ASIA-PACIFIC BIOFILMS 2026

Asia-Pacific Biofilms (APB) Conference 2026 will be held on 27th-29th March, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia, which is known for its scenic drive of the Great Ocean Road and vibrant culture.

This conference aims to bring together leading research scientists, engineers, and clinicians globally, from the Asia-Pacific area including China, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand United States, Canada, and the European Union (EU) to share new knowledge and research progresses in microbial biofilms. Scope of APB 2026 includes molecular biology of biofilms, quorum sensing, environmentally, industrially and clinically relevant biofilms and emerging technologies to combat microbial biofilms. This conference will serve as a major platform to promote collaborations between biofilm researchers in the Asia-Pacific area, and to facilitate our interactions with colleagues from EU (EuroBiofilms) and the USA (ASM Biofilms).

The conference committee will make every effort to present a memorable and valuable biofilms conference and we are sincerely looking forward to your participation. We support Gender Equality and are an ally to LGBT people.

Early Abstract Submission Deadline: December 15, 2025
Abstracts submitted by this date will receive notification of acceptance for either a talk or poster before the end of the year.
Final Abstract Submission Deadline: February the 15th, 2026.
Submissions will continue to be accepted until this date, but early submissions are strongly encouraged. Abstracts submitted by this date will receive notification of acceptance for either a talk or poster by the 1st of March.

ORGANIZATION

Organizers

Centre to Impact Antimicrobial Resistance, Monash University

Co-Organizers

Mark Shirtliff Biofilm Foundation

Supporting parties

Australian Society for Microbiology

Biofilm, Elsevier Publication Group

Sponsoring parties

Shandong Shidasi Bio-Industry Co., Ltd, China

Whiteley Corp. Pty Ltd,Australia

Committee

Founder and Honorable President

Dr. Mark Shirtliff (1969–2018)

Dr. Shirtliff has specialized in both in vitro and in vivo systems for the study of biofilms as a microbiologist for over 25 years. As an indication of his expertise on the subjects of biofilm-forming microbes and their relation to infectious disease and pathogenesis, he has presented his scientific findings on the subject at 110 meetings and symposia and have orally presented at over 100 national and international meetings/seminars. He has also authored over 120 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters on pathogenic microbes, both their biofilm mode of growth and the chronic diseases that they cause. Dr. Shirtliff has a strong background in organizing highly skilled colleagues in multidisciplinary research. He also has a strong working knowledge of budget development and have obtained over $8 million from state, national (NIH and DOD), and international funding agencies in the past 10 years. He has served on 35 graduate committees and was the primary advisor on 11 graduate students committees (8 PhD, 3 Masters).

Co-chairs

Anton Peleg

The Alfred and Monash University

Yue Qu

Monash University

Birthe Veno Kjellerup

University of Maryland

Organizing Committee Members

Andrej Trampuz

Cynthia Whitchurch

SCELSE

Darla Goeres

LEPABE

Gordon Ramage

Glasgow Caledonian University

Junyan Liu

Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering

Katharina Richter

Adelaide University

Liang Yang

Southern University of Science and Technology

Mark Schembri

The University of Queensland

Mark Wilcox

Melissa Brown

Rajendar Deora

Ohio State University

Ruth Thornton

Scott Wade

Swinburne University

Stephen Summers

SCELSE

Tom Coenye

Ghent University

Zhenbo Xu

South China University of Technology

Conference Secretaries

Xenia Kostoulias

Monash University

Heema Vyas

Adelaide University

SPEAKERS

Plenary Speakers

Cynthia Whitchurch

SCELSE

Gordon Ramage

Glasgow Caledonian University

Marvin Whiteley

Georgia Tech

Invited speakers

Birthe Veno Kjellerup

University of Maryland

Jintao Liu

Tsinghua University

Kirby Lattwein

Luyan Z. Ma

IMCAS&UCAS.

Matthew R. Parsek

Thomas William Seviour

Aarhus University

Tom Coenye

Ghent University

Xiaoxue Wang

UCAS

Zlatko Kopecki

Head Wound Infection Laboratory Adelaide University

PROGRAM

Day 1 March 27, 2026

08:15 - 09:00

Conference Registration

09:00 - 09:10

Welcome Address

by Anton Peleg (Monash University)

09:00 - 09:30

Tribute

by Birthe Kjellerup (Maryland University) and Mark Shembri (The University of Queensland)

09:40 - 10:30

Plenary 1

9:40-10:30 The Clinical Impact of Fungal and Interkingdom Biofilms
Gordon Ramage (Glasgow Caledonian University ,UK )

10:30 - 11:00

Morning Tea

11:00 - 12:30

Session 1 Medical Biofilms

Chair: Tom Coenye, Ghent University , Belgium

11:00-11:30             Novel approaches for management of biofilm wound infections
                                  Zlatko Kopecki (Adelaide University & PolyNovo Biomaterials Pty Ltd , Australia)

