May 2005

Experimental therapies and vaccines for Ebola and Marburg viruses focus of Academy meeting

Emerging infectious diseases meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 2 at 5 p.m.

Recent outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg virus infections in Africa have been characterized by two remarkable features – they have been unusually sustained and have maintained extremely high fatality rates. These two features have underscored the need to expand our current understanding of these fatal hemorrhagic diseases and to accelerate progress towards protective vaccines and novel therapeutic strategies.

To present news on the latest developments in our understanding of the molecular biology, epidemiology and approaches to vaccine development for these acute hemorrhagic viruses, the New York Academy of Sciences' Emerging Infectious Diseases Discussion Group is sponsor ing a meeting, Ebola and Marburg Viruses--Perspective 2005 on Thursday, June 2 at 5 p.m. The event will take place at the New York Academy of Sciences headquarters at 2 East 63rd Street, New York.

Speakers and topics will include:

Christopher Basler, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
"Antagonism of the Host Interferon Response by Ebola Viruses."

Daniel Bausch, Tulane University School of Medicine
"Controlling Marburg and Ebola Hemorrhagic Fevers: Where We've Been and Where We Need to Go."

Thomas Geisbert, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
"Countermeasures Against Ebola Virus and Marburg Virus: Advances and Challenges."

For more information, please visit the meetings/conferences section of the nyas.org web site

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