the advances in machine learning, AI and computational tools to predict AMR. We will also discuss how to build an international genomics infrastructure to tackle AMR and emerging lessons from other global public health issues.

This conference will be a hybrid meeting – with onsite or virtual attendance. In addition to invited talks, the programme will include short oral presentations selected from abstracts, posters, poster pitches and networking breaks for further discussion.

The conference will start at approximately 12.00 on Wednesday 13 March and close at approximately 13.00 on Friday 15 March 2024. All times are in GMT. See the time where you are here.

Discussions will focus on a variety of exciting topics, including:

• Genomic surveillance of priority pathogens
• Global public health pathogen genomics infrastructure
• Translation and implementation of genomics for AMR control
• Wastewater surveillance
• AI, machine learning, and big data tools
• Measuring the burden of AMR

Scientific programme committee

Kate Baker
University of Cambridge, UK

Sylvain Brisse
Institut Pasteur, France

Sabiha Essack
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Yonatan Grad
Harvard University, USA

Keynote speakers

Kevin Outterson
CARB-X/Boston University, USA

Deborah Williamson
UK Health Security Agency, UK/University of Melbourne, Australia

Confirmed speakers

David Aanensen
University of Oxford, UK

Silvia Bertagnolio
World Health Organization, Switzerland

Christian Happi
Redeemer's University, Nigeria

Rene S. Hendriksen
Technical University of Denmark, Denmark

Amy Kirby
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA

Roy Kishony
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel

Stephanie Wai-U Lo
Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK

Catrin Moore
St George's, University of London, UK

Farah Naz Qamar
The Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Lulla Opatowski
Institut Pasteur, France

Guy Palmer
Washington State University, USA

Norelle Sherry
University of Melbourne, Australia

Organisers – Wellcome Connecting Science

Amanda Fletcher, Conference & events organiser
Scarlett Storr, Conference & events coordinator
Nagehan Ramazanoglu Bahadir, Programme developer – scientific meetings

Registration deadline: 13 February (in person) | 5 March 2024 (virtual)

The in-person registration fee includes:

• Full access to scientific programme: oral and poster presentations, and networking on campus
• Access to the online conference portal to network with online participants
• Meals (lunch and dinner) and refreshments during the conference. Breakfast will be provided for delegates who have booked onsite accommodation.
• Recordings of the live-stream sessions, which will be available ‘on-demand’ for four weeks after the event ends

Virtual registration fee includes:

• Access to the virtual event portal (Log in details will be emailed a few days before the event starts)
• Live-stream sessions, including posters and online networking channels
• Recordings of the live-stream sessions, available ‘on-demand’ for four weeks after the event ends.

* To promote more inclusive scientific discussions with international colleagues at our conferences, virtual delegates based in Lower and Middle-Income Countries can register for free (see list of countries here).

If you are an editor or journalist, please contact the conference organiser for more information about the discounted fee.

Accommodation

Accommodation for this event has now sold out. If you would like to be added to our waitlist to be notified should any rooms become available, please contact us.

The next closest accommodation is a 5 minute drive away, in Whittlesford.
The Holiday Inn Express and their sister hotel The Red Lion, Whittlesford Bridge.

Accommodation services phishing scam – please be vigilant. More information.

Travel visas
Citizens of many countries can travel to the UK to attend a course or conference without needing a visa. Please check the UK government website for visitor information: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor.

Confirmed attendees requiring a letter to support a visa application should contact the event organiser.

Bursaries

Bursary deadline: 19 December 2023

A limited number of registration bursaries are available to attend this conference in person (up to 50% of the registration fee). Priority will be given to PhD students submitting abstracts who are facing financial barriers.

To apply, please use the dedicated bursary application link on the registration site. Please answer the bursary-related questions and submit an abstract before midnight UK time on the bursary deadline for your application to be considered.

Additional funding opportunities

Visit our support page for information on financial support, including carer grants to help delegates with the costs of caring for children or dependent family members while attending a course or a conference.

Abstract deadline: 16 January 2024

We welcome abstracts from all areas relevant to the main themes of the meeting, for both oral and poster presentations. Several oral presentations will be chosen from the abstracts submitted. Presenters of oral presentations as expected to be onsite for the duration of the conference, whereas those presenting posters can do so in person or virtually.

Abstracts will only be considered from registered delegates. Please use our online abstract submission system and follow the instructions given to ensure your abstract is submitted correctly. All abstracts must be submitted by the deadline. You can make changes to your submitted abstract before of the deadline by logging into your account and following the instructions

If you have already completed your registration and subsequently wish to submit an abstract, or wish to submit a second abstract, please follow these instructions.

The scientific programme committee will assess your abstract after the deadline has passed and you will be notified whether you have been selected to present an oral or poster presentation.

Poster boards onsite will accommodate 118 cm high by 84 cm wide (A0-portrait) of printed material. Accepted abstracts will appear in the conference programme book; poster board numbers will be allocated at the conference. All those accepted for a poster presentation will be given the opportunity to upload a short video describing their work.

With thanks to our sponsors:

Poster prize generously supported by

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If you are interested in supporting this meeting, please contact us.

For more information about the benefits of having a presence at this meeting, see our sponsorship page.

Tackling antimicrobial resistance in the COVID-19 era: what's new?

A keynote lecture by Sharon Peacock (University of Cambridge, UK) at Antimicrobial Resistance 2022 meeting.

State of the World's Antibiotics in 2018 - Ramanan Laxminarayan

Keynote lecture by Ramanan Laxminarayan (The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), USA/India) at Antimicrobial Resistance 2018 meeting.

Feedback from the previous conferences

“Talks from experts was mind-blowing. It was a great event.”

“Good line up of plenary speakers and presenters. High quality presentations. Liked the lightning talks for posters a lot. Ample opportunity to network in between the sessions.”

“It gives a direct opportunity to the participants to interact with among themselves and the individual speakers at anytime throughout the conference. It’s an excellent one.”