REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Registration for the 40th Anniversary Microbiology Conference is open.

Help us to celebrate our milestone birthday, 40 years!

We have some exciting speakers lined up from different fields of microbiology including those in academia, research and clinical practice.

Here's why you need to attend:

  • Learn something new
  • Embrace new ideas
  • Build your networks
  • Continual professional development (CPD)
  • Develop your career
  • Visit a world-class venue

It feels like only yesterday we were welcoming you to the 39th Annual Microbiology Conference. But the exciting news is that in just a few months’ time, it’s time to do it all again!

Event: BSMT 40th Annual Microbiology Conference

Date: 15 May 2025

Venue:  Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon.

Click here to register now

 

Read this excellent Programme preview article published in Pathology in Practice.

 

40th ANNIVERSARY MICROBIOLOGY CONFERENCE

Venue: Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon

Date: Thursday 15 May 2025

Laboratory Microbial Diagnostics: Current and Future Practice

The following articles will be available to read soon; Programme Preview 1 and Programme preview 2 and the final preview article.

Programme

Profiles for Chairs and Speakers 

Biomarker-guided antibiotic treatment for patients with sepsis: providing value for patients and services? 
Professor Paul Dark, National Deputy Medical Director, NIHR Clinical Research Network, University of Manchester      

Novel technologies and the fight against antimicrobial resistance
Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan, Head of Research, University of West London

The Mini-Lab: accessible clinical bacteriology at the district level
Dr Alessandra Natale, MSF Paris

Developing the UK public health rapid support team Rapid Response Mobile Laboratory as a tool for global outbreak response
Dr Daniel Carter, Genomics Specialist, UKHSA Porton Down

Wastewater surveillance for epidemiological surveillance
Dr Alexander Shaw, Imperial College, London 

Advances in the diagnosis of invasive/systemic fungal infections
Dr Riina Richardson, Honorary Consultant Mycologist and Senior Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases and Medical Education, Manchester

Dr Kate Templeton, BSMT President and Professor Brian Duerden CBE, will chair the conference

 

 

39th ANNUAL MICROBIOLOGY CONFERENCE

Venue: UKHSA, Colindale

Date: Thursday 02 May 2024

Rapid Diagnostics ~ warts and all

Read Programme Preview 1 and Programme preview 2 in readiness for the Conference. The final preview article is available here.

Programme

Profiles for Chairs and Speakers 

How do we assess and value rapid diagnostics? 
Dr Luke Moore, Consultant Infectious Diseases, Microbiology & Virology, Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust 

Next-generation molecular diagnostics: Leveraging digital technologies to enhance multiplexing in real-time PCR 
Dr Jesus Rodriguez-Manzano, Associate Professor, Imperial College, London

STI AMR surveillance; the molecular approach
Dr Michelle Cole, Principle Clinical Scientist, STI Reference lab, UKHSA

Setting up a Microbiology service in a low to middle income country
Ivor Mitchelmore, Now retired Chief BMS, Luton & Dunstable University Hospital

Evaluation of a unified metagenomic method for rapid detection of bacteria, fungi and viruses in clinical samples 
Adela Alcolea-Medina, Lead, Next Generation Sequencing, Infection Sciences, Synovis, St Thomas’ Hospital, London

UKHSA: What next for AMR? The 2024-2029 UK Antimicrobial Resistance National Action Plan 
Dr Alicia Demirjian, Clinical Lead, Antimicrobial Resistance & Prescribing (AMRP), UKHSA and Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Evelina London Children's Hospital 

Dr Kate Templeton, BSMT President and Professor Brian Duerden CBE, will chair the conference

Find out about the BSMT!

About the Conferences

BSMT conferences are aimed at senior biomedical and clinical scientists, other scientists, medical microbiologists and other healthcare professionals. They are particularly relevant for bench microbiologists to provide up-to-date information about organisms and techniques especially with regard to new molecular technologies.

Read more

CPD

The  Microbiology Conference on 02 May 2024 is registered with the IBMS - download the Self Assessment Sheet.

Our message on leaving X/Twitter

From Friday 1 November 2024 we will no longer be active on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The BSMT considers X no longer relevant to its activities and will discontinue its use.

Please visit British Society for Microbial Technology - BSMT | Facebook whilst we seek alternative social media platforms to conduct our communication strategy.

The 2024 conference was dedicated to the memory of Mahsa Amini

Mahsa Amini, an Iranian student about to start a degree in Microbiology but was arrested on 13 September 2022 for ‘improperly wearing the mandatory head covering’; she died in police custody several days later.

We are offering several grants in memory of Mahsa Amini aimed at potential delegates who would otherwise not be able to attend the BSMT conference due to financial reasons. The grant is for the registration fee and/or the cost of travel (standard rate). To apply  for the grant, please write a  short summary (one side of A4) of your reasons and send to  BSMT Chair, Dr Mark Wilks (mwilks@bsmt.org.uk). They will be assessed by a subgroup of the BSMT committee.

UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029 is published

This second 5-year national action plan supports the UK 20-year vision for antimicrobial resistance.

Articles

Newly in - two excellent previews of the coming annual conference published in the Biomedical Scientist April 2024 and Pathology in Practice February 2024:

Microbiology: Rapid Diagnostics Warts and All

Rapid diagnostics - warts and all: a microbiology conference preview

 

Read Topics in Microbiology and infection: a review of the BSMT conference. An article published in Pathology in Practice giving an overview of the recent BSMT conference May 2023.

The following articles are previews of the conference on 11 May 2023. The first Microbial technology: a further preview of this year’s BSMT conference covers the global problem of AMR and childhood respiratory infections by Dr Mark Wilks, Chair of BSMT Committee. The second article Topics in microbiology and infection: 2023 BSMT exhibition preview is an introduction to the 20 leading biomedical science companies which are supporting the event. We invite all attendees to visit each trade stand and come armed with your questions to the commercial representatives.

Read Under the Microscope: Microbiology and Infection by David Westrip. A shorter version of this was published in the Biomedical Scientist April 2023.

Read Revolution in genomics and microbiology: the impact of technology by Mark Wilks. A report on the BSMT microbiology conference July 2022.

 

Past Events

Follow the link to see information on previous BSMT conferences.

New Website

We hope you like this new website developed by Mike Brind at Step Communications Ltd - many thanks to Mike for his skills and patience during our training in editing the new website.

Our previous website was built 15 years ago by Henry Bevan and has served us well – many thanks to Henry who has provided such good service often at short notice and for his continuing help and advice.

Thanks also to Steve Dillon (also at Step Communications Ltd) for designing our new Logo and for his forbearance in providing many options for us to choose from.

2024 Conference

 

 

 

Invitation to Comment on UK SMIs

All microbiologists are invited to comment of the UK Standards for Microbiology Investigations (UK SMIs).

Go to UK SMI page here