Nobel Prize Winner Jules Hoffmann to Speak at 2016 International Congress of Entomology

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Nobel Prize Winner Jules Hoffmann to Speak at
2016 International Congress of Entomology
1888PressRelease - Dr. Jules A. Hoffmann, winner
of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine, will be one of two Nobel Prize winners,
along with Peter Agre (2003 Nobel Prize in
Chemistry), to speak at the 2016 International
Congress of Entomology in Orlando,
Florida. Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV - Dr. Jules A.
Hoffmann, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine, will speak at the 2016
International Congress of Entomology (ICE 2016),
which will be held September 25-30, 2016 in
Orlando, Florida. Dr. Hoffmann is a professor of
integrative biology at the Strasbourg University
Institute for Advanced Study. He is also emeritus
research director of the French National Research
Center, and he served as vice-president and
president of the French National Academy of
Sciences from 2006-2010. He is one of two Nobel
Prize winners, along with Peter Agre (2003 Nobel
Prize in Chemistry), to agree to speak at ICE
2016, which promises to be the largest gathering
of insect scientists in history, with more than
6,000 attendees expected.
Dr. Hoffmann, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for
"discoveries concerning the activation of innate
immunity," is an especially fitting speaker for
an entomology conference. He and his colleagues
used insects, namely the fruit fly Drosophila, to
decipher the potent antimicrobial defenses.
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Over many years, these studies have led to a
general understanding of recognition of infection
by flies, the connections between recognition and
signaling, and the subsequent control of
expression of immune responsive genes, namely of
those encoding antimicrobial peptides which
oppose the invading microorganisms. Hoffmann's
interest in insects began at an early age and was
inspired by his father, a high-school biology
teacher in Luxembourg who worked on the
systematics of various insect groups during his
spare time. "Most of my father's studies focused
on Odonata, Ephemeroptera, Orthoptera,
Dermaptera, and Hemiptera, and he was
particularly interested in the development and
behavior of mayflies," Dr. Hoffmann said. "Under
his guidance, and with his strong involvement, I
published my first paper on the aquatic
Heteroptera of Luxembourg." After high school in
Luxembourg, Hoffmann attended the University of
Strasbourg and worked on his Ph.D. with Professor
Pierre Joly, a neuroendocrinologist, on the
antimicrobial defenses of migratory locusts. Dr.
Hoffmann, who uses insects as model organisms to
study the immune system, will talk about "Innate
Immunity from Insects to Humans" and illustrate
how basic research on insects can lead to broader
discoveries relevant to human health.
"We are absolutely delighted that Dr. Jules
Hoffmann has accepted our invitation to give a
lecture in Orlando," said Dr. Alvin Simmons and
Dr. Walter Leal, co-chairs of ICE 2016. "The
appearance of Dr. Hoffmann and Dr. Peter Agre -
two Nobel Prize winners - is unprecedented in the
104-year history of the International Congress of
Entomology."
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The International Congress of Entomology is held
once every four years in different countries
around the world. The XXV International Congress
of Entomology will be held in Orlando under the
theme "Entomology without Borders." ICE 2016 is
likely to be the largest gathering of
entomologists in history, as it will be
co-located with the annual meetings of the
Entomological Society of America and the
Entomological Society of Canada, along with
events hosted by the Entomological Societies of
China, Brazil, Australia, and others. For more
information about ICE 2016, please visit
http//www.ice2016orlando.org/