Meet the Speakers
Karsten Nöckler
Prof. Dr. med. vet.
Head of Department Biological Safety at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, expert on diagnostics and epidemiology of foodborne pathogens including parasites, diplomate European Veterinary Parasitology College, adjunct professor at Veterinary Faculty of the Free University Berlin, more than 160 publications in peer-review journals.
Title of plenary lecture
From discovery of Trichinella to control of trichinellosis in the 21st century
Dante Zarlenga
Professor of Research
Recently retired, Dr. Zarlenga spent his entire scientific career working at the Animal Parasitic Diseases lab at the Agricultural Research Service, USA.
He has published more than 200 peer reviewed papers, a number of which had a major impact on Trichinella research; namely, those which advanced the molecular identification of Trichinella species, generated the first draft genome of Trichinella spiralis, helped clarify the phylogeny of the genus, and most recently, helped unravel the evolutionary history of the genus Trichinella by identifying a putative association between early ancestors of Trichinella and members of the plant Kingdom and/or its commensurate organisms.
Title of plenary lecture
Trichinella; becoming a parasite
Fabrizio Bruschi
Professor of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Pisa
Born in Pisa in 1954; Graduated in 1979 in Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Hematology Specialization, University of Pisa, Italy
C.E.S. in Immunologie et Pathologie Parasitaires at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
Professor of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pisa (2002-present)
Director of the School of Infectious Diseases, University of Pisa (2008-2012)
President of the European Biotechnology Thematic Network Association (2009-2011)
1st Vice-President of the European Federation of Parasitologists (2000-2008)
President of the Italian Society of Parasitology (2016-present)
EC member of the International Commission on trichinellosis (2007-2015)
Title of keynote lecture
New immunological markers of human trichinellosis
Joke van der Giessen
DVM PhD, specialist Veterinary Microbiology and Diplomate European Veterinary Parasitology College
She is working as senior scientist, Head National Reference Laboratory for Foodborne Parasites, and programme leader emerging zoonoses & pandemic prevention, at the Centre for Infectious Disease Control, RIVM. Furthermore, she was until recently coordinator WHO Collaborating Centre Risk assessment of Pathogens in Food and since 2022 member of technical advisory group (TAG) One health of WHO Europe. Fields of interest: Detection, surveillance and control of wildlife, livestock and emerging zoonoses in animal reservoirs to assess the risk for public health and One Health. Member and past-president Netherlands Society for Parasitology and past president of the International Committee on Trichinellosis. More than 150 publications (h-index 51).
Title of keynote lecture
Importance of food-borne parasites in a One health setting
María Ángeles Gómez Morales
Research Director, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
Her main interests concern basic and applied research in the field of humoral and cell mediated immunity to foodborne parasites. She carried out research on immunodiagnosis to develop and validate diagnostic test. Since 2006, she is in charge of the Immunology and Serology Section at the European Union Reference Laboratory for Parasites and more recently, she is in charge of the Reference Laboratory for Trichinellosis of the World Organization for Animal Health and of the Italian National Reference Laboratory for Trichinella.
Title of keynote lecture
Serological testing for epidemiological studies on Trichinella infection in animals and man
Alisa Gruden-Movsesijan
PhD, Department for Immunology and Immunoparasitology, Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy – INEP, University of Belgrade
Alisa Gruden-Movshesiyan is a research professor at the Department of Immunology and Immunoparasitology of the Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy – INEP. She works in the field of immune response to Trichinella spiralis infection, with special reference to the immunomodulatory properties of its antigens. Her main goal is to discover the molecules, cells and mechanisms that mediate Trichinella spiralis modulation of the host’s immune response and that are involved in the modulation of autoimmune diseases and other inflammatory disorders.
Title of keynote lecture
Immunomodulatory potential of Trichinella spiralis antigens: possible solutions for inflammatory disorders
Peter C. Thompson
Dr, Research Zoologist at the Animal Parasitic Diseases Lab, U.S Department of Agriculture
Dr. Peter Thompson is a Research Zoologist at the Animal Parasitic Diseases Lab in the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S Department of Agriculture. He uses population genetics and genomics to study the diversity and distribution of parasitic nematodes important to agriculture and human health. He seeks to understand both contemporary and historic movements of parasites as well as evolutionary relationships that inform modern disease management problems. He is particularly interested in the connections between parasites found in wildlife and those that impact humans as species distributions change in response to climate.
Title of keynote lecture
Low-pass whole genome sequencing: a rapid means to trace the evolutionary history of Trichinella spiralis
Zhiliang Wu
MD, PhD
Department of Parasitology and Infectious Disease
Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Zhiliang Wu is assistant professor in Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan and professor in Zoonosis Institute of Jilin University, China. He received his master degree in Beijing Medical University in 1987, and PhD degree in Gifu University in 1999. During his early research career, Dr Wu carried out the research on immunodiagnosis and genotyping of parasites. Since 1999, his research focuses on Trichinella on molecular mechanism of nurse cell formation, characterization of excretory-secretory proteins, and immunomodulation of Trichinella, as well as Opisthorchis viverrini on biomarkers and molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis of opisthochiasis-induced cholangiocarcinoma.
Title of keynote lecture
Roles of Trichinella-secreted extracellular vesicles in the immune evasion and parasitism
Meet the Speakers
Karsten Nöckler
Prof. Dr. med. vet.
