Ebola virions. Image: Cynthia Goldsmith/CDC
Ebola virions. Image: Cynthia Goldsmith/CDC
While the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa appears to be waning after claiming more than 9,000 lives, public health and scientific concerns about the crisis remain urgent. Harvard Medical School will host a symposium on March 5, 2015, to shed light on the issue.
Register here.
“Rethinking the Response to Emerging Microbes: Vaccines and Therapeutics in the Ebola Era” will convene international experts in virology, infectious disease, vaccines and therapeutics. They will discuss strategies both to combat the current Ebola outbreak and to inform future preparedness for the unique challenges of this and other emerging infections.
HMS faculty members David Knipe, Michaela Gack, Sean Whelan, Stephen Harrison, Peter Sorger, Priscilla Yang, John Mekalanos and James Cunningham will moderate four sessions:
- Overview of the Ebola virus, its pathogenesis and the state of the current outbreak
- What are our most promising current and future therapeutics and vaccines?
- What are the scientific and regulatory issues limiting development of Ebola vaccines and therapeutics?
- How can we be more prepared for future emerging infections?
Speakers will include Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other leaders from government, the biomedical industry and academic research centers.
The symposium will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. March 5, 2015, in the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center Amphitheater in the New Research Building at Harvard Medical School.
This event is made possible by grants from PhRMA (the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) and the HMS Max Finland Lecture Fund.
