The course covers fundamental concepts in infection biology and virulence. The course combines lectures, poster sessions and interactive group work. Prereading material will be provided in advance.

Registration

• Application deadline: September 1, 2026
• Register here: https://nettskjema.no/a/635442
• Maximum number of students: 30
• If demand is high, applicants may need to be selected. Applicants will receive confirmation of course participation after the application deadline. Please register as early as possible.

Course venue and times

• Venue: Domus Medica extension (DM4), entrance C, University of Oslo, Gaustadalléen 34, Oslo
• Course times: Starts 09:15 on Wednesday November 25, ends 14:00 on Friday November 27

Tentative outline: Principles in infection biology

•  Concepts of virulence
• Extracellular pathogens
  • Gram-positive models and genetic engineering
  • Emerging Gram-negative pathogens
• Intracellular pathogens
  • Concepts in virology: Influenza Virus - From In Vitro Models to Vaccines
  • On tuberculosis and the evolution of drug resistance
• Technologies
  • Frontline methodologies in microbiology
    • Microbial omics
    • Imaging & Single cell analysis
    • Genetic engineering and Microbe-host interactions
    • Eukaryotic infection models
• Past, present and future
• The past and the present
• History of infections/microbiology
• The rise in Beta-hemolytic group A, C &G Streptococcal infections over the past 20 years
• Future challenges in infection biology
• Impact of AI and machine learning in microbiology
• Diagnostic preparedness for future outbreaks and pandemics – the current situation in Norway versus Europe and globally
• Interactive group work
• Thematic workshops 1: Protein-protein/protein DNA interactions
• Thematic workshops 2: Infection models
• Thematic workshops 3: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
• Thematic workshops 4: Novel therapy

Travel

• Travel will be covered for PhD and research‑track students, but not for students residing in the Oslo area. You must book your own tickets. Flights must be economy class (compare multiple airlines to find the best price), but train/bus/car travel can also be an option. 
• Please wait to purchase non‑refundable tickets until you have received confirmation of course participation. Confirmations are sent after the application deadline. After the confirmation, we recommend booking travel early or take advantage of sales to keep costs down.
• If you have already registered for the MiMa annual meeting held immediately before the course, you may book a one-way ticket to Oslo/Ås as soon as you have registered for the annual meeting.
• Travel expenses will be reimbursed after the meeting by registration in the self-service portal DFØ at UiT.  
• Reimbursement is subject to maximum amounts, which apply to the total travel costs for the whole trip (including flight, train, bus, and car). Any travel costs exceeding the maximum must be covered by the participant. The reimbursement amounts for travel will follow the same rates as for the MiMa annual meeting, plus coverage for local public transport in Oslo.

Accommodation

• MiMa PhD and research-track students may have accommodation costs covered by MiMa if needed. Accommodation will not be covered for students residing in Ås or the Oslo area.
• MiMa will order hotel rooms for the participants for this course (either double or single rooms). 
• A shared room will be covered. Additional costs for a single room must be covered by the participant (i.e. the difference between the single-room rate and the covered shared-room rate). 

Contact

• Tahira Riaz (course organizer, Oslo): tahira.riaz@medisin.uio.no
• Tone Tønjum (course organizer, Oslo): tone.tonjum@medisin.uio.no
• Runa Wolden (MiMa coordinator): runa.wolden@uit.no