The international workshop "Common cold - SARS - Pandemic Influenza: Novel strategies to fight respiratory viral diseases" took place in Berlin from 12 to 13 October 2009. In cooperation of FluResearchNet and the National Research Platform for Zoonoses, the programme organisers, Prof. Stephan Ludwig and Prof. Oliver Planz, were able to win renowned researchers for the workshop. The keynote was given by Prof. Dr. John Oxford, who introduced the topic with his overview lecture "From 1918 to 2009: Use of human quarantine for studies of influenza". The topics were divided into new target structures, research approaches, natural agents and techniques and included work on the influenza virus and other respiratory viral diseases. Numerous members of the FluResearchNet presented their research results on the different topics.
The workshop was conceived as an exchange platform for the latest research results and as a broad communication forum. Through the participation of representatives of the WHO and the European Commission it was possible to involve international organisations. In order to continue to transfer innovative research approaches to clinical application as early as possible, industrial partners were invited to participate. In the context of the German-Chinese Year of Science and Education, a high-calibre delegation of scientists took part in the meeting.
The abstract volume of the workshop can be downloaded here.
Impressions from the workshop in Berlin (Photos: Research platform for zoonoses)
