The biotechnology revolution has stimulated increased activity and has witnessed a remarkable pace in the research and development of vaccines and associated technologies for disease control through immunization. Many new diseases have recently become or soon will be vaccine preventable, and improvements to existing vaccines are appearing in rapid succession.

In recognition of this growth in the field, this 3-day conference has become a major international non-commercial scientific forum devoted exclusively to the presentation and sharing of data and knowledge among the diverse disciplines of vaccinology. It serves as an annual forum for presenting and discussing the latest vaccine-related scientific data, results, and issues via symposia and panel discussions by expert faculty and through oral and poster presentations of submitted papers. The goal is to encourage communication between the "upstream" and "downstream" ends of the vaccine research and development pipeline: vaccine scientists and producers, public health officials, and medical personnel who conduct clinical and field studies.

Keynote Address Enumerate at least ten major advances in vaccinology in the past ten years and how these advances might be applied to help in future vaccine development. Mary Lou Clements-Mann Memorial Lecture in Vaccine Sciences: Discuss the scope and magnitude of the global HIV epidemic and the progress in development and testing of HIV vaccines. The Economics of Vaccines: Industry-Public Health Interface Discuss how vaccines are priced Discuss how major vaccine initiatives are financed Ethical Aspects of Vaccinology Discuss the recent experience with Rotavirus vaccine and how lessons learned with this vaccine might be applied to future candidate vaccines. Discuss the ethical considerations of, and ways to accommodate local custom, tradition and law in study design for vaccine trials in developing countries. Immunologic Responses at the Extremes of Life Discuss one potential mechanism for inadequate immunologic response to immunization at both extremes of life Discuss one vaccine strategy to overcome inadequate host response to vaccines at both extremes of life Vaccination, Auto-Immunity and Auto-Immune Diseases Define immunologic mimicry and discuss its consequences. Describe two specific examples of auto-immunity which result from bystander immunologic effects. Discuss how the bystander effect might be circumvented. Describe two approaches to limit vaccine-induced auto-immunity. Discuss how vaccination might prevent or treat auto-immune diseases. Vaccines Against Malignancies and Chronic Diseases Discuss the proposed pathophysiology of Helicobacter pylori induced gastric/duodenal ulcer disease and gastric cancer. List one potential disadvantage of eradicating Helicobacter pylori (Cag A+) from the intestinal tract. Describe the life cycle of Chlamydia pneumoniae, and the consequences of infection. Discuss the role of a herpes simplex virus vaccine expressing IL-12 in the therapy of gliomas. Characterize dendritic cell vaccines and discuss how they might work against cancers.

Control of Meningococcal Disease by Vaccination Characterize the global epidemiology of meningococcal disease and discuss how differing serogroup distributions might affect vaccination programs. Discuss the appearance of serogroup Y in Europe. Discuss the recent experience with meningococcal vaccination in the United Kingdom. Characterize the different vaccine candidates for Group B N. meningitidis and discuss the potential recommendation for their use. New Approaches to Vaccine Development How might new technologies help in developing vaccines? Give specific examples of how new technologies are being utilized (e.g. microchip arrays, gene expression, and bioinformatics). How might transgenic animal models assist in the development of vaccines? Give at least two specific examples. Discuss the theoretical rationale and the progress in developing edible vaccines. Vaccines for Bioterrorist Candidate Agents and Other Dangerous Exotic Diseases Identify at least three biological agents and/or biological toxins which pose serious and realistic threats as biological weapons. Discuss efforts to develop a vaccine for at least one potential biological weapon. Include in the discussion at least one major pitfall in vaccine development for this agent. Issues in Vaccine Safety Summarize current approaches to testing for adventitious agents in vaccine cell substrates, and the challenges faced by those approaches. Discuss at least two current safety issues related to the use of preservatives and excipients in vaccines. How are these issues being addressed? Describe the role of neurovirulence testing in pre-licensing safety evaluation of virus vaccines. Recognize the bovine components used in vaccine production and evaluate the risks associated with their use.

The conference will, for the first time, feature an exhibit hall. If you would like to obtain an Exhibitor Prospectus for your organization, please click here.

• Researchers and Scientists
• Epidemiologists
• Microbiologists
• Immunologists
• Molecular Biologists
• Public Health Officials
• Physicians and Veterinarians
• Vaccine Manufacturers

This conference is supported, in part, through unrestricted educational grants from:

• Aventis Pasteur
• Aviron
• Becton Dickinson and Company
• BioChem Pharma, Inc.
• Chiron Corporation
• Glaxo Wellcome, Inc
• MedImmune, Inc.
• Merck Vaccine Division
• PowderJect Vaccines, Inc.
• SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals
• Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide Continuing Medical Education (CME) for physicians.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) designates this CME activity for a maximum of 14.5 credit hours in Category 1 of the Physician¼s Recognition Award of the American Medical Association. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.

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