Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Advancing Vaccines in the Genomics Era, organized by Bali Pulendran, Chris Wilson and Rino Rappuoli. The meeting will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the Fall of 2013. A direct consequence of the Human Genome Project has been the development of so-called """"""""omic"""""""" technologies (e.g., genomics, proteomics) that can be used to probe the molecular networks that control biological systems. Such technologies are beginning to be applied to vaccinology to obtain deeper insights about the molecular networks that orchestrate protective immunity induced by vaccination in humans. Such systems biological approaches are enhancing our understanding of the correlates of protective immunities, of the early innate immune signatures of vaccine efficacy, and guiding the rational design of novel and safer vaccines and adjuvants. This Keystone Symposia meeting will explore the potential of systems biology in vaccine design and development. Participants will include vaccinologists, immunologists, virologists, microbiologists, scientists using systems approaches in other areas of biomedical research, as well as individuals working in industry and health policy who are interested in the potential of genomics in vaccinology. The meeting will address how systems biology has provided insight into the immune response to vaccines, and will also discuss the technical and bioinformatic challenges associated with using systems biology approaches. Researchers will explore how 'systems vaccinology'approaches can be implemented in vaccine development and clinical trial monitoring. The program of this meeting will benefit considerably from a partnership with the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), whereby the Keystone Symposia meeting will be held juxtaposed with the annual business meeting of the BMGF Grand Challenges in Global Health awardees.
The Keystone Symposia meeting on Advancing Vaccines in the Genomics Era will gather an interdisciplinary group of scientists to discuss the emerging application of genomics in vaccinology. The overarching aim will be to stimulate interdisciplinary discussion and collaboration and catalyze the rational design of vaccines against global pandemics and emerging infections. The science discussed here has the potential to seed the generation of the next cohort of vaccines and therapeutics against infections.
