This meeting will consider universal challenges of biological resistance to agents that are designed to improve human health and food production. A strong focus will be in the broad areas of drug resistance in infectious diseases – especially neglected diseases of the developing world – as well as drug resistance in cancer and in agricultural crop protection. Scientists working on antibacterials, antifungals, antiparasitics, antivirals, anticancer agents, as well as herbicides and insecticides used in the agricultural sector, will find the content relevant. Diverse participants from these orthogonal disciplines will be assembled; most of whom seldom interact directly for an extended period of time. The Conference setting will help break interdisciplinary barriers, help participants learn from one another, encourage uninhibited exploration, build long-lasting relationships and catalyze future transformative collaborations. Responses to seemingly unavoidable forces driving drug resistance require continual, creative scientific advances and tightly integrated discussions with global policy makers.

The success of this conference counts on a broad representation of disciplinary expertise, varying seniority, and wide geographic and cultural perspectives. As in previous years, we expect representation from academics, government organizations, and industry – small and large. Speakers and attendees with international reputation in drug resistance will bring experiences from many different countries and continents. In particular, the meeting leadership welcomes – and will seek out – timely and novel poster session presentations. These should benefit greatly from the GRC format. Fourteen outstanding poster presentations will be selected for short oral talks.