VIRCAN2024: RSU researchers organise international conference to explore vaccines and cures for chronic viral infections and cancer

Viruses are very small organisms. They are made up of DNA or RNA genomes surrounded by a protein coat (capsid) and often also outer membrane. Some of them are known to cause cancer and raised awareness and increased research could save lives.

Researchers from RSU are therefore organising an international online conference “Chronic viral infections and cancer, openings for vaccines and cure” VIRCAN2024, which will be held on 21-22 November 2024. 

Some of the viruses known to cause cancer are Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Human papillomaviruses (HPV), Hepatitis C (HCV), the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), Human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1), and Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8). HBV and HPV can be prevented by vaccination, in fact, the HBV vaccine is today the most efficient anti-cancer vaccine. Its systemic use is predicted to decrease the death rate from HBV infection by 90% by 2030.

The effects of these viruses on cancer development are highly complicated. In brief, these viruses highjack cells implanting their DNA or RNA into the host cell, often also into the host genome, as do HBV, HPV and HIV-1.  This can cause the host cells to become cancerous. Some viruses can disrupt signalling that normally keeps cell growth and proliferation in check. Also, viral infections weaken the immune system, making the body less able to fight off other infections and cancers. Furthermore, chronic viral infections cause chronic inflammation, which may in its turn lead to cancer, or increase the chances of cancer development due to changes in cell genomes, cell signalling and cell metabolism.

Registration

Participation in the conference is free. Registration to participate is open! To register, please, contact conference management at VIRCAN2024gmail[pnkts]com. We specifically invite early-career researchers, who will be given a chance to present their studies orally. If you are interested, please, register and submit an abstract of the intended presentation by 24 October 2024. For attendants without presentation, the registration will close 19 November 2024. When registering, please, provide your full name, affiliation, position, email address, mobile phone number, and year of birth.

Presenting authors will be invited to submit manuscripts describing their experimental studies, short communications, as well as reviews, opinions, comments to the special issues of Vaccines (mdpi) and Frontiers in Oncology (Frontiers Media). 

Early-career researchers (aged 36 or less) are eligible to participate in a contest of studies. Winners will receive monetary awards sponsored by Vaccines (MDPI). The decision on the winners will be made by the Review Board and announced on the Closing Session of the conference. The two best studies will also get vouchers for free publication in special issue of Vaccines covering the meeting.

Welcome to join us on the Conference!

Contact

Maria Issagouliantis, Maria[pnkts]issagouliantisrsu[pnkts]lv

Materials from the previous conference organised in the frame of the project can be viewed on the RSU website.

Conference 'Vaccines and Vaccination During and Post Covid Pandemics'

The Conference is being held in the frame of the grant of the Latvian Science Fund “Human papillomavirus genome associated correlates of disease progression and treatment response for cervical neoplasms and cancer”, Project No.lzp-2021/1-0484, duration 01.012022-31.12.2024.