Trends in Influenza Research 2020

The XXI century is a century of viral infections. New emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases caused by viral agents are having a significant impact on our lives. In the last 20 years of this century alone, the world has experienced an influenza pandemic, the emergence of highly pathogenic influenza viruses, and three outbreaks of infections caused by zoonotic coronaviruses, one of which is regarded as a pandemic. Viruses constantly challenge modern society, and consolidated efforts of all countries and specialists in various fields are required to successfully combat them.

06.10 - 07.10.2020
Two days, online interactive broadcast

About the conference

The Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza – the WHO-recognized National influenza Center in Russia, the Global Virus Network Center of Excellence – is organizing the second international conference “Trends in Influenza Research” that will be an online event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The conference is scheduled for the 6-7 October 2020. This event is aimed to bring together leading experts in virology, immunology and molecular biology in order to highlight the most prominent achievements in the area of acute respiratory virus infections with special focus on influenza and COVID-19.

We kindly invite you and your colleagues and students to participate in the event and present your work in the area of influenza and other ARI surveillance, vaccine development, antiviral treatment and diagnostics as well as immunological aspects of the new COVID-19 infection. This conference will bring together scientists from different parts of the world and open the floor for discussions on how to be better prepared for the upcoming season of influenza and COVID-19, what strategies should be considered and what we have already learned in the previous months.

We gladly welcome your participation.

Keynote speakers

Albert Osterhaus

is a leading Dutch virologist and influenza expert. An Emeritus Professor of Virology at Erasmus University Rotterdam since 1993, Dr. Osterhaus is known throughout the world for his work on SARS and H5N1. He is a member of numerous professional societies, holds editorial positions for scientific publications, is the winner of scientific awards, holds several patents, has identified more than a dozen "new" viral pathogens and has authored more than 650 scientific papers.
Peter Palese

is a prominent United States microbiologist and Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He established the first genetic maps for influenza A, B, and C viruses, identified the function of several viral genes, and defined the mechanism of neuraminidase inhibitors (which are now FDA-approved antivirals). Peter Palese is the author of multiple book chapters and more than 400 scientific publications. He has been awarded multiple patents on viral vaccines and antivirals.
George Gao

is an outstanding Chinese virologist and immunologist. He has served as Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention since 2017 and Dean of the Savaid Medical School of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences since 2015. George Gao has published 20 books or book chapters and over 500 peer-reviewed research papers, including those on newly discovered pathogenic viruses such as the SARS virus and the H7N9 avian flu virus.
Marie Paule Kieny

is a French virologist, vaccinologist, public health expert and science writer. She is currently director of research at INSERM and chief of the board at DNDi. Prior to this, Dr. Kieny directed the WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research since 2001. Major successes under her leadership were the development and licensing of new vaccines against meningitis and measles, and against pandemic influenza in developing countries. Dr. Kieny has published over 250 articles and reviews, mainly in the areas of infectious diseases, immunology and vaccinology.
Christian Bréchot

is a French physician and scientist. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Inserm (the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research) from 2001 to 2007 and has been President of the Institut Pasteur since October 2013. His work combines academic and clinical approaches in molecular virology and cell biology. On September 25, 2017 he was appointed President of the Global Virus Network (GVN). Dr. Bréchot is the author of over 350 articles published in medical and scientific journals and 13 patents.
Maria Salvato

is currently a Head of the Laboratory of Arenavirus Disease & Vaccines and a Professor at the Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland Medical School. In 1985 she joined Michael Oldstones group at the Scripps Research Foundation where she completed the first arenavirus sequence and discovered the zinc-binding gene product of the arenaviruses. From 1990-2000 she was a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she developed a primate model for viral hemorrhagic fever.

