Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I enthusiastically invite you to the MYK2024 – the 58th Scientific Conference of the German speaking Mycological Society (DMykG) e.V. together with the CRC/Transregio 124 – FungiNet in Jena!
The MYK has been known for a long time for providing an annual platform providing up-to-date comprehensive information on Medical Mycology in Germany. Our field has seen new challenges in recent years, from the emergence of novel fungal pathogens to new patient populations, and antifungal resistance. To successfully tackle them, we need interdisciplinary collaborations – and this is what the MYK has been trying to foster by bringing clinicians, epidemiologists, and basic research together at a single conference. This year is no exception, and you can expect a diverse program including innovative diagnostic approaches, updates on newly developed antifungal drugs, novel therapeutic approaches. New insights from basic research allow us to better understand factors that promote fungal infections, how pathogenic fungi interact with the immune system, the impact that other microbes have on host-fungal interactions, and how we can exploit this to prevent and combat disease.
The last MYK in Jena took place in 2015, and it was a special MYK conference: Organized together with the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio FungiNet, it included presentations not only in German but also English. The MYK 2015 was very well received, and since then the conference is run in both languages. This change was very important as it allowed better inclusion of international colleagues.
In 2024, the MYK in Jena is again organized in collaboration with FungiNet, reflecting the intense networking between basic and clinical researchers. This collaboration furthermore allowed us to invite several international experts as guest speakers. In addition, our local organizing team focused on ways to make the poster sessions as attractive as possible – use this opportunity to discuss exciting projects with highly motivated junior researchers and established experts! Finally, there will be ample opportunities for informal discussions, networking, and establishment of new collaborations.
I’m looking forward to meeting you in Jena, and wish you an informative and inspiring conference, and an enjoyable stay in Jena!
Ilse Jacobsen
Conference Chair