Abstract submission is closing for IMAV 2019 Focused Meeting
01 July 2019
Abstract submission is closing for IMAV 2019: International Meeting on Arboviruses and their Vectors. Submit your abstract before Sunday 7 July for your chance to present your research at this Focused Meeting, taking place on 5–6 September at the University of Glasgow, UK.
As we see continuing transmission of pathogens such as dengue and chikungunya, the emergence of other arboviruses, as well as progress with understanding vector biology (including ticks, mosquitoes and midges) this area of research remains of high importance. The many scientists and clinicians from different areas of expertise who share an interest in arboviruses need a dedicated forum to discuss viruses and vectors in depth. This meeting will provide a great opportunity to do so, and for people in the arbovirus research community to meet and exchange ideas.
One of the members of the IMAV 2019 organising committee, Alain Kohl (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK), answered some questions about the meeting.
What will this Focused Meeting cover?
This meeting will be all about arboviruses – a group of viruses transmitted by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks. We aim to cover a wide range of topics, from clinical virology to virus replication, virus–host interaction and immunity, to vectors.
Tell us more about this year’s theme: why is this so important?
Although we don’t have specific themes for each International Meeting on Arboviruses and their Vectors as such, as organisers we try to emphasise certain topics. This year, we are keen to highlight research on ticks and tick-borne viruses, but welcome abstracts from all areas of arbovirus research.
Who organised the meeting and why?
The meeting is organised by a committee, with members that each have different expertise and experience. The original idea for the meeting came from me – I felt that there was a need for those interested in these viruses to have a forum outside some of the larger conferences in which to discuss their research, network and collaborate. This Focused Meeting will be the third IMAV, so I hope the community still finds the meeting useful and relevant.
There are a number of invited speakers that will be attending the event, are you able to tell us more about them?
We have invited speakers based on the topics we wish to cover and scientific excellence. In choosing these speakers, we always hope to have a degree of balance between research areas, so that delegates find the talks relevant and interesting. You can read profiles to find out about some of the invited speakers at this meeting on the event page of the Microbiology Society website.
What advice would you give to those presenting their posters at the meeting?
Don’t include too much text, do include good quality figures and do get to the point.
You can find a programme outline for this meeting on the event page.
Register to attend today to take advantage of the early bird discount, which is available until 25 August.
Updates on the IMAV 2019 meeting can also be found on Twitter using the hashtag #IMAV19.
Image: Dennis Kunkel Microscopy/Science Photo Library.
