On behalf of the Organizing Committee, you are cordially invited to attend the International Academic Symposium on Microbial Stress Tolerance and Response, held on Oct 20-22 of 2023, in Guangzhou, China.
ORGANIZATION
Organizers
Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering 
Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering (ZHKU) is a multidisciplinary provincial university for undergraduate and graduate education. Based upon its strong disciplines concerning agriculture and engineering, ZHKU offers a wide variety of disciplines. Situated in Guangzhou, ZHKU boasts of two campuses in districts of Haizhu and Baiyun, covering a total area of about 140 hectares.
ZHKU, formerly known as Zhongkai Agro-technical School, started enrolling students in 1927. ZHKU was identified as the first pilot universities in China for the outstanding agricultural and forestry talents training program in 2014. The university was approved as the doctor’s degree authorization project construction unit. Over the past 95 years, the university has cultivated a large number of outstanding talents for the country’s economic and social development, including agricultural technical cadres at the grassroots level, experts and scholars, as well as the provincial and ministerial leaders. Currently, ZHKU has over 1,600 fulltime teachers, 700 of whom have senior titles, over 2,500 full-time undergraduates and over 2,000 graduates. ZHKU has been approved as a doctoral workstation and a post-doctoral workstation of Guangdong, and a Guangdong Provincial Overseas Talent Workstation.
Qingdao Agricultural University 
Qingdao Agricultural University (QAU) was founded in 1951 currently with four campuses. The total construction area is more than 1.1 million square meters, covers an area of 5,220 mu (about 348 ha) with the campus green coverage rate being 59.7%.
In 2012, QAU was awarded the first batch of key construction universities under the “Shandong Famous School Project”. In 2017, it was listed as a Class A Unit for the Establishment of Doctoral Degree Granting Project in Shandong Province. In 2018, it was listed as a first-class discipline project construction unit in Shandong Province. Since the establishment, more than 130,000 graduates have been cultivated for the society. QAU has 8 discipline fields including agriculture, engineering, science, economics, management, literature, art and law. It has 24 teaching colleges, 78 undergraduate majors, 14 first-level and 5 professional Master’s degree programs.
QAU is among the Ministry of Education’s undergraduate teaching work level assessment, a “high-level university” and “high-level disciplines” construction unit in Shandong Province, and a “famous university project with Shandong characteristics”.
Supporting parties
Wuhan Institute of Technology
Wuhan Institute of Technology (WIT) was founded in 1972, formerly known as Hubei Institute of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, affiliated to Hubei Province. In 1980, it was renamed Wuhan Institute of Chemical Technology, under the supervision of the former Department of Chemical Industry. In 1998, it was transferred to the management of Hubei Province, and the central and local governments jointly built, with Hubei Province as the main management. 2006 It was renamed Wuhan Institute of Technology. The University is a multi-disciplinary teaching and research university focusing on engineering, covering engineering, science, management, economics, liberal arts, law, art, medicine and education. It is a key university in Hubei Province and a “first-class discipline” university in Hubei Province. The university ranks 145th in the 2023 ranking of “China’s Best Universities” in soft subjects;
The school has two campuses in Wuchang and Liufang, covering an area of about 2000 mu, and is a “green red flag unit” and “ecological garden school” in Hubei Province. It has 18 colleges (departments), 1 research and design Institute, and 1 independent college. At present, the university has more than 26,000 full-time students, including more than 6,000 doctoral and master’s students and more than 350 international students. There are more than 2,300 staff members, including 1,470 full-time teachers, and more than 60% of the full-time teachers have senior titles. There are 3 academicians employed, 1 foreign academician of the Russian Academy of Engineering, 1 winner of the National Outstanding Youth Fund, 3 winners of the National Outstanding Youth Fund, 1 young Changjiang Scholar of the Ministry of Education, and more than 10 other high-level leading talents. There are “National University Huang Danian teachers team”, “National excellent teachers”, Jing Chuhao teacher, Hubei Province teacher ethics model, Hubei Province model worker studio and other teacher groups. The library has a collection of more than 4.4 million books (including electronic books and electronic periodicals), and is the “Excellent Library” and “Hubei research literature collection Unit” of universities in Hubei Province.
Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University (ZJU) is an institution of higher learning with a long history and a distinguished reputation. It is located in Hangzhou, a famous historical and cultural city and a scenic tourist destination in China. Qiushi Academy, the predecessor of Zhejiang University, was founded in 1897 and is one of the earliest modern institutions of higher learning established by Chinese people. In 1928, it was named National Zhejiang University. During the Anti-Japanese War, Zhejiang University moved to the west, running schools in Zunyi, Meitan and other places in Guizhou for seven years, and moved back to Hangzhou in the autumn of 1946. In 1952, when the national colleges and universities were adjusted, some departments of Zhejiang University were transferred to sister universities and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the main part of Hangzhou was divided into a number of single-subject colleges and universities, which later developed into the original Zhejiang University, Hangzhou University, Zhejiang Agricultural University and Zhejiang Medical University. In 1998, the four universities with the same roots merged to form new Zhejiang University, embarking on a new journey to build a world-class university. In the course of 127 years, Zhejiang University has always been adhering to the fine tradition of “seeking truth and innovation” as the school motto, taking the world as its own duty and the truth as its basis, and gradually formed the common values of “studying hard, cultivating morality, discerning, and being honest” and the Zhejiang University spirit of “Haina River, Enlightening truth and thick virtue, opening things to the former people, and tree my state”.
