Top Virologists Meet in China to Address Threats
Top Virologists of the Global Virus Network (GVN) Meet in China to Address Threats
The Addition of Two GVN Centers of Excellence Strengthen GVN’s Worldwide Reach
Baltimore, Maryland, USA, May 11, 2015: The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of the world’s leading medical virology research centers working together to prevent illness and death from viral disease, in partnership with Beijing University of Technology, a GVN Center of Excellence, will host its 7th meeting of top virologists May 16-19, 2015 in Beijing, China. The announcement was made today by Robert Gallo, MD, GVN Co-Founder and Scientific Director, Yi Zeng, MD, PhD, GVN China’s Center of Excellence Director and the GVN President. They also announced the addition of two new GVN Centers of Excellence including the University at Buffalo (UB), State University of New York (SUNY), USA and the Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Barcelona, Spain. Since its founding in 2011, GVN has grown to include 34 Centers of Excellence in 24 countries, comprising expertise in all classes of human viruses.
“I am pleased to join my friend and colleague, Professor Yi Zeng, in hosting this important meeting as these personal, face-to-face interactions among our colleagues are integral to sharing information and inspiring international collaborations that otherwise might not exist,” said Dr. Robert Gallo, Director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a GVN Center of Excellence. “China has been involved with GVN from the very inception, and Professor Yi Zeng has been and continues to be a valued and honored GVN leader as well as a member of the Scientific Leadership Board, which reviews all prospective Centers.“
“China is honored to host this meeting of the GVN,” said Professor Yi Zeng, Honorary Dean at the College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering at Beijing University of Technology and Chief Scientist and Professor at the Institute of Viral Diseases Control and Prevention China, a GVN Center of Excellence. “We are committed to working closely with our colleagues at the GVN and strengthening ties with the internationally renowned scholars who comprise the network.”
Members of the GVN will exchange ideas on viruses including HPV and Esophageal Carcinoma, Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, emerging viruses, Measles, MERS, Dengue, Chikungunya, HTLV, Influenza, Hemorrhagic Fever viruses – including Ebola, among other viruses, and viral diagnostics. Other prominent virologists participating in the meeting include Dianne Griffin, MD, PhD of GVN’s Center of Excellence at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA, who is a renowned measles expert and Ab Osterhaus, DVM, PhD, of GVN’s Center of Excellence at University of Veterinary Medicine, Germany, who is a renowned coronavirus expert (SARS, MERS). They will discuss many viral challenges China shares with other nations, including the rise of measles and the threat of coronaviruses.
“We are honored to be hosted in China, where the tradition of supporting virology in China is strong and the tradition of international cooperation stronger still,” added GVN’s President. ”This meeting in China paves the way for onward collaborations and strengthening of our global safety net against viral disease threats. It is the first time that the GVN has met outside of the U.S. or Europe, and we are delighted to be in Asia.”
The GVN is an essential and critical defense against viral disease. It is a coalition comprised of world renowned virologists, all working to advance knowledge about how viruses cause disease, to develop drugs and vaccines to prevent illness and death, and to train the next generation of virus researchers. GVN is the only institution in the world that has expertise in all classes of human viruses.