The fifth seminar of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) was held in Wroclaw (Poland), a city where one of the world's centers for research on bacteriophages as therapeutic agents has been operating for over 60 years – the Hirschfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

The seminar's topic is "Microbial Viruses: Biodiversity and Practical Applications." Viruses have always been a key element in the diversity and evolution of microorganisms—algae, archaea, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. In the 20th century, they became a valuable tool in molecular biology, and bacteriophages found application as infection control agents in medicine, agriculture, the food industry, and elsewhere.

Topics discussed at the EMBO workshop included the ecology of microbial viruses, virus-host interactions, structural biology, and biotechnological and medical aspects of the use of microbial viruses.

The main goal of the seminar is to stimulate new understanding of the role of viruses both in ecosystems and in human life.

Seminar page: http://meetings.embo.org/event/18-virus-microbe

Seminar poster: