27th International Conference on Kaposi's Sarcoma associated Herpesvirus and Related Agents

This R13 application requests funds to help support the 27th International Workshop on Kaposi’s Sarcoma Herpesvirus and Related Agents in 2025. Our annual conference will bring together researchers and clinicians working on the oncogenic human herpesvirus, Kaposi’s sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), and other closely related pathogens. KSHV is the etiology agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), which is still one of the most prevalent cancers in Africa, especially in HIV-1 infected individuals and other forms of immunosuppression, including treatments for organ transplant, malaria, and autoimmune disease. Many of these virus-associated malignancies are endemic to specific geographical regions and likely involve complex genetic predispositions and/or high-risk environmental co-factors. New and better therapies are needed for treating and preventing these virus-associated malignancies. The funds will be used to waive the conference registration costs for outstanding trainees (pre-/postdoctoral and early career researchers), who study oncogenic DNA viruses and the cancers associating with these viruses. The goals of these meetings are consistent with the mission statements of the NIH, NCI, NIAID, and NIDCR, namely, to advance and promote the pace of research on infections associated with human cancer and other diseases, including in the setting of HIV-AIDS. The main KSHV conference will be held in Redondo Beach, California, from the afternoon of June 29 through July 2, 2025. There will be a training workshop to engage both established researchers and trainees, clinicians, and basic researchers, to interact and develop collaborations on translational research projects. All remaining costs for the conference will be raised from registration fees paid by the conferees and contributions from host institutions, foundations, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The major focus of the KSHV meeting is the biology of oncogenic herpesviruses and associated human diseases, with specific emphasis on viral pathogenesis, viral latency and reactivation, viral gene expression and replication, host responses to infection, epidemiology, vaccine development, therapeutic intervention, clinical and translational research. In addition to KSHV, studies related to herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), murine herpesvirus-68 (MHV-68), and rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV) will be presented. The 27th International Workshop on Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus and Related Agents will mark a new quarter century of research on KSHV since the discovery of this virus in 1994, a new century to engage clinicians and researchers.