5th Global Forum on TB Vaccines - Project Summary/Abstract
The Global Forum on TB Vaccines (Global Forum) is the world’s largest gathering of
researchers, clinicians, product developers, policy makers, advocates, health officials, and other
stakeholders striving to develop new effective vaccines to prevent tuberculosis (TB). In 2015,
TB killed an estimated 1.8 million people, more than any other single infectious disease agent,
and 10.4 million become sick with the disease (1). The United Nation’s Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), the World Health Organization’s (WHO) End TB Strategy, and the
Stop TB Partnership’s Global Plan to End TB 2016-2020 recognize that new vaccines will be
essential for reaching global targets to eliminate TB. The Global Forum provides a unique
opportunity for the TB vaccine research and development (R&D) community to come together to
review the state of the field, share the latest research and findings, and identify new and
innovative approaches to TB vaccine R&D, with the end goal of developing new TB vaccines.
The Global Forum program topics range from basic research to clinical trials, licensure, access,
and advocacy. The 5th Global Forum on TB Vaccines will take place in New Delhi, India from
February 20-23, 2018. India’s prominence in research expertise and vaccine manufacturing
capabilities, combined with the important role it plays in the global effort to end the TB epidemic,
make it a relevant and impactful location to host this important conference. As with past Global
Forums, the 5th Global Forum will provide a platform for scientific exchange, opportunities to
identify potential partners and collaborators, and a platform for a global discourse on the R&D
path towards an effective TB vaccine. The organizers will seek ways to enhance networking and
promote interactions amongst participants and to bring together participants with common
interests. Additionally, the Forum encourages and supports early-career researchers in sharing
their research, and offers multiple opportunities to learn from and engage with experts in the
field. Aeras is requesting funding from the NIH to support travel for early-career researchers and
participants from TB endemic countries who would not otherwise have the resources to attend,
present their research, or participate in the discussions that take place at the Global Forum. The
5th Global Forum will follow on the very successful 4th Global Forum in Shanghai, China (April
2015); 3rd Global Forum in Cape Town, South Africa (March 2013); and 2nd Global Forum in
Tallinn, Estonia (September 2010). The first Global Forum on TB Vaccines was organized by
the WHO and took place in Geneva in 2001.