11:30-11:45            Staphylococcus aureus aggravates atopic dermatitis through enhanced bacterial colonization by surface protein
                                  Qian Liu (Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China)

11:45-12:00            Development of 5-flucytosine resistance in Candida auris during combination therapy is associated with reduced virulence: a case report of in-host evolution
                                  Xiaoying Xie (The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University , China)

12:00-12:15            From biofilm-infected mouse burns to diabetic foot ulcers: translating plasma-activated water for chronic wound cleansing
                                  Katharina Richter (Adelaide University , Australia)

12:15-12:30            Selected talk 4
                                  name (University, place)

12:30-13:30            Lunch

13:30 - 15:30

Session 2 Medical Biofilms

Chair: Yue Qu, Monash University, Melbourne

13:30-14:00             Translating Biofilm Microenvironment Insights into Next‑Generation Diagnostics and Susceptibility Testing for Biofilm Infections
                                  Tom Coenye (Ghent University , Belgium)

14:00-14:15            Composition of the uropathogenic Escherichia coli biofilm extracellular matrix impacts resistance and pathogenesis
                                  Zheng Jie Lian (The University of Queensland , Australia)

14:15-14:30            Outsmarting the bladder: How the biofilm matrix of P. aeruginosa is more than just a protective mechanism in the urinary tract environment
                                  Arthika Monaharan (University of Sydney , Australia)

14:30-14:45            Selected talk 7
                                  name (University, place)

14:45-15:00            Selected talk 8
                                  name (University, place)

15:00-16:00            Post session and afternoon tea

16:00 - 17:30

Session 3 Medical Biofilms

Chair: Xenia Kostoulias, Monash University, Melbourne

16:00-16:30             Invited talk 3
                                  Kirby Lattwein (Erasmus University Rotterdam , Netherlands)

16:30-16:45            Selected talk 9
                                  name (University, place)

16:45-17:00            Selected talk 10
                                  name (University, place)

17:00-17:15            Selected talk 11
                                  name (University, place)

17:15-17:30            Selected talk 12
                                  name (University, place)

Day 2 March 28, 2026

09:00 - 09:45

Plenary 2

9:00-9:45 When death becomes a biofilm: autolytic programmed cell death in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms
Cynthia Whitchurch (SCELSE , Singapore)

09:45 - 10:30

Session 4 Molecular biology, Engineering and Biofilms

Chair: Heema Vyas, University, place

9:45-10:15             Biofilm and anti-fungal resistance characteristics of the emergent fungus Candidozyma auris (previously Candida auris) in the environment and healthcare settings
                                  Birthe Kjellerup (University of Maryland, USA)

10:15-10:30            Biofilm Engineering for Efficient Substrate-Enzyme Interactions to Enhance Enzymatic PET Degradation
                                  Anming Xu (Nanjing Tech University , China)

10:30-11:00            Morning tea

Chair: Kirby Lattwein, Erasmus University Rotterdam , Netherlands

11:00-11:30            Bacterial self-produced enzymes that inhibit biofilm formation and enhance biofilm eradication
                                  Luyan Ma (Chinese Academy of Science , China)

11:30-11:45            Mechanism of mammalian body-heat sensing by a bacterial thermosensory diguanylate cyclase
                                  Rehnuma Tabassum Sejuty (University of Calgary , Canada)

11:45-12:00            Harnessing biofilm potential for medium chain carboxylic acid production with innovative bioreactor and support materials
                                  Shilva Shrestha (Johns Hopkins University , USA)

12:00-12:15            Unpicking the biofilm matrix: using biological physics to interrogate Bacillus subtilis biofilms.
                                  Cait McPhee (University of Edinburgh , UK)

12:15-12:30            In Vitro Biofilm Formation at the Gut-Mucus Interface under Flow Conditions
                                  Samin Tokasi (Monash University , Australia)

12:30-13:30            Lunch

13:30 - 15:30

Session 5 Biofilms in Food Microbiology

Chair: Zhenbo Xu, The South China University of Technology, China

13:30-14:00             Prophage-Encoded Toxin-Antitoxin Systems Mediates Biofilm Formation and phage-host symbiosis
                                  Xiaoxue Wang (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , China)

14:00-14:15            Plasma-Activated Water, An Egg-streme Clean
                                  Heema K N Vyas (University of Adelaide , Australia)

14:15-14:30            Identification of Persistent Listeria monocytogenes Strains in Enoki Mushrooms and Genetic Basis of Their Biofilm-Forming Capability
                                  Yujuan Suo (Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Science , China)

14:30-14:45            Screening and Characterization of Natural Edible Antibiofilm Compounds against Staphylococcus aureus
                                  Chunlei Shi (Shanghai Jiao Tong University , China)

