: This application is a request for funding to support the travel expenses for young scientists to attend and participate in the annual International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B Viruses, scheduled for October 4 - 8, 2015 at the Hotel Dolce Bad Nauheim (near Frankfurt), Germany. This meeting, which has been held consecutively since 1985, is the only forum that gathers the international community of researchers that focus on the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the satellite hepatitis delta virus (HDV). Approximately a quarter of the world's population has been infected by HBV. Unfortunately, despite the availability of prophylactic HBV vaccines, new infections continue to arise due to the underutilization of the vaccine and difficulties in interrupting perinatal viral transmission from the infected mothers. Moreover, for the approximately 350 million people already chronically infected with HBV (approximately 15 million of whom are co-infected with HDV), the vaccine is of no therapeutic value, and the current approved medications are costly but less effective, leaving chronic hepatitis B patients under an elevated risk of liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and other severe clinical sequelae. As a result, between 0.5 and 1 million people die of HBV/HDV every year worldwide. It is therefore imperative that basic research on HBV continues, and latest progress in the field is discussed and disseminated in a timely manner, thus the annual HBV meeting represents the venue at which this can occur. The 2015 meeting will uphold and enhance the traditional format and exchange with interaction and dialogue presented in 9 oral scientific sessions, 2 poster sessions as well as less structured networking time. A special focus of this meeting will be on virus-host interactions, with a particular emphasis on cell biology, antiviral immunity, and new therapeutic targets/means. This will be facilitated by two keynote addresses, and a satellite meeting on the topic Prevention and Treatment of hepatitis B - medical challenges and new tools. As in the past, great effort has been made to minimize the cost of the meeting. Furthermore, the Hepatitis B Foundation has made a strong commitment to support this meeting since 2005, in terms of providing a permanent home for organizing the meeting and making its staff available for organizing the meeting and publicizing it, especially to universities with large numbers of underrepresented minorities. In order to allow the participation of junior and minority investigators, support from the NIH to help defray the meeting costs of junior scientists is requested.

Public Health Relevance

The 2015 International Meeting on Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B Viruses is the next scheduled meeting in an annual series that has been held continuously since 1985. This is the only definitive meeting that brings together basic scientists in the field of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) from throughout the world. HBV infection remains a substantial global and US public health burden with more than 350 million individuals chronically infected worldwide and with an annual rate of up to one million deaths due to HBV and HBV/HDV- induced liver failure, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The meeting is a critical and internationally well recognized platform for continued exchange of information in basic research on HBV and HDV infections.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Conference (R13)
Project #
1R13AI118198-01
Application #
8910864
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAI1)
Program Officer
Strickler-Dinglasan, Patricia M
Project Start
2015-08-01
Project End
2016-07-31
Budget Start
2015-08-01
Budget End
2016-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Hepatitis B Foundation
Department
Type
DUNS #
042289574
City
Doylestown
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
18902