South China University of Technology 
South China University of Technology (SCUT) is a leading educational institution in China, a public research-intensive university that is directly governed by the Chinese Ministry of Education. Located in the city of Guangzhou, a thriving metropolis in South China, it today covers a total area of 405 hectares, consisting of three campuses: the Wushan Campus, the University Town Campus, and the Guangzhou International Campus. The university was formerly known as the South China Institute of Technology, which was first founded in 1952 by merging the engineering schools and departments of a number of major universities and polytechnic universities from five provinces in central and Southern China. After over 60 years of development, SCUT has become a multi-disciplinary university, merging science, engineering, business management, arts and social science, medicine and other disciplines into one integration. Since its founding, it has educated over 380,000 graduates at all levels. In 2016, SCUT was ranked the world’s top 300 universities by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, with its engineering placed at the 22nd place. According to Thomson Reuters’ Essential Science Indicators, SCUT has chemistry, materials science, engineering, agricultural science, physics, biology and biochemistry, computer science, and environment and ecology ranked in the global top 1%. SCUT has established connections and partnerships with over 50 overseas universities to promote student training and scientific research. Considering the importance of people as the fundamental element of education, the university always sees “the academy as the foundation, talented ones as the strength, open minds as the vitality, and the culture of the university as the energy to thrive and last”. All these efforts are building SCUT as a top-ranking university in the country and a renowned world-class institution.
The School of Food Science and Engineering (SFSE)was established newly in November 2015 through the reorganization of the School of Light Industry and Food Science, however, its history can be dated back to 1952, the beginning of the University. The first degree program of the School, Sugar and Food Engineering, was started to run at that time. Currently, the school has two undergraduate programs as well as Food Science and Engineering, and Food Quality and Safety, and two postdoctoral programs, Food Science and Engineering and Light Industrial Technology and Engineering. A national evaluation of key discipline carried out in 2012 showed that the Food Science and Engineering in the School were ranking No.3 among Chinese universities.
The school of Food Science and Engineering is one of the most important units in the University featuring high level innovative scientific research. The School has a national engineering research center (Wheat and Corn Processing Lab), a national innovation and technology platform (Starch and Plant Proteins Research Center) and several provincial/ministry scientific research institutes, such as Guangdong Key Laboratory for Green Processing and Safety of Natural Registrations, Guangdong Technical Center for Food Processing and Nutrition, Guangdong Lipid Science and Applied Technology Center, Guangdong International Collaborate Center for Sugar Green Processing, etc.
The School takes the student education as the primary task and provides perfect environment for personal development of every student. Now, in total of 1234 students, including 521 undergraduates and 713 graduates are studying in the school. The School has extensive communication and cooperation with many top-level oversea universities and research institutes such as Cornel University, Queensland University, Rutgers University and Kyoto University. Nearly one hundred scientists, faculties and students were actively involved in the international communication and cooperation through lecture, seminar, conference, or being visiting scholars and exchange students.
SPEAKERS
Biao Suo
Henan Agricultural University
Cheng Li
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Daniel Tan
The University of Sydney
Enrico Marsili
University of Nottingham
Gamini Seneviratne
National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy
Honghua Hu
Macquarie university
Hualiang Pi
Yale University, New Haven
Hui Shi
Southwest University
Junyan Liu
Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering
Liang Yang
Southern University of Science and Technology
Mahesh Premarathna
National Institute of Fundamental Studies
Olivier Habimana
Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
Qingli Dong
University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
Qiuhua Bao
Inner Mongolia Agricultural University
Shilun Feng
Shanghai Institute of Microsystems and Information Technology
Thanapop Soteyome
Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon
Tom Coenye
Ghent University
Wenchang Yuan
Guangzhou Medical University
Xiangjun Gong
South China University of Technology
Xiaodong Xia
Dalian Polytechnic University
Xihong Zhao
Wuhan Institute of Technology
Xinyu Liao
Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University
Xuejie Li
South China University of Technology
Yang Deng
Qingdao Agricultural University
Yigal Achmon
Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou
Yilin Wu
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Yu Ding
Jinan University
Yu Li
Qiqihar Medical University
Yuanyuan Huang
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology
Yue Qu
Monash University
Zhaohuan Zhang
Shanghai Ocean University
Zhenbo Xu
South China University of Technology
PROGRAM
Registration
October 20, 2023
13:00 - 18:00
Registration
Oct 21st International Day
October 21, 2023
08:50 - 14:00
Session 1
Chair: Liang Yang & Zhenbo Xu
8:50-9:00
Opening Ceremony
Lixue Zhu (Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou )
