The first Infectious Diseases Special Interest Group of 2023 brings together academic, clinician and industry experts to explore the latest developments in the field of antibiotic resistance. We’re pleased to be able to hold this event in person at MeetPoint Midlands, allowing ample opportunity for networking and discussion beyond our exciting panel of formal presentations.
Our Chair, Professor Katie Laird, Professor of Microbiology at De Montfort University (DMU), will be joined on the day by:
- Dr Rahmi Yusuf, Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Microbiology, DMU
- Dr Grace Edmund, Senior Computational Chemist, Oxford Drug Design
- Stephanie Lesage, Co-Founder and CEO, Oxford Silk Phage Technologies Ltd
Moreover, delegates are invited to deliver a 5-minute pitch relating to the broader SIG area. Use this time as you wish – to invite knowledge exchange on a particular area of the subject, showcase a new development that you’re currently working on, and to highlight collaborative opportunities to other innovators and facilitators in attendance.
Interested in delivering a 5-minute pitch? Please email info@medilinkmidlands.com with your name, company, and an overview of what you wish to share within your timeslot.
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR PLACE
Speaker Profiles
Dr Rahmi Yusuf, Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Microbiology, DMU
Presentation topic: Designing a Biological Platform for High-Throughput Screening of Novel Antibacterial Compounds
Rahmi’s journey as a microbiologist began in her home country, Indonesia, after completing a Bachelor in Microbiology in 2008, specialising in Industrial Microbiology. Following a number of short industry internships back home, she enrolled in a graduate programme in Biomedical Engineering at Hochschule Furtwangen University, Germany, which she completed in 2012. Supported by a full government scholarship, Rahmi then completed her doctoral studies at the University of Portsmouth in 2019, researching the fundamental study of bacterial two-component systems and harnessing their potential as synthetic biosensors. Rahmi carried on this research for a further 2.5 years as a Senior Research Associate, before joining the School of Pharmacy at DMU as Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Microbiology.
Dr Grace Edmund, Senior Computational Chemist, Oxford Drug Design
Presentation title: Targeting Antibiotic Resistance through a Novel Class of Gram-Negative Antibacterial Agents
Dr Grace Edmund is a Senior Computational Chemist at Oxford Drug Design where she leads the computational chemistry effort for their tRNA synthetase antibacterial drug discovery project. Prior to joining Oxford Drug Design in 2015, she completed post-doctoral research at the University of Surrey in collaboration with DSTL. She received her MChem in Chemistry from Durham University and PhD in Computational Chemistry from the University of Surrey.
Dr Stephanie Lesage, Co-Founder & CEO, Oxford Silk Phage Technologies Ltd
Presentation title: Deploying Bacteriophages to Preserve Antibiotics
Stephanie Lesage has a multidisciplinary background in biological sciences (BSc), technical textile engineering (MEng) and medical devices (MSc), with 19 years of start-up leadership experience. She is CEO of Oxford Silk Phage Technologies Ltd, a company she co-founded in 2020, developing a novel antibacterial material integrating bacteriophages to produce medical implants which will reduce surgical site infections and antibiotic use. Stephanie is also a founding member of Phage-UK (2021), aiming to make phage therapy more widely available to UK patients and she was recently invited to the House of Commons to provide oral evidence on the potential for bacteriophage therapy in the UK.