2020 International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B Viruses

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

ABSTRACT/SUMMARY Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant global public health problem, with over 290 million people worldwide being chronically infected. Significantly, chronic HBV infection is associated with increased risk for development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite the effectiveness of the prophylactic HBV vaccine, there is no cure for chronic HBV infection or the resultant liver cancer. There is compelling need to discover new therapeutic strategies to cure chronic HBV infection and HCC pathogenesis. Thus, the global HBV scientific community must continue to make directed strides towards understanding key, unanswered aspects of HBV biosynthesis and disease pathogenesis. The annual meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B Viruses is the only forum that brings together the international community of scientists who study mechanisms of biosynthesis and pathogenesis by HBV and and its closely associated hepatitis delta virus (HDV). This International meeting on Hepatitis B Viruses has been held yearly since 1985, alternating at sites in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In 2020, the meeting will be held in Toronto, Canada. The success and achievements of the HBV field relies on the contributions of not only the established investigators but more importantly, on early career researchers (ECRs) that have/are deciding to enter the field, bringing with them new technology and concepts. Accordingly, the Specific Aim of this R13 application is: to promote and maximize attendance and participation of early career researchers/ECRs (graduate students & postdoctoral fellows) at the 2020 International HBV Meeting. The 2020 meeting will provide the stage for scientific exchange and dissemination of the latest research results that could influence new therapeutic strategies for HBV and HDV infections. It is estimated that 500-600 delegates will attend the 2020 meeting. The organization of the meeting will consist of 8 oral scientific sessions and 5 poster sessions including for the first time, e-poster presentations, as a training stage for early career scientists. In support of the goal of the global scientific strategy to cure HBV, keynote speakers will present new perspectives and technologies, and discuss standards that can be applied to advance the HBV field. To improve scientific interactions and scientific exchange, social gatherings are organized at the end of each meeting day. Significantly, since 2005, the International HBV meeting enjoys the continuing support from the Hepatitis B Foundation, minimizing the meeting costs, and publicizing the meeting to universities with large numbers of underrepresented minorities. To enable participation of early career trainees and underrepresented minority investigators, support from the National Institutes of Health to help defray the travel costs is requested. This funding will be used to ensure attendance and presentations by early career researchers, particularly from countries with lesser developed research capacity, as well as underrepresented minority investigators.