What is new and important in the scientific research of Herpes Simplex Virus?
Advancing Science features a series of scientific talks from the brightest minds in HSV.
This series of meetings is designed for a professional audience and will provide a venue for dialogue amongst medical experts and scientists to discuss new research, identify gaps and opportunities to advance the science for HSV. Patient advocates, NGOs and community members are welcome.
Herpes Simplex Virus is a common pathogen known to cause a number of chronic diseases. While in the average human host herpes impact on health is self-limiting, there are a number of potential serious complications that are of public health concern.
Advancing Science is presented by Herpes Cure Advocacy and the The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN).
September 19th 12pm PST / 3pm EST
Guest Speaker: Dr. Carolyn Deal NIAID/NIH
2023-2028 NIH Strategic Research Plan for Herpes
Talk: Presentation on the NIH/NIAID Strategic Research Plan for Herpes Simplex Virus
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a strategic plan for herpes simplex virus (HSV) research in September 2023. The plan’s goals are to improve understanding of HSV, develop better diagnostics, and improve treatments and prevention strategies. The plan’s four strategic priorities are:
- Prevent infection: Advance research to prevent HSV infection, including developing new products
- Improve fundamental knowledge: Understand HSV biology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology
- Improve diagnosis: Accelerate research to improve HSV diagnosis
- Improve treatment and cure: Develop strategies to treat and cure HSV, including curative therapeutics
October 15th 12pm PST / 3pm EST
This October 15th talk is offered in partnership with AVAC.
Guest Speaker: Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D.
Vaccinology of HSV
Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D. is a Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at the Yale University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of immune defense against viruses at mucosal surfaces, which are a major site of entry for infectious agents. Professor Iwasaki received her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Toronto and completed her postdoctoral training with the National Institutes of Health before joining Yale’s faculty in 2000. She has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator since 2014. Professor Iwasaki has received many awards and honors including Forbes 50 over 50 Innovation 2024, TIME 100 Most Influential People 2024, TIME 100 HEALTH Most Influential People Affecting Global Health 2024, and the Else Kröner Fresenius Prize for Medical Research 2023. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2018, to the National Academy of Medicine in 2019, to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021 and was appointed President of American Associations of Immunologists (AAI) in 2023. Professor Iwasaki has been a leading scientific voice during the COVID-19 pandemic and is also well known for her Twitter advocacy on women and underrepresented minorities in the science and medicine fields. She was named to the 2023 STATUS list of the ultimate list of leaders in life sciences. Professor Iwasaki is the director of the Center for Infection and Immunity and is at the forefront of several long COVID investigations including the Mount-Sinai Yale Long COVID study, Yale LISTEN study, and Yale Paxlovid trial.
November 12th 9am PST / 12pm EST
Guest Speaker: Dr. Ruth Itzhaki
Professor Ruth Itzhaki is a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. Professor Itzhaki is a research scientist. She graduated as a physicist, then carried out research for an MSc and PhD in Biophysics – all London University degrees.
She subsequently moved to Cambridge, to the Department of Radiotherapeutics, holding a Beit Memorial Fellowship for Medical Research and the Wheldale-Onslow Memorial Fellowship at Newnham College, Cambridge University. Her next move was to Manchester where she worked in the Paterson Laboratories (cancer research), and then in the University of Manchester.
Her research topics have been diverse, most recently Alzheimer’s disease, especially, the role of viruses acting with a genetic factor in dementia, and the role of the genetic factor APOE in determining susceptibility to infection or outcome of infection by pathogens.
For the virus work, she won an Investigator award from The Lancet, a Wellcome Trust Innovative award, two Olympus Foundation awards, an Alzheimer’s Research Forum award and a Manchester City Council award. She is now an emeritus professor at Manchester University but lives in Oxford.
Are you scientist or medical expert and want to share your work with our audience? Email info@herpescureadvocacy.com to be considered.
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Questions about giving? Contact us at info@herpescureadvocacy.com or 267-797-7139.
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