Now that vaccinology has conquered the important childhood infections, the field aims to extend the benefits of vaccines more broadly across diseases and demographies. This meeting will cover new horizons in vaccine development and design to protect against more challenging infectious agents, as well as non-infectious diseases. Specifically, attendees will learn about the latest insights into vaccines against:

• emerging infections
• antimicrobial resistant infections
• chronic infectious diseases
• diseases of poor countries
• infections in the elderly
• cancer
• autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease

This new vaccine ambition is supported by the incredible advances in science and technology that make it technically possible to develop vaccines against many new targets, and by innovative approaches to vaccine development for emerging infections and for diseases of poor countries. The program will cover a wide variety of these new technologies that are transforming vaccinology, such as reverse vaccinology, structure-based antigen design, adjuvants, nucleic acid vaccines (especially RNA), viral vectors, systems biology, and controlled human infections. They are supported by scientific advances in human immunology, genomics, synthetic biology, molecular structure of antigens and antigen-antibody complexes, germinal centers, and microbiome, all of which will be highlighted to inform vaccine design strategies.

This meeting will span technology and biology of vaccine design, to multidisciplinary global approaches to health equity in vaccine development, production and distribution, including lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. These include plans promoted by CEPI, NIH, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust to change the way vaccines are developed to enhance global access in times of urgency, and otherwise.

Each session will be spearheaded by a keynote speaker who will frame the discussion, followed by field leaders and innovators providing emerging advances across academic, industry, government and non-profit sectors. We will also feature rising stars and trainees in plenary and workshop sessions to encourage new voices and ideas to drive the field forward. The meeting will provide the unique opportunity to make cross-disciplinary and cross-sector connections and collaborations to catalyze translational advances and impacts.

This meeting will be held jointly with the Gates Grand Challenges meeting to encourage interdisciplinary insights and collaborations between scientists, clinicians and policy makers towards societal impacts.  Attendees of the Keystone Symposia conference are invited to attend Gates Grand Challenges joint programming on June 4, included with the Keystone Symposia registration fee.