9:00-9:30 Addressing the microbial stress response in agro-and human body ecosystems: a biofilm approach
Gamini Seneviratne( National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy )
9:30-10:00
Clostridioides difficile ferrosome organelles combat nutritional immunity
Hualiang Pi ( Yale University, New Haven)
10:00-10:30 Exploring the interplay between plant stress and soil microbiome in sustainable agricultural practices
Yigal Achmon (Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou)
10:30-10:50 Coffee break
10:50-11:20
Electrochemical methods for early biofilm characterization
Enrico Marsili (University of Nottingham, Ningbo)
11:20-11:50 The study of microbial response to selected environmental stressors using a freshwater multispecies biofilm model
Olivier Habimana (Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou)
11:50-12:20
Risk assessment of foodborne Bacillus cereus and control measure development to its hazard
Yu Ding(Jinan University, Guangzhou)
12:20-14:00
Lunch
14:00 - 19:00
Session 2
Chair: Tian Ding & Yang Deng
14:00-14:30
Novel approaches to deal with biofilm-related tolerance and persistence
Tom Coenye (Ghent University, Ghent)
14:30-15:00 Active interfacial mechanics promotes biofilm formation
Yilin Wu(The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong )
15:00-15:30
Food Safety in Southeast Asia – the challenge of pesticide lock-in
Daniel Tan(The University of Sydney, Sydney)
15:30-15:50 Coffee break
15:50-16:20
Metabolic engineering microorganisms for production of high-value products from non-food carbon source
Cheng Li (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge)
16:20-16:50 Danger and safety of street food in Thailand: Process of cooking to reduce sugar from jasmine rice
Thanapop Soteyome (Rajamangala University Technology Phra Nakhon, Bangkok)
16:50-17:20
Biofilm biochemicals as the next-generation biofertilizers and medicines / nutraceuticals
Mahesh Premarathna(National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy)
17:20-19:00
Dinner
19:00 - 21:00
Session 3
Chair:Xinyu Liao & Xuejie Li
19:00-21:00
Junior Scientists and Student Presentations
Oct 22nd Domestic Day
October 22, 2023
09:00 - 14:00
Session 4
Chair: Qingping Zhong & Qingli Dong
9:00-9:30 A bacterial quorum sensing mediated mechanism for intracellular survival within phagocytes
Liang Yang(Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen)
9:30-9:50
The role of PhoP/PhoQ two-component system in regulating stress responses and virulence of Cronobacter sakazakii
Xiaodong Xia (Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian)
9:50-10:10 The prevalence and risk assessment models of Listeria monocytogenes
Qingli Dong(University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai )
10:10-10:30 Point of care testing (POCT) microfluidics for VBNC E. coli detection
Shilun Feng(Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Shanghai )
10:30-10:50 Coffee break
10:50-11:10
The effect of quorum sensing on antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli
Xihong Zhao (Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan)
11:10-11:30 Molecular mechanism of low temperature tolerance of Staphylococcus aureus in cold chain
Biao Suo (Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou)
11:30-11:50
Formation mechanisms of VBNC yeast cells induced by high concentration of hop bitter acids
Yang Deng (Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao)
11:50-12:10
The resuscitation and adhesion mechanism of sublethally injured Escherichia coli O157:H7
Hui Shi (Southwest University, Chongqing)
12:10-12:30
Efficient control techniques for foodborne pathogens: from broad spectrum sterilization to multi-dimensional targeting
Zhaohuan Zhang ( Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai)
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 17:35
Session 5
Chair: Xihong Zhao & Junyan Liu
14:00-14:30
Using local combinational antibiotics to kill metabolically inactive tolerant cells and staphylococcal biofilms
Yue Qu (Monash University, Melbourne)
14:30-14:50 Phenotypic and proteomic changes of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm under water stress
Honghua Hu (Zhejiang University, Jinhua)
14:50-15:10
Stress resistance mechanisms of viable but nonculturable probiotic Lactobacilli
Qiuhua Bao(Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot )
15:10-15:30
Engineering pili-enabled living materials
Yuanyuan Huang (Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen)
15:30-15:50 Coffee break
15:50-16:10
Three-dimensional dynamic characterization of microbial adhesion
Xiangjun Gong( South China University of Technology, Guangzhou )
16:10-16:30 Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants
Wenchang Yuan(Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou )
16:30-16:50
Advancements in nonthermal plasma techniques for microbial inactivation
Xinyu Liao (Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing)
16:50-17:10
Transcriptome profiling analysis of CgUpc2A regulon
Yu Li (Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar)
17:10-17:30
Formation and regulation of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells: a critical concern extended from microbial biofilms
Xuejie Li ( South China University of Technology, Guangzhou)
17:30-17:35 Closing ceremony
REGISTRATION
Registration Closed
ABOUT US
The International Academic Symposium on Microbial Stress Tolerance and Response (MSTR) is a premier conference dedicated to the study of microbial stress tolerance and response. Held annually, the symposium focuses on microbial stress tolerance and response in food, environmental, and clinical settings. Special attention is given to uncultured, dormant, persister, and viable but non-culturable (VBNC) microorganisms.
The Organizing Committee is dedicated to making each MSTR a memorable and valuable conference, contributing to advancements in microbial research and its applications.
GALLERY
