MEETINGS

JUNE 30th – JULY 1st 2014 FINAL MEETING

The final meeting for TheSchistoVac has been held June 30th - July 2nd at Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom. Representatives of all participants of TheSchistoVac presented their final results. General overviews, conclusions and outputs for each of the work packages and the project as a whole were discussed. The outcome of the two work packages focussed upon in the 6 month extension period provided critical contributions to definition and selection of the final vaccine candidates on the basis
of protective effects in the rat, and of human cellular responses.
Future plans and ideas on how to maximally exploit the results of the project were discussed.

JAN 27th – 28th 2014 ANNUAL MEETING

The 4th annual meeting for TheSchistoVac has been held January 27th-28th, 2014 at Research Center Borstel, Germany. The participants of TheSchistoVac presented and discussed their results of the past 12 months and made clear decisions and plans for the final 6 months extension of the project with respect to the testing of combined protein and glycan antigens in the rat model as well as to finalise the cellular immunology work to compare defined cohorts resistant or susceptible to reinfection.

FEB 3rd – 5th 2013 3nd ANNUAL MEETING

The 3rd annual meeting for TheSchistoVac has been held February 3-5, 2013 at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambarene, Gabon. The participants of TheSchistoVac presented and discussed their results of the past 12 months and made clear decisions and plans for the last 12 months of the project with respect to the testing of the available protein and glycan antigens in the different in vitro and in vivo systems to further define their potential as schistosomiasis vaccine.

FEB 12th – 13nd 2012 2nd ANNUAL MEETING

TheSchistoVac held its 2nd annual meeting exactly after two years into the four year project. The participants assembled February 12-13, 2012 in Accra, Ghana for a two-day meeting organized by our partners from NMIMR. The progress and planning of the work were discussed in an open and enthusiastic atmosphere.

The field work in the schistosomiasis endemic areas is in full progress, and a number of novel vaccine candidates selected are being tested in the different in vivo and in vitro assays in different laboratories.
On February 14, we visited a field site near Lake Volta,

and on the 15th participants of TheSchistoVac presented the open symposium "Innovations in development of a vaccine against schistosomiasis" at NMIMR with a crowd of students and scientists from the University of Accra actively participating in the discussions.

The annual meeting of TheSchistoVac has taken place from March 20 till March 24, 2011 in Entebbe, Uganda. The partners of the project have discussed the progress of the work and the planning for the 2nd year of the project. The meeting was held in a pleasant atmosphere. Fruitful and detailed discussions were held in which students, post-docs and PI's together discussed results, plans and topics that needed special attention like the planning of the field work and the in vitro testing of selected recombinant antigens. Professor Eileen Devaney from the University of Glasgow is an expert on parasite immunobiology. She was present during the meeting as an external advisor and she chaired the general discussions on day 2. The project is running according to schedule so far, and the meeting was a very motivating event for the participants.

After the meeting several partners took part in a lab workshop hosted by the laboratories of the UVRI where techniques were be practiced for freezing and thawing human blood cells which are of vital importance for the testing of vaccine candidates later on in the project.