2019 International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B Viruses

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ABSTRACT/SUMMARY Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major global public health threat with over 290 million people worldwide chronically infected and over 887,000 deaths per year. HBV causes almost 40% of all hepatocellular carcinoma cases, which is the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The current prophylactic vaccine has no impact on established chronic infection and there is no cure. The annual International HBV Molecular Virology Meeting is the only forum that gathers the international community of researchers who study molecular biology and pathogenesis of HBV and the closely associated hepatitis delta virus (HDV). In 2019, this meeting will be held for the first time in Australia, in the Asia/Pacific region where chronic hepatitis B is highly endemic, with over 110 million people affected. Importantly, rates of chronic HBV are up to ten times higher in Indigenous Australians than non-Indigenous, for reasons that are unclear. We request funding to support travel expenses for young scientists to participate in the 2019 International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B Viruses. The 2019 meeting will provide the forum for scientific exchange and dissemination of the latest research information, including discussions regarding new therapeutic strategies for potentially curing HBV and HDV infections. An estimated 500-600 delegates will attend the 2019 meeting, which will mark the 35th anniversary of this important gathering. The meeting will consist of 8 oral scientific sessions, 2 poster sessions, and a mini-symposium focused on hepatitis B cure that will be held following the main meeting. The scientific interactions will also be facilitated by 3 keynote addresses from experts outside the HBV field who will bring different perspectives. Importantly, at the 2019 International HBV meeting we will hold a public forum for the first time where leading scientists from the International HBV meeting can engage with members of the general public, media, students and members of the HBV affected community to discuss HBV, chronic disease, new treatments, and approaches to cure in lay terms. The Forum will be held at the conclusion of the main meeting to ensure it does not clash with presentations at the Scientific meeting. As in the past, great effort has been made to minimize the cost of the meeting, with a major strength of the meeting organization being continual support from the Hepatitis B Foundation since 2005, including publicizing the meeting to universities with large numbers of underrepresented minorities. In order to allow the participation of junior and minority investigators, support from the National Institutes of Health to help defray the costs of the 2019 meeting is requested. This funding will be used to ensure attendance and presentation by early career researchers, particularly from low and middle-income countries, as well as disadvantaged groups including Indigenous Australians.