Congenital CMV Conference: Education, Prevention and Treatment

描述(申请人提供)：原发巨细胞病毒(CMV)感染影响1-3%的孕妇，在有原发感染的母亲中，25%的先天感染婴儿会导致宫内生长受限和永久性出生缺陷。有症状的婴儿通常在新生儿期死亡，大多数幸存者都有永久性的衰弱后遗症，包括智力低下、视力丧失和感觉神经性耳聋。这次会议拨款申请是建立在2006年在意大利奥维埃托举行的第一次完全致力于先天性CMV感染的会议的成功基础上的。这次特别会议从母婴感染的生物学、胎盘的病理学、母亲和新生儿的诊断测试、 怀孕期间的治疗和患病婴儿的治疗以及新疫苗的开发。具体目标如下。第一，为大会组织一个科学含量最高的节目。为了达到这一卓越标准，将邀请各自领域最前沿的国际公认的专家。有一个有趣的组合，既有多年来在各自领域处于领先地位的老牌研究人员，也有在诊断、治疗和开发新型疫苗方面具有尖端观点的新研究人员。其次，对与重要临床问题高度相关并有可能转化为医疗实践的研究有强烈的重视。这些会议承认与会者特定研究兴趣的直接医学相关性，以及设计新的诊断测试、干预疗法和疫苗的令人兴奋的潜力。第三，必须重视公众教育和对先天性巨细胞病毒感染的流行及其对社会的影响的认识。将通过纳入受先天性疾病影响的家庭并为感兴趣的公众参与者和政策制定者提供一个有教育意义的论坛来实现教育目标。我们预计这次会议将吸引来自不同背景的与会者，从基础和工业研究人员到诊断和临床从业者。值得注意的是，这次会议的主要目标是促进跨学科 对先天性巨细胞病毒感染有不同兴趣的科学家之间的交流和整合 提供新的信息，教育公众了解这一长期被忽视的疾病以及孕期治疗和通过接种疫苗进行预防的前景。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection affects 1-3% of pregnancies, causing intrauterine growth restriction and permanent birth defects in 25% of congenitally infected babies in mothers with primary infection. Symptomatic infants often succumb in the neonatal period, and most survivors have permanent debilitating sequelae, including mental retardation, vision loss and sensorineural deafness. This application for conference grant funding builds on the success of the first conference entirely devoted to congenital CMV infection held in Orvieto, Italy in 2006. This special conference focuses entirely on congenital CMV infection at all levels from the biology of maternal and fetal infection, pathology in the placenta, diagnostic tests in mother and neonates, treatments during pregnancy and for diseased babies and novel vaccine developments. The specific aims are as follows. First, to organize a program with the highest level of scientific content for the conference. To achieve this standard of excellence, internationally recognized experts at the forefront of their fields will be invited. There is an interesting blend of established investigators who have been leaders in their respective areas for many years and new researchers with cutting edge perspectives on diagnosis, treatment and development of novel vaccines. Second, there is a strong emphasis on research that is highly relevant to important clinical questions and has potential for translation into medical practice. These sessions acknowledge the direct medical relevance of specific research interests of the attendees, as well as the exciting potential for designing new diagnostic tests, intervention therapies and vaccines. Third, there is an important focus on public education and awareness of the prevalence of congenital CMV infection and impact on society. Educational goals will be achieved by including families affected by congenital disease and providing an instructive forum for interested public participants and policy makers. We anticipate this conference will attract participants from various backgrounds ranging from basic and industrial researchers to diagnostic and clinical practitioners. Notably, the principal goal of this conference is to stimulate crossdisciplinary exchange among scientists with diverse interests in congenital CMV infection and integration of new information to educate the public about this long overlooked disease and prospects for treatment during pregnancy and prevention through vaccination.