Rickettsiales: Disease Models, Immunity and Vaccine Development

 描述（由申请人提供）：美国立克次体学会（ASR）在促进世界知名专家和初级研究者之间的科学互动方面有着悠久的历史，以增强对专性细胞内细菌和节肢动物传播立克次体疾病的理解，这些疾病包括新出现的人畜共患病，具有重要的生物威胁意义，并被认为是被忽视的。第27届ASR会议将于2015年6月20日至23日在加州奥林匹克谷举行。这次发人深省的会议将包括一个五次会议的重点研讨会，题为“立克次体：疾病模型，免疫力和疫苗开发”，将与ASR会议一起举行，这将解决关键的差距，并强调疾病模型，宿主反应和免疫力以及疫苗开发的最新进展。目前还没有针对立克次体病的疫苗，对保护性免疫和免疫病理学免疫机制的理解也很有限。我们理解中的这些差距最近在2011年医学研究所（IOM）主办的蜱传疾病研讨会上被确定。Keystone会议定于2015年举行，将讨论兽医病原体和病媒传播问题，但拟议的这次研讨会是独一无二的，因为它是唯一一次全面讨论既有和新出现的人类立克次体疾病的研讨会。主题将包括疾病模型、免疫力和疫苗开发方面的进展，从而解决IOM报告中确定的预防差距。10名介绍或协助编写海洋金属组织报告的科学家已同意在讲习班或科学委员会任职，以确保讲习班解决报告中指出的差距。本次会议和综合研讨会的目标是刺激和促进初级和成熟的研究人员之间的跨学科互动与共同利益和专性细胞内病原体的各种专业知识。这些研究人员的专业知识涵盖流行病学、基因组学、分子生物学、载体生物学、细胞生物学、免疫学、诊断学和疫苗学等领域。会议将提供最新的科学状况，促进合作，并确定和制定新的战略，以解决疾病预防方面的差距。这次会议的具体目标是提供一个论坛，鼓励代表学术界、政府和工业界专家的约200名与会者通过主旨发言人/全体会议、该领域的国家和国际领导人以及初级科学家和受训人员的会谈进行科学交流。会议还将提供一个计划，将传达立克次体学的前沿科学进展，并突出该领域的最新发展，通过海报会议，口头演讲和有组织的网络机会促进初级和既定研究人员之间的互动。将为年轻科学家和受训人员提供充分的机会介绍他们的研究成果，并为鼓励他们参与提供旅费赠款。还将作出战略努力，促进代表性不足的群体参加和参与科学活动。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): The American Society for Rickettsiology (ASR) has a long history of promoting scientific interactions among world-renowned experts and junior investigators to enhance understanding of obligately intracellular bacteria and arthropod-borne rickettsial diseases, which include emerging zoonoses, have important biothreat implications, and are considered neglected. The 27th Meeting of the ASR will be held on June 20-23, 2015 in Olympic Valley, California. This thought-provoking meeting will include a five-session focused workshop titled "Rickettsiales: Disease Models, Immunity and Vaccine Development" to be held in conjunction with the ASR meeting, that will address critical gaps and emphasize the latest advances in models of disease, host responses and immunity, and vaccine development. There is no vaccine for any rickettsial disease, and understanding of protective immunity and immunopathologic immune mechanisms is limited. These gaps in our understanding were recently identified in the 2011 Institute of Medicine (IOM)-sponsored workshop on tick- borne diseases. Keystone conferences are scheduled in 2015 that will address veterinary pathogens and vector transmission, but this proposed workshop is unique in that it is the only one to comprehensively address established and emerging human rickettsial diseases. Topics will include advances in disease models, immunity, and vaccine development, and will thereby address the prevention gap identified in the IOM report. Ten scientists that presented or contributed to the IOM report have agreed to serve on the workshop or scientific committees to ensure that this workshop addresses the gaps identified in the report. The goal of this conference and integrated workshop is to stimulate and facilitate interdisciplinary interactions among junior and established researchers with mutual interests and varied expertise in obligately intracellular pathogen. The expertise of these investigators encompasses the fields of epidemiology, genomics, molecular biology, vector biology, cellular biology, immunology, diagnostics and vaccinology. The conference will provide updates on the state-of-the science, catalyze collaborations, and to identify and develop new strategies to address gaps in disease prevention. Specific objectives of this conference are to provide a forum to encourage scientific exchange among the estimated 200 participants that represent experts from academia, government and industry, through talks by keynote/plenary speakers and by national and international leaders in the field as well as junior scientists and trainees. The conference will also provide a program that will convey cutting-edge scientific advances in rickettsiology and highlights the latest developments in the field, promotes interactions among junior and established investigators through poster sessions, oral presentations and organized networking opportunities. Ample opportunity will be provided to junior scientists and trainees to present thei findings and travel grants awarded to encourage their participation. There will also be strategic efforts to promote attendance and engagement of underrepresented groups in science.