HPV Vaccines and Immunotherapies Conference

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cervical cancer remains a serious problem worldwide, with the greatest burden on this cancer occurring in poor women in the Third World who have limited or no access to medical services. High risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is necessary to produce cervical cancer, and thus the development of effective vaccines for the prevention and/or treatment of HPV infections could drastically reduce the incidence of disease, particularly in underdeveloped countries and be the most effective anti-cervical cancer strategy of all. An HPV vaccine targeted against the most common cancer associated HPV (HPV16) has shown 100 percent efficacy in a proof of principle trial involving 1533 young sexually active women. This crucial finding opens the way for the development of vaccines of broader specificity that can then be used for mass immunization to prevent cervical cancer and hopefully other HPV associated malignant disease. It is timely, in view of these immensely encouraging results from vaccine trials, to bring together all experts in HPV immunology in a conference that will allow us to "make the point" not only on the status of these vaccines, but also on host defense to HPV-mediated disease, and begin to look ahead at the best ways to fully develop anti-HPV vaccines and immunotherapies, how to deliver these effectively and, crucially, how to make them available worldwide in the most appropriate form. A Conference is being planned to address in depth all of these issues: The HPV Vaccines and Immunotherapies Conference, which will be held in Cambridge, UK, July 10-13, 2003. This conference will bring together the major players in the fields of HPV immunology and immunotherapy, and will serve as a forum for the training of young investigators interested in the areas of HPV immunology and cervical cancer prevention/therapy. This proposal requests funds to support travel to the HPV Vaccines and Immunotherapies Conference by young investigators (students and postdoctoral fellows) for whom this conference will provide a unique opportunity for training in this important field. Funds for general organizational expenses for the Conference are also requested.