Barbara L. Mulach
$9,000
KEYSTONE SYMPOSIA
Colorado
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled A Research Reboot of Tuberculosis on the Keystone Symposia 50th Anniversary, organized by Drs. Joseph Keane, Shabaana A. Khader, Thomas J. Scriba and Alan Sher. The conference will be held in Breckenridge, Colorado from January 23-26, 2022. Tuberculosis (TB) is an ancient scourge of mankind that still to this day remains a leading cause of death by a single infectious agent only surpassed in its global mortality by the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, with the advent of effective antibiotics and improved public health measures, in the middle of the 20th century, TB had substantially declined and was thought by many to be destined for eradication. By 1972, the year of the founding of the Keystone Symposia, this conclusion was quashed by expanding caseloads in New York City and other urban areas and later by the devastating impact of HIV-coinfection. This major disease re-emergence stimulated a new era of intense research aimed at conquering TB. This symposium will showcase the outstanding breakthroughs of TB researchers over the last 50 years, while highlighting current advances in the field. Special attention will be given to the results of the latest promising vaccine trials, as well the discovery and implementation of improved antibiotic regimens. This program will also emphasize the exciting advances in our basic understanding of the host-pathogen interaction, and in particular in the area of immunometabolism, that are leading to the identification of new host-directed treatment targets. Keynote lectures will overview the major achievements, while exploring the current state of global tuberculosis, as well as the impact of viral pandemics on tuberculosis research and control. Taken together, the program will propel the field forward toward achievement of our ultimate goal of TB eradication.