14:45-15:00            When food goes bad: studying biofilm formation to reduce food spoilage and extend shelf life
                                  Laura M. Nolan (Nanyang Technological University , Singapore)

15:00-15:30            Post session and afternoon tea

15:30 - 17:00

Session 6 Environmental Biofilms

Chair: Stephen Summers, SCELSE, Singapore

15:30-16:00             Biofilm solutions through an understanding of the extracellular polymeric substances
                                  Thomas Seviour (Aarhus University , Denmark)

16:00-16:15            Acclimation-Enhanced Formation of Self-Immobilised Biofilms (Aerobic Granules) for Improved Wastewater Treatment
                                  Hansani Wahalathanthrige (University of Southampton , UK)

16:15-16:30            Selected talk 23


16:30-16:45            Selected talk 24
                                  name (University, place)

16:45-17:00            Selected talk 25
                                  name (University, place)

18:00-20:30            Post session and afternoon tea

Day 3 March 29, 2026

09:00 - 09:45

Plenary 3

9:40-10:30 Title: TBD
Marvin Whiteley,Georgia Institute of Technology ,USA

09:45 - 10:30

Session 7 Biofilms and multidisciplinary collaboration

Chair:Rajendar Deora, Ohio State University, USA

9:45-10:15             Invited talk 8
                                  Matthew Parsek (University of Washington , USA)

10:15-10:30            Mimicking in vivo infection dynamics: A physiologically relevant 3D platform to study biofilm-related infections
                                  Silvia Cometta (Queensland University of Technology , Australia)

10:30-11:00            Morning tea

Chair:Birthe Kjellerup, University of Maryland, USA

11:00-11:30            Spatial heterogeneity and resistance of biofilms
                                  Jintao Liu (Tsinghua University China, China)

11:30-11:45            A biofilm’s journey from gut to the brain: Microbial biofilms in the gut have a role in human ageing and dementia pathology
                                  Ibrahim Javed (La Trobe University , Australia)

11:45-12:00            Selected talk 28
                                  name (University, place)

12:00-12:15            Selected talk 29
                                  name (University, place)

12:15-12:30            Selected talk 30
                                  name (University, place)

12:30-13:30            Lunch

13:30 - 15:00

Session 8 Parallel Panel Discussions

            Cardiovascular implant infections and biofilms
                                  led by
           Vaginal infections and biofilms
                                  led by
           Non-clinical biofilm discussion
                                  led by Darla Goeres, Scott Wade, and Birthe Veno Kjellerup

15:00 - 15:10

Closing Remarks

Closing Remarks 15:00-15:10 Closing Remarks
by Yue Qu

REGISTRATION

Staff
$750.00 AUD
Register

Student
$550.00 AUD
Register

ACCOMMODATION

Oaks Melbourne
Promo code: MONASH
Booking

The Cullen Melbourne
Promo code: APBC2026
Booking

Mercure Melbourne Albert Park
No promo code required
Booking

SUBMISSION

Abstract:

Asia-Pacific Biofilms 2026 invites the submission of abstracts on all aspects of biofilm research. Highlighted topics for consideration include:
(1) Bioinformatic analysis of biofilms;
(2) Mechanisms of biofilm development and antimicrobial resistance;
(3) Biofilm control and novel therapeutic strategies;
(4) Communication and signaling factors in biofilms;
(5) Rapid detection and diagnostic applications for biofilm forming bacteria;
(6) Virulence and toxins in clinical biofilms;
(7) Evolution and stress tolerance in biofilms;
(8) Industrial, environmental and applied biofilms research.

1.Submission guidelines
Word count: 300 words
Formatting: please upload a Word document including the title, authors, author affiliations and a single paragraph abstract.

2. All accepted abstracts will be published in the conference proceedings of Asia-Pacific Biofilms 2026.Excellent abstracts will be recommended to the official journal of the conference, Biofilm (https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/biofilm), with a waiver for a full text submission.

>>Submit an Abstract<<

ABOUT US

Asia-pacific Biofilms (formerly known as ChinaBiofilms), is a series of biennial international meetings on microbial biofilms, initiated by Dr. Mark Shirtliff from University of Maryland and Dr. Zhenbo Xu from South China University of Technology. Starting in October 2017, ChinaBiofilms 2017 was held on October 20-22, 2017 in Guangzhou, China, ChinaBiofilms 2019 was held on October 10-13, 2019 in Guangzhou, China, Asia-Pacific Biofilms 2021 was held virtually on May 11-16, 2021, Asia-Pacific Biofilms 2022 was held on October 18-23, 2022 in Guangzhou.
As both the founder and president of Asia-Pacific Biofilms, Dr. Shirtliff has contributed to organize the workshop and conference together with the organizing committee. Asia-Pacific Biofilms is a great opportunity for participants to present their recent research progress, foster new collaborations on microbial biofilms, and also building bridges between relevant research enterprises in Asia-Pacific and international universities.