Head of Department Biological Safety at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, expert on diagnostics and epidemiology of foodborne pathogens including parasites, diplomate European Veterinary Parasitology College, adjunct professor at Veterinary Faculty of the Free University Berlin, more than 160 publications in peer-review journals.
Title of plenary lecture
From discovery of Trichinella to control of trichinellosis in the 21st century
Dante Zarlenga
Professor of Research
Recently retired, Dr. Zarlenga spent his entire scientific career working at the Animal Parasitic Diseases lab at the Agricultural Research Service, USA.
He has published more than 200 peer reviewed papers, a number of which had a major impact on Trichinella research; namely, those which advanced the molecular identification of Trichinella species, generated the first draft genome of Trichinella spiralis, helped clarify the phylogeny of the genus, and most recently, helped unravel the evolutionary history of the genus Trichinella by identifying a putative association between early ancestors of Trichinella and members of the plant Kingdom and/or its commensurate organisms.
Title of plenary lecture
Trichinella; becoming a parasite
Fabrizio Bruschi
Professor of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Pisa
Born in Pisa in 1954;
Graduated in 1979 in Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Hematology Specialization, University of Pisa, Italy
C.E.S. in Immunologie et Pathologie Parasitaires at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
Professor of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pisa (2002-present)
Director of the School of Infectious Diseases, University of Pisa (2008-2012)
President of the European Biotechnology Thematic Network Association (2009-2011)
1st Vice-President of the European Federation of Parasitologists (2000-2008)
President of the Italian Society of Parasitology (2016-present)
EC member of the International Commission on trichinellosis (2007-2015)
Title of keynote lecture
New immunological markers of human trichinellosis
Joke van der Giessen
DVM PhD, specialist Veterinary Microbiology and Diplomate European Veterinary Parasitology College
She is working as senior scientist, Head National Reference Laboratory for Foodborne Parasites, and programme leader emerging zoonoses & pandemic prevention, at the Centre for Infectious Disease Control, RIVM. Furthermore, she was until recently coordinator WHO Collaborating Centre Risk assessment of Pathogens in Food and since 2022 member of technical advisory group (TAG) One health of WHO Europe. Fields of interest: Detection, surveillance and control of wildlife, livestock and emerging zoonoses in animal reservoirs to assess the risk for public health and One Health. Member and past-president Netherlands Society for Parasitology and past president of the International Committee on Trichinellosis. More than 150 publications (h-index 51).
Title of keynote lecture
Importance of food-borne parasites in a One health setting
María Ángeles Gómez Morales
Research Director, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
Her main interests concern basic and applied research in the field of humoral and cell mediated immunity to foodborne parasites. She carried out research on immunodiagnosis to develop and validate diagnostic test. Since 2006, she is in charge of the Immunology and Serology Section at the European Union Reference Laboratory for Parasites and more recently, she is in charge of the Reference Laboratory for Trichinellosis of the World Organization for Animal Health and of the Italian National Reference Laboratory for Trichinella.
Title of keynote lecture
Serological testing for epidemiological studies on Trichinella infection in animals and man
Alisa Gruden-Movsesijan
PhD, Department for Immunology and Immunoparasitology, Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy – INEP, University of Belgrade
Alisa Gruden-Movshesiyan is a research professor at the Department of Immunology and Immunoparasitology of the Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy – INEP. She works in the field of immune response to Trichinella spiralis infection, with special reference to the immunomodulatory properties of its antigens. Her main goal is to discover the molecules, cells and mechanisms that mediate Trichinella spiralis modulation of the host’s immune response and that are involved in the modulation of autoimmune diseases and other inflammatory disorders.
Title of keynote lecture
Immunomodulatory potential of Trichinella spiralis antigens: possible solutions for inflammatory disorders
Peter C. Thompson
Dr, Research Zoologist at the Animal Parasitic Diseases Lab, U.S Department of Agriculture
Dr. Peter Thompson is a Research Zoologist at the Animal Parasitic Diseases Lab in the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S Department of Agriculture. He uses population genetics and genomics to study the diversity and distribution of parasitic nematodes important to agriculture and human health. He seeks to understand both contemporary and historic movements of parasites as well as evolutionary relationships that inform modern disease management problems. He is particularly interested in the connections between parasites found in wildlife and those that impact humans as species distributions change in response to climate.
Title of keynote lecture
Low-pass whole genome sequencing: a rapid means to trace the evolutionary history of Trichinella spiralis
Zhiliang Wu
MD, PhD
Department of Parasitology and Infectious Disease
Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Zhiliang Wu is assistant professor in Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan and professor in Zoonosis Institute of Jilin University, China. He received his master degree in Beijing Medical University in 1987, and PhD degree in Gifu University in 1999. During his early research career, Dr Wu carried out the research on immunodiagnosis and genotyping of parasites. Since 1999, his research focuses on Trichinella on molecular mechanism of nurse cell formation, characterization of excretory-secretory proteins, and immunomodulation of Trichinella, as well as Opisthorchis viverrini on biomarkers and molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis of opisthochiasis-induced cholangiocarcinoma.
Title of keynote lecture
Roles of Trichinella-secreted extracellular vesicles in the immune evasion and parasitism