Scientists from around the country are gathering in Rochester this weekend to review promising new vaccine technologies and discuss the status of vaccine efforts against HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases, ulcers and other maladies. The conference is being organized by the University of Rochester, where vaccine technology is at the centerpiece of a new research institute - and whose scientists created the vaccine that has nearly wiped out one form of childhood meningitis this decade.
More than 150 physicians, public health officials and research scientists will discuss everything from recent discoveries in biotechnology to efforts to assure that as many children and adults as possible receive the ever-growing battery of vaccines available. The meeting is Oct. 9-10 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Rochester.
"It's a great time in vaccine research and development," says John Treanor, head of the University's Vaccine Evaluation Unit. "There have been a tremendous number of advances in molecular biology and in our understanding of the human immune response. We're now seeing those basic science advances spur an explosion of progress in vaccine development."
The meeting will include presentations on new vaccine technology, updates on immunization efforts against HIV, Lyme disease, Helicobacter (the bacterium that causes most stomach ulcers), and discussions on immunization strategies. Speakers include Claire Broome, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; John LaMontagne, deputy director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Tim Mosmann, director of the University's new Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology; and George Siber, chief scientific officer at Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, the firm that manufactures the meningitis vaccine and others.
"Preventing disease and saving lives through immunization is
a top priority of governments and physicians worldwide," says
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Contact: Tom Rickey
trickey@admin.rochester.edu
716-275-7954
University of Rochester
8-Oct-1998