The 28th International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR), hosted by the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR), took place at the Parco dei Principi Hotel, Rome Italy. The conference begun on Monday, May 11th, 2015, and concluded on Friday, May 15th, 2015.
True to the ISAR brand attendees will be provided with a multidisciplinary program of interest to biologists, chemists and clinicians with an interest in antiviral therapeutic and prevention agent research and development. The meeting in Rome will include the many components that ISAR members have come to appreciate, including the annual Keynote Address, educational Drug Discovery and Development 101, stimulating plenary sessions, excellent Award lectures, and mini-symposia on hot topics in antiviral research. At ICAR, scientists working throughout the world in the areas of basic, applied, and clinical research meet in a collaborative and collegial atmosphere to review recent developments in all areas of antiviral drug discovery and development. Most importantly, ICAR will provide a variety of networking opportunities to allow members to reconnect with old friends and colleagues and establish new scientific relationships with leaders in the antiviral field. The ICAR is specifically designed to reinforce the special family-like feel that exists among ISAR members.
Specific topics to be covered in the ICAR scientific program include: medicinal chemistry, virus replication, host cell-virus interactions, virus latency, new target identification, biochemistry and mechanism of action, mechanisms of viral drug resistance, assay development, in vitro evaluation, animal models, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and clinical trials. Within these areas of interest, there will be keynote, plenary, single topic mini-symposia, and oral and poster presentations. Abstract submissions will become available in the fall and will be accepted until the end of February 2015.
The prestigious "Elion”, "Prusoff”, and "Holy” Awards from ISAR will be given to individuals in recognition of their major contributions in the field. In recognition of ISAR’s focus on developing young scientists and leaders, poster awards will be presented to selected graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and young investigators and ISAR has expanded its travel grant support program to encourage more students and young researchers to attend the meeting.
Rome, the capital of Italy, has a long tradition of scientific innovation, making it the ideal location for ICAR. By meeting in the heart of the city, ICAR delegates will be able to take advantage of the atmosphere and energy of this unique city ensuring the best of both worlds, a world class destination and a rigorous scientific content.