Viruses, Replicons and Vaccines: opportunities, risks and regulation
Van derden09/03/23
COGEM invites you to join the 2023 international symposium ‘Viruses, Replicons and Vaccines: opportunities, risks and regulation’, an international symposium on advancements in viral research and applications of viruses for medical purposes, which will be held on Thursday, the 9th of March 2023 in Amsterdam.
Over the last few years, a range of new and promising techniques have been developed concerning genetically modified (GM-)viruses. These GM-viruses can be employed for different medical applications, such as virotherapy to combat cancer cells, or as vaccines, like the Janssen and AstraZeneca vaccines against COVID.
In view of these developments, COGEM has decided to organize an international symposium to provide more insight into the current developments and the future applications of viral vaccines, oncolytic viruses and replicons, – amongst which the self-amplifying mRNAs -. Simultaneously, the opportunities, potential risks and implications for biosafety and policy that are associated with these advancements, will be explored.
For research with GM organisms (GMOs), rules are applied to maintain safety for human health and the environment. It is however questionable if the current rules and legislation are still tailored to these new developments. What should policy and politics do to help capitalise the opportunities offered by the new developments, whilst also securing safety for human health and the environment, and strengthening public confidence in these innovations?
The symposium is aimed at policy makers, members of scientific advisory bodies and scientists in the Netherlands and Europe. Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.
Practical information:
Date: Thursday 9th of March 2023
Location: De Koepelkerk, Kattengat 1, 1012 SZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Information & Registration: www.cogemsymposium.nl
Preliminary programme:
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Coffee and registration |
| OPENING & WELCOME | |
| 10:00 – 10:10 | Welcome |
| Prof. Sybe Schaap | |
| SESSION 1: | Plenary session – Novel developments |
| 10:15-11:00 | Opportunities and Challenges for RNA vaccines and therapeutics |
| Prof. Robin Shattock – Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London | |
| 11:00-11:45 | Opportunities and Challenges for virus-based therapeutics in humans |
| Prof. Ron Fouchier – Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center | |
| 11:45 – 13:15 | Lunch |
| SESSION 2: | Clinical and veterinary therapeutics |
| 13:15- 13:45 | First-in-human clinical trial with an alphavirus-based replicon vaccine against HPV-induced cancers |
| Prof. Toos Daemen – Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University Medical Center Groningen | |
| 13:45 – 14:15 | Title tba |
| Dr. Martijn Langereis – MSD Animal Health | |
| SESSION 3: | Biosafety aspects (working title) |
| 14:15 – 14:45 | Viral replicon systems and their biosafety aspects – Inventory and description of viral replicon systems and characteristics relevant for risk assessment |
| Dr. Karen van der Meulen – Perseus | |
| 14:45 – 15:15 | Title tba |
| Dr. Gorben Pijlman – Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University | |
| 15:15– 15:45 | Coffee Break |
| SESSION 4: | Considerations for regulation |
| 15:45 – 17:15 | Speakers tba, including discussion on future proof regulation |
| CONCLUDING REMARKS | |
| 17:15 – 17:25 | Concluding remarks |
