ASM Biodefense And Emerging Diseases Research Meeting

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) will host its 2007 Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting from February 27 - March 2, 2007 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Washington, DC.

There is a continuing need for research that helps better protect the public against not only the traditional agents of bioterrorism, like anthrax, but also against emerging infectious diseases that hold the potential for serious human and economic harm, such as H5N1 influenza. In 2006 the federal government budgeted approximately $4 billion for biodefense research and preparedness and just last month officially created the Biodefense Advanced Research and Development Agency, designed to help speed the development of biodefense countermeasures using an estimated funding of $1 billion dollars in fiscal year 2008.

The purpose of this meeting is to bring together individuals who are carrying out research to defend against the threat of bioterrorism with decision makers shaping the future biodefense research agenda, recognizing that emerging infectious diseases serve as a paradigm for handling the public threat of bioterrorism.

This meeting is intended for scientists, public health researchers and policy makers who need to be informed about the latest scientific developments. The meeting will include a series of keynote addresses by leaders in the field of biodefense and poster sessions presenting up-to-the-minute cutting-edge research on biothreat agents, vaccines, detection and diagnostic procedures, animal and plant pathogens, global surveillance, and other vital topics.

The first day of the conference will be devoted concurrent sessions focusing on international public health issues in security and biodefense, large scale decontamination, biodefense informatics and microbial forensics. The focus sessions will be followed by a keynote address by Thomas Monath of the Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers

Pandemic & Biodefense Fund entitled, "Developing products against biological and emerging threats: reflections from within industry and beyond."

Additional plenary topics include:

* Progress in vaccine development against biothreat agents

* The dillemma posed by dual-use technologies

* Food supplies as bioterrorism targets

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Contact: Jim Sliwa
American Society for Microbiology