The 32nd Science Cluster Conference, “Harnessing airway immunity for next-gen vaccines”, will feature world leaders exploring the latest advancements in airway immunity and innovative vaccine development.

Harnessing airway immunity represents a potentially transformative approach in the development of vaccines against respiratory infectious diseases. By focusing on generating a robust local immune response at the site of infection, next-generation vaccines may have the potential to not only prevent severe disease, but also prevent mild infections, block transmission, and establish long-term immune memory in the respiratory tract. These novel strategies aim to address some of the limitations of conventional vaccine design and testing, which has primarily focused on generating and measuring systemic rather than local immune responses. However, achieving this will require the development and implementation of new tools and a multidisciplinary approach within basic airway immunity research, vaccine design and clinical testing.

To advance this field, innovation and evaluation of novel vaccine platforms and delivery methods that can more effectively target the airways and drive enhanced mucosal immunity will be needed. Developing high-fidelity models that accurately mimic human airway immunology and host-pathogen interactions is also crucial. Additionally, there is a gap in the field regarding standardized clinical sampling techniques and assays to evaluate the effectiveness of airway targeting vaccine strategies. Identifying new correlates of protection and addressing regulatory considerations will also play a key role in moving candidates rapidly forward through clinical development to registration.

This conference will bring together global leaders in the airway immunology and vaccine development space. It will serve as a unique platform for researchers, biotechs, clinicians, vaccine developers, and regulators working to advance next-gen respiratory vaccines to exchange knowledge and explore the latest advancements in mucosal immunity and innovative vaccine design. The conference will also highlight the importance of bridging the current knowledge gaps through interdisciplinary collaboration. Thus, ample time will be allocated not only to presentations from leading experts, but also panel debates, networking and discussions to facilitate a deeper understanding of the needs and opportunities in the field.

Join us to discuss recent advances and future directions as we aim to drive meaningful progress at the growing interface of airway immunology and vaccine development.

Scientific Committee: ​

• Thor Grundtvig Theander (Chair)​
• Henrik Nyhus Kløverpris ​
• Rasmus Skaarup Mortensen ​
• Teresa Lambe​
• Jakob Cramer​​
• Kara-Lee Aves

Speakers