Due to the massive interest we had for this course when it was first posted, we are setting up a second course with Pina Kingman!

So, do you want to use illustrations as an effective communication tool? Learn the essentials of graphic design and visual communication theory, drawing by hand and drawing digitally during this one week course with Pina Kingman. To join the course 18-22 March 2019 in Oslo, apply within 10 February 2019. More information on the course you can find on our course list or here. 

Time and place: March 18, 2019 11:00 AM – March 22, 2019 1:00 PM, "Bikuben" in Kristine Bonnevies Hus, Blindernvn 31 (entry from Moltke Moes vei), University of Oslo

IBA student and the recipient of the IBA travel grant for research stays abroad, Anders Madsen, has spent six months in the US working on his PhD (he is currently enrolled at The University of Bergen). This is what he had to say about it!

From July to December 2018 I conducted research in Dr. Ali Ellebedy’s lab at Washington University in St. Louis and in Professor Florian Krammer’s lab at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. As a medical research student at University of Bergen, my project aims at better understanding the antibody response to influenza. The purpose of this research visit was to address fundamental questions about the immune response to influenza by generating monoclonal antibodies from human B-cells. 

Although influenza is a harmless disease for most people, it accounts for around 300 000 to 600 000 deaths every year. A major goal in the field of influenza is to develop an efficient prophylactic vaccine that provides long-lasting protection against a broad range of influenza viruses. The current seasonal influenza vaccines do not have these traits. My research project in USA involved generating monoclonal antibodies against neuraminidase (NA), which is a protein located on the surface of the influenza virus. We found that the antibodies targeting NA could bind to a broad range of influenza viruses, and were able to protect mice from lethal influenza infection. Our findings will bring valuable insight into the NA-specific antibody response to influenza. We plan to publish our results in a high-ranking international journal, and hope that it will contribute to generate better vaccination strategies for influenza in the future. 

What I bring back to Norway is an increased knowledge of immunology and influenza, and a broader view of research in general. I have learned many new laboratory techniques and experiments, which we plan to establish here at the Influenza Centre, University of Bergen. The research visit has strengthened the collaboration with the research groups in USA, and I have made lifelong friends. To be given the opportunity to learn from world leading influenza researchers has been an invaluable experience for me as a young scientist.I will always remember my six months in USA – not because of the country itself, or because it is the longest I’ve ever been away from home, or even because it was the most hardworking months of my life, but because of the inspiring people I worked with. I am very thankful for the IBA travel grant, which made this research visit possible. 

We offer travel stipends to our members!
The next deadline to apply is January 15th.

For more information please check the meny on the left.

For any additional questions, do not hesitate to contact our coordinator Pernille Nilsson at pernille.nilsson@ibv.uio.no.

Do you want to use illustrations as an effective communication tool? Learn the essentials of graphic design and visual communication theory, drawing by hand and drawing digitally during this one week course with Pina Kingman. To join the course 11-15 February 2019 in Bergen, apply within 16 December 2018. More information on the course you can find on our course list or here. 

Time and place: Feb. 11, 2019 11:00 AM – Feb. 15, 2019 1:00 PM, University of Bergen

We would like to thank all the speakers and participants for contributing to a great annual IBA meeting in Tromsø! The scientific presentations were inspiring, the weather was perfect, and the food at Ishavshotel was delicious. We hope that you were able to get to know each other, mingle around and establish a long-lasting collaborations with fellow scientists. After all, this is what IBA is all about!