Date: Friday, May 31, 1996
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Irene Edwards (301)496-2075

WORKSHOP ON "THE ROLE OF HUMORAL IMMUNITY IN THE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES" TO BE HELD IN WASHINGTON

A three-day scientific workshop on "The Role of Humoral Immunity in the Treatment and Prevention of Infectious Diseases: The in vitro and in vivo Processes Initiated by Antibodies that Neutralize and Destroy Infectious Agents," will take place from Sunday, June 2 to Tuesday, June 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day at the Washington Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C. On-site registration will take place on Saturday, June 1, from 4-8 p.m. and during the workshop.

The purpose of this workshop is to review the most recent research on the roles of passive and active humoral immunity, the part of the immune system that relies on antibodies. Participants will discuss how antibodies can be used to prevent and/or treat experimental infections in animals and infectious diseases in humans. They will also review what is known about the in vitro and in vivo processes initiated by antibodies that neutralize and destroy infectious agents. Scientists agree that further advances in understanding humoral immunity will require investigations of the molecular and cellular events that occur during neutralization and identification of the quantitative properties of antibodies that can serve as in vitro surrogate markers for in vivo protection. Although the workshop will focus on the importance of antibodies in the immune response to viruses, immunity to important bacterial and fungal infections will be included.

Speakers from the United States, Canada, and Europe will discuss:

• Serum therapy revisited;
• Mechanisms of neutralization of human and animal viruses;
• HIV/SIV neutralization with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies;
• Humoral immunity and non-human primate models of retroviruses;
• Reports on active and passive immunity for human and animal virus, bacterial and parasitic infections, including: CMV, RSV, pertussis, Staph. aureus and malaria.

The workshop is sponsored by four components of the National Institutes of Health: the Fogarty International Center, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Cancer Institute; the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research of the Food and Drug Administration; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additional support for the workshop is being provided by Medimmune, Merck, North American Biologicals, Inc., Connaught, and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.