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| EMBO workshop: 'RNA viruses: replication, evolution and drug design' - cosponsored by VIZIER | |
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27th -30th August 2007. MFLP, University of Vienna
Deadline to complete registration for accepted applicants: 31st July
RNA viruses include more than 350 different human pathogens and most of the etiological agents of emerging diseases: These include the viruses of gastroenteritis (1 million deaths annually), measles (>45 million cases and ~400.000 deaths annually), influenza (>100 million cases annually), dengue fever (~100 million cases annually), enteroviruses (several million cases annually) encephalitic flaviviruses (e.g. 50000 cases of life threatening Japanese encephalitis), hemorrhagic fever viruses (including Ebola, Lassa and yellow fever virus) and hepatitis C virus (>170 million chronically infected persons in the world). The SARS outbreak and, more recently, the perceived threat of a pandemic arising from avian influenza, have generated much public concern. Many governments have been active in making costly arrangements to cope with the weapons of bio-terrorism, and many RNA viruses are in that arsenal. Although the media attention has waned, the threat remains real.
The workshop will be timely in order to build upon the momentum being generated by the European VIZIER project and its American equivalents and to bring these communities together.
The workshop is planned to have three connected themes, namely evolution of RNA viruses, the replication machinery of RNA viruses and the perspectives for, and development of, new antiviral agents.
The objectives of the workshop are:
- to bring together experts on different virus families, to increase communication between them and to underline similarities and discuss differences in RNA virus replication machineries
- to provide a forum for young researchers to meet with experts covering a wide range of topics and to discuss their current and future work.
- to describe current efforts in the development of antiviral compounds (including the different methodologies being used) and to identify where more information/research is needed.
- to discuss the latest insights in RNA virus evolution, in particular in connection to the emergence of new RNA virus infections, and assess which lessons from the past could be useful to combat newly emerging RNA viruses.
- to discuss the wealth of structural information on RNA virus enzymes that is currently being produced due to the world-wide efforts in structural biology.
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