SAMPLE COMPANY

What's New

2025/01/10
The registration is closed. We welcome 178 registrants to the Wolbachia Conference 2025!NEW
2025/01/01
The deadline for registration and abstract submission is extended to 10 Jan 2025! This is the final opportunity!! Sign up now!!!
2024/10/08
Information on SCHEDULE, TRANSPORTATION and HOTELS is updated.
2024/08/01
Regular Registration is open until 31 Dec 2024.
2024/08/01
Early-Bird registration and Student Scholarship application are closed.
2024/07/20
Early-Bird Registration deadline has been extended to 31 July.
Important notes:
Early-bird registration deadline is 31 July 2024!
Registrants must pay the registration fee by the deadline – after the deadline, REGULAR REGISTRATION FEE APPLIES!
Student scholarship is considered ONLY FOR APPLICANTS WHO HAVE FINISHED THE EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION BY THE DEADLINE!
2024/07/11
Sponsors has been updated.
2024/06/03
Hotel and Transportation information has been updated.
2024/04/30
Collaborative Research Topic on Wolbachia in Frontiers in Microbiology is open.
2024/04/23
Early-bird registration for Wolbachia 2025 is open.
2024/01/04
12th Wolbachia Conference website is open.


WELCOME

Welcome to the website of the 12th Wolbachia Conference! Since the 1st Wolbachia Conference held in Crete, Greece, in 2000, this biennial meeting has been a very active and important forum for world’s researchers working on Wolbachia and other microbial symbionts of arthropods, nematodes, etc. This gathering is characterized by intensive scientific exchanges in a friendly atmosphere and has profoundly promoted the emergence of this exciting research field.

We are happy to host the 12th Wolbachia Conference in Asia, Japan, for the first time. The venue, OIST, is located almost in front of a subtropical coral reef of Okinawa Island, where many beautiful corals and marine creatures can be seen directly from every beach. OIST is also located next to forests populated by many species of insects and other arthropods. We selected April as the meeting period to ensure a comfortable stay with good weather and no typhoons.

We sincerely welcome you and look forward to seeing you in Okinawa, Japan, in April 2025!

On behalf of Organizing Committee Members
Takema Fukatsu (AIST) and Tom Bourguignon (OIST)

PROGRAM

SCHEDULE

Updated on 8 October 2024, Tentative schedule (subject to change)
Date: 13-19 April 2025
Venue: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)



SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS

We set the following conventional sessions:
(A) Reproductive manipulation (CI)
(B) Reproductive manipulation (MK and others)
(C) Molecular and cellular biology
(D) Omics and biological functions
(E) Ecology and evolution
(F) Pest and disease control
(G) Wolbachia in nematodes
(H) Other symbionts

In addition, in an attempt to broaden the scope of Wolbachia Conference, we set the following special sessions:
(I) Incompatible/sterile insect techniques
(J) Extended phenotypes
(K) Experimental symbiosis

REGISTRATION and ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

REGISTRATION

Registration from Here!

Registration fee
Category Early-bird registration
23 Apr. to 31 Jul. 2024
Regular registration
1 Aug. to 31 Dec. 2024 10 Jan. 2025
Participant60000 JPY80000 JPY
Accompanying person30000 JPY40000 JPY

  • Registration fee for participant includes: bus transportation from airport to hotels on 13 April; opening mixer on 13 April; all conference activities at OIST including scientific sessions, lunch, coffee break, etc.; shuttle bus ride between hotels and OIST from 14 to 18 April; excursion on 16 April; farewell dinner on 18 April; bus transportation from hotels to airport on 19 April.
  • Registration fee for accompanying person includes: bus transportation from airport to hotels on 13 April; opening mixer on 13 April; excursion on 16 April; farewell dinner on 18 April; bus transportation from hotels to airport on 19 April.
  • Cancellation and refund policy: refund for cancellation is possible by 31 October 2024, which may entail some commission (10000 JPY); refund for cancellation is not possible for any reason from 1 November 2024 and on; partial refund of registration fee is not possible.
  • Important: Registration fee DOES NOT include accommodation, breakfast and dinner (except for farewell dinner on 18 April). Participants must book them separately. See Hotels below.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

Registered participants will receive an e-mail with a link to Abstract Submission site. The deadline for abstract submission is 31 December 2024 10 January 2025.
A participant can give only one presentation, either oral or poster. Since oral presentation slots are limited in number, some presentations will be transferred from oral to poster. There are scientific sessions (A) to (K), of which participants can list 1st, 2nd and 3rd preferences. Selection and decision will be made by the Scientific Committee.


STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP

Application to Student Scholarship has been closed.
On the basis of the decision by the Organizing Committee, 34 young participants were awarded with the Student Scholarship. CONGRATULATIONS!

In order to support students, postdocs and participants from developing countries, the Organizing Committee is making every effort to obtain fundings for Student Scholarship (50000 JPY per approved applicant). If eligible participants would like to apply, please make sure to do so upon your registration. Note that it is not guaranteed that all applications are to be approved. Selection and decision will be made by the Organizing Committee.

