Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital

The 8th Hallym-Uppsala International Symposium was successfully held at the Rudbeck Hall in Uppsala University, Sweden, on September 21, 2016. Under the theme of "Resistance to Antibiotics," the symposium attracted nearly 100 participants.

A 9-member Hallym delegation headed by President Choongsoo Kim of Hallym University visited Uppsala for the symposium. Among other Hallym delegates include Dr. Hae-Ran Lee, President of Hallym University, Dr. Yong-Sun Kim, Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences of Hallym University, Dr. Wonkeun Song and Dr. Jae-Seok Kim of Laboratory Medicine, and Dr. Seung-Soon Lee, Dr. Heung-Jeong Woo, and Dr. Jin Seo Lee of Infectious Diseases.

Prominent scholars of Hallym and Uppsala in the field of Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Medicine, Medical Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Pharmacy gave lectures and shared their expertise and research outcomes throughout the joint academic meeting.

After the symposium, the leadership of Hallym and Uppsala agreed to closely working on researches on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

The specific programs including topics and speakers are as follows:

■ Session 1
1. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: a 2-year surveillance in Korean hospitals
(Dr. Wonkeun Song, Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, Hallym University)
2. The evolution of resistance to fluoroquinolones in Escherichia coli
(Dr. Diarmaid Hughes, Dept. of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University)

■ Session 2
1. Universal ICU decolonization and bactericidal activity of chlorhexidine against MRSA
(Dr. Seung Soon Lee, Div. of Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)
2. Heteroresistance, an often seen but poorly understood clinical problem
(Dr. Hervé Nicoloff, Dept. of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University)

■ Session 3
1. Genomic DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing, and protein analysis of global gene regulator agr mutant in MRSA, Yellow to White?
(Dr. Jae-Seok Kim, Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, Hallym University)
2. Amphiphilic peptides for antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects
(Dr. Martin Malmsten, Dept. of Pharmacy, Uppsala University)
3. Population pharmacokinetics and PK/PD of antimicrobial agents
(Dr. Heung-Jeong Woo, Div. of Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)

■ Session 4
1. Selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria at low levels of antibiotics, heavy metals and biocides
(Dr. Dan I. Andersson, Dept. of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University)
2. Clinical experience of infections due to carbapenem resistant gram negative bacteria
(Dr. Jin Seo Lee, Div. of Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)

By Chul Kwon, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (chris@hallym.or.kr)