ABSTRACT
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Framing the Response to Emerging Virus
Infections, organized by Drs. Ralph A. Tripp, Suresh Mahalingam, John W. Lowenthal, Andrew G. Bean, and
Malik Peiris. The conference will be held in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong from October 14-18, 2018.
Emerging and re-emerging viruses have the potential to cause high morbidity and mortality and range from
localized outbreaks to epidemics. Due to their emerging nature, most aspects of the biology and infectious
potential of these viruses are poorly understood. Our continuing struggle to respond to a procession of
pandemics including SARS, avian influenza, MERS, Ebola and more recently Zika, highlights key gaps in our
knowledge and should serve to motivate our re-thinking on how we can better prepare and deal with future
unknown viral threats. This meeting will focus on important areas such as surveillance, diagnostics and
countermeasures, as well as other important advances in new technologies and how they are being applied to
research. Furthermore, we will discuss how to facilitate the translation of research, data and candidate
treatments through the development pipeline in a timely and cost-effective manner. The key themes to be
covered include the need to understand why zoonotic diseases matter, their association with agriculture, the
importance of surveillance and early detection, and the difficulties of dealing with diseases that involve both
medical and veterinary communities. The conference will bring together experts in virology, immunology,
vaccinology, epidemiology with those that seek to transfer knowledge between these groups, veterinarians and
industry and government. Further, this meeting would bring together individuals involved in the control of these
diseases in government and non-government organizations, as well as people involved in study of zoonosis
and countermeasures. The creation of global networks and sharing of information will ensure that we are better
prepared for future outbreaks.