VENUE and HOTEL

VENUE

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)



TRANSPORTATION

Please check the PDF files of transportation information on (1) official bus transportation, (2) official bus boarding/meeting location, (3) official bus stop at hotels

Important: Official bus stops have been changed as follows:
† Nabee Beach Bus Stop has been abolished. In case that you have reserved a hotel around the Nabee Beach area, please cancel it and book Rizzan or other hotel around the Moon Beach area.
† Kanehide Bus Stop has been relocated to Maeganeku FPPL/Moon Beach Bus Stop.
Hence,
† Airport transportation buses operate between Naha Airport ~ Maeganeku/Moon Beach ~ Rizzan.
† Shuttle buses operate between Maeganeku/Moon Beach ~ Rizzan ~ OIST.
† For mixer and farewell dinner, shuttle buses operate between Maeganeku/Moon Beach ~ Rizzan.

The gateway airport to the venue is Naha Airport.




Transportation to hotels

  • On 13 April, charter buses will operate from airport to hotels (timetable and reservation info will be announced in due course), and it is recommended that you should arrange flights that arrive in Naha on 13 April. The charter bus ride is included in the registration fee.
  • If your flight does not nicely connect to the charter buses, you should use Airport Limousine Bus or taxies, although it is not included in the registration fee.
  • It is possible for you to use a rental car. However, please note that, since OIST does not permit personal car parking at the campus, you have to secure a parking at the hotel you stay.
Transportation between hotels and venue

  • From 14 to 18 April, morning and evening shuttle buses will operate between hotels and OIST main campus (timetable will be announced in due course).
  • When the shuttle buses are not operating, you should call and use a taxi.
Transportation to airport

  • In the morning of 19 April, charter buses will operate from hotels to airport (timetable and reservation info will be announced in due course). The charter bus ride is included in the registration fee.
  • You can also use Airport Limousine Bus or taxies, although it is not included in the registration fee.

HOTELS

Note that registration fee does not include accommodation, breakfast and dinner. Participants should book their hotels for themselves with reference to the hotels listed in the Hotel Map.

  • The Organizing Committee strongly recommends you to select the Rizzan Sea Park Hotel Tancha Bay for the following reasons.
    – The nearest from the venue, OIST main campus (2 km, 30 min on foot, though walking is not recommended).
    – Satisfactorily comfortable with very nice buffet breakfast included.
    – Welcome mixer and farewell dinner will be held at Rizzan.
    – Owing to negotiation by the Organizing Committee, Rizzan offered a special rate for Wolbachia 2025 participants (a special booking portal will be available for registered participants; 18700 JPY (single use) or 19800 JPY (twin use) per room per night with nice buffet breakfast; note that credit card payment cannot be split upon twin use).
    – Room availability for the special rate is limited, so please book your room as soon as possible.
    – For reasonable stay, twin room use at Rizzan (with colleague, friend...) is recommended. For those who have no idea about roommate, the Organizing Committee offers a room share matching service. Information is provided to registered participants.

  • Other affordable hotels within walking distance from the official bus stop (Maeganeku/Moon Beach) are listed in the Hotel Map.
    – Note that these listed hotels are just examples. You can search and book any hotels within a walking distance from the official bus stop.
    – Participants are to book and secure their hotel rooms during the conference on their own responsibility. Rooms of reasonable price will be quickly sold out.

Collaborative Research Topic in Frontiers in Microbiology

In collaboration with the Wolbachia Conference, the Microbial Symbioses Section of Frontiers in Microbiology launches the Research Topic “New Frontiers in Wolbachia Biology 2025”. Scientifically sound, solid and competent submissions of high quality on Wolbachia biology are very welcome.

Committees

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Takema Fukatsu (AIST, Japan): Chair
Tom Bourguignon (OIST, Japan): Co-chair
Maki Inoue (Tokyo Univ. Agr. Tech., Japan): Treasurer
Yu Matsuura (Univ. Ryukyus, Japan)
Filip Husnik (OIST, Japan)
Daisuke Kageyama (NARO, Japan)
Chihiro Himuro (OPPPC, Japan)
Ryuichi Koga (AIST, Japan)
Kota Ishigami (OPPPC, Japan)

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Seth Bordenstein (Penn State Univ., USA): Reproductive manipulation (CI)
Daisuke Kageyama (NARO, Japan): Reproductive manipulation (CI)
Toshiyuki Harumoto (Kyoto Univ., Japan): Reproductive manipulation (MK and others)
Amelia Lindsey (Univ. Minnesota, USA): Molecular and cellular biology
Irene Newton (Indianna Univ., USA): Omics and biological functions
Steve Perlman (Univ. Victoria, Canada): Ecology and evolution
Jason Rasgon (Penn State Univ., USA): Pest and disease control
Mark Taylor (Liverpool Sch. Trop. Med., UK): Wolbachia in nematodes
Jen White (Univ. Kentucky, USA): Other symbionts
Yuval Gottlieb (Hebrew Univ. Jerusalem, Israel): Other symbionts
Zhiyong Xi (Michigan State Univ., USA): Incompatible/sterile insect techniques
Susumu Katsuma (Univ. Tokyo, Japan): Extended phenotypes
Takema Fukatsu (AIST, Japan): Experimental symbiosis