Innovative Vaccine Approaches

ABSTRACT Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Innovative Vaccine Approaches, organized by Drs. Mariagrazia Pizza, Galit Alter and Gordon Dougan. The conference will be held in Vancouver, Canada from June 27- July 1, 2021. Vaccines have the power to prevent and potentially eradicate a wide range of infectious diseases, representing one of the most effective life-saving measures at our disposal against global health threats. The recent coronavirus pandemic has brought the importance and urgency of vaccine development efforts into sharp focus. Moreover, the vaccinology field is evolving very rapidly, thanks to advances in our understanding of microbiology, immunology and genomics, as well as advances in structural analysis of antigens and antigen- antibody complexes and impacts of variation. Over the years, this field has also experienced an elucidation of mechanisms of immunity and protection, and identification of correlates. However, many questions are still unsolved and innovative approaches are needed to address new vaccine challenges like antimicrobial resistance, emerging infectious diseases, cancer and diseases associated with our aging population. This conference will cover the latest advances and novel approaches towards vaccine development, including: (1) novel antigen delivery systems; (2) in vitro and in vivo model systems for vaccine appraisal (3) the use of human challenge models; (4) the role of 'systems biology' in the comprehensive analysis of immune correlates, biomarker identification and safety; (5) machine-learning approaches to define correlations between antibody repertoires and protection; and (6) strategies for developing low cost vaccines for economically challenged populations. Together these topics will provide attendees with the new ideas and tools to continue to forge new frontiers in vaccine capabilities.