10:00 - 10:50

Opening Ceremony

10:00 – 10:10

Opening Ceremony

10:10 – 10:50

Pandemic warnings from Influenza, SARS and MERS
Albert Osterhaus - Opening lecture

10:50 - 11:45

Coupling Influenza Surveillance and COVID-19 pandemic response
Moderators: A. Komissarov

10:50 – 11:10

Influenza and COVID in the GISRS in the European Region
Richard Pebody

11:10 – 11:30

European Virus Archive contribution to epidemics and pandemics
Jean-Louis Romette

11:30 – 11:45

Discussion

11:45 - 12:00

Break

12:00 - 13:30

Evolution of Influenza and Other Respiratory Pathogens
Moderators: G. Gao

12:00 – 12:30

Flu and COVID-19 pandemics: Emerging and re-emerging zoonotic respiratory pathogens
George Gao - Keynote lecture

12:30 – 12:50

Genetic diversity of the avian influenza virus in the Asian part of Russia as a factor in the evolution of influenza viruses in Eurasia
Kirill Sharshov

12:50 – 13:10

Genomic epidemiology of the early stages of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Russia
Georgii Bazykin

13:10 – 13:30

Novel reassortant of H1N1 swine influenza virus detected in pig population in Russia
Ivan Sobolev

13:30 - 13:40

Break

13:40 - 15:10

Virus Evolution and Vaccine Development. Part 1
Moderators: A. Egorov

13:40 – 14:00

New epitope-based approach for universal influenza vaccine development: first results
Dina Glazkova

14:00 – 14:20

Self-replicating RNA as a universal platform for pandemic vaccines вместо Self-replicating RNA vaccines as a universal platform for pandemic vaccines
Andrey Vasin

14:20 – 14:40

Cross-protective potential of intranasal influenza vaccines with modified NS genomic segment
Andrey Egorov

14:40 – 15:10

How can we increase potency of DNA vaccines?
Alex Shneider

15:10 - 15:20

Break

15:20 - 17:05

Virus Evolution and Vaccine Development. Part 2
Moderators: A. Vasin

15:20 – 15:50

The Long Road to a Universal Influenza Virus Vaccine
Peter Palese - Keynote lecture

15:50 – 16:10

A Forward Look: GVN Vision on Future Epidemics & Pandemics
Christian Bréchot

16:10 – 16:30

Sequence Data Sharing – The Influenza GISAID Model and it's Wider Application
Marie Paule Kieny

16:30 – 16:50

TBD
Nick Jackson

16:50 – 17:05

Discussion and closing Day 1

CORONAVIRUS RUSSIAN GENETICS INITIATIVE (CORGI)

The Coronavirus Russian Genetics Initiative’s objective is to promptly decipher the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses circulating in Russia in order to monitor viral variability.

Influenza and Acute Respiratory Virus Collection

The Laboratory of Evolutionary Variability of Influenza Viruses at the The Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza (Russian Ministry of Health) hosts Russia’s largest collection of influenza viruses and other acute respiratory viral pathogens: the Influenza and other Acute Respiratory Viruses Collection. More than 50,000 samples are stored, and the collection features human and animal viruses, including: influenza viruses; parainfluenza viruses; rhinoviruses; adenoviruses; coronaviruses; herpesviruses; and respiratory syncytial viruses. Collection strains are accessible to all interested parties involved in qualified activities and scientific research. Strains can be provided to interested entities in response to requests containing documentation of the right to work with the corresponding pathogens.

FSBI «Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza»

The history of the research Institute of influenza

Research Institute of influenza, organized in 1967, as the main scientific institution in charge of the most urgent problem of our time “Flu and flu-like illness” Before the new research institution was the target of research in the field of Virology and the development of issues related to etiology, diagnosis, epidemiology, clinic and prevention of influenza and other acute respiratory infections, the creation of the means of their prevention and treatment The founder and first Director of the Institute 1967-1972gg. was academician of AMS USSR Anatoly Smorodintsev.

Registration for the conference

The second international conference “Trends in Influenza Research 2020” is one of the scientific events organized as a part of the International Forum "Virology Days". This forum is technically organized by “People and Health”. Please note that the link to the online broadcast will be provided only to registered users. We invite you to register here.

Trends in Influenza Research 2020

About the conference

Keynote speakers

Albert Osterhaus

Peter Palese

George Gao

Marie Paule Kieny

Christian Bréchot

Maria Salvato

Draft Agenda

CORONAVIRUS RUSSIAN GENETICS INITIATIVE (CORGI)

Influenza and Acute Respiratory Virus Collection

The history of the research Institute of influenza

Registration for the conference