Project Grant R13AI202832

THE 2026 INTERNATIONAL HBV MEETING - ABSTRACT/SUMMARY HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV) IS A MAJOR GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT, WITH APPROXIMATELY 254 MILLION CHRONICALLY INFECTED PEOPLE WORLDWIDE AND MORE THAN 1.1 MILLION DEATHS PER YEAR. CHRONIC HBV INFECTION IS A LEADING CAUSE OF LIVER CIRRHOSIS AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA. ALTHOUGH THE PROPHYLACTIC HBV VACCINE IS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE, IT HAS NO IMPACT ON ESTABLISHED CHRONIC INFECTIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, THERE IS A GREAT NEED TO DEVELOP NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES TO CURE CHRONIC HBV INFECTION AND TO SLOW OR PREVENT THE RESULTING LIVER DISEASE. THE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL HBV MEETING IS THE ONLY FORUM THAT BRINGS TOGETHER THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF RESEARCHERS STUDYING HBV AND THE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED HEPATITIS DELTA VIRUS (HDV), INCLUDING THEIR INFECTION, PERSISTENCE, PATHOGENESIS, IMMUNE RESPONSES, AND THERAPEUTIC DEVELOPMENT. THIS MEETING HAS BEEN HELD EVERY YEAR EXCEPT 2020 SINCE 1985. IN 2026, IT WILL TAKE PLACE IN SINGAPORE, A CENTRAL ASIAN EXCHANGE HUB THAT IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE, BOTH GEOGRAPHICALLY AND CULTURALLY, TO ALL DELEGATES. THE SUCCESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL HBV MEETING RELIES HEAVILY ON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING AMERICAN INVESTIGATORS, WHO REPRESENT MAJOR RESEARCH GROUPS THAT HAVE SHAPED THE FIELD AND DRIVEN MANY MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS. TO SUPPORT THEIR PARTICIPATION, WE REQUEST FUNDING TO ASSIST WITH TRAVEL AND REGISTRATION EXPENSES FOR US-BASED RESEARCHERS, ESPECIALLY EARLY-CAREER SCIENTISTS, ATTENDING THE 2026 INTERNATIONAL HBV MEETING. THE 2026 MEETING WILL SHOWCASE THE LATEST ADVANCES IN HBV AND HDV RESEARCH, AND WILL ALSO HELP ATTRACT INVESTMENT INTO LEADING RESEARCH GROUPS. AN ESTIMATED 500-600 DELEGATES, INCLUDING SCIENTISTS AND INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES FROM ACROSS THE WORLD, ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND. STRONG US PARTICIPATION ENSURES THAT AMERICAN RESEARCH KEEPS ITS COMPETITIVE EDGE IN ATTRACTING INVESTMENTS INTO THIS GROWING BIOTECH SECTOR. THE PROGRAM WILL FEATURE 11 ORAL SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS, 2 POSTER SESSIONS, 2 PLENARY LECTURES BY INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS, 2 "GRAND DISCUSSION" SESSIONS WITH OPINION-LEADER PANELS, AND A LECTURE BY THE RECIPIENT OF THE DISTINGUISHED AWARD IN HBV RESEARCH. A HALF-DAY INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP FOR EMERGING RESEARCHERS WILL PROVIDE SMALL-GROUP DISCUSSIONS AND ICE-BREAKER ACTIVITIES TO FOSTER NETWORKING. IN ADDITION, A SATELLITE MEETING FOCUSED ON HBV CURE MECHANISMS-ATTENDED BY NEARLY ALL GLOBAL INDUSTRY GROUPS ACTIVE IN HBV/HDV CURE DEVELOPMENT- WILL BE INCLUDED. AS IN PREVIOUS YEARS, SUBSTANTIAL EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO MINIMIZE MEETING COSTS. A MAJOR STRENGTH OF THE ORGANIZATION IS THE LONG-STANDING SUPPORT OF THE HEPATITIS B FOUNDATION BASED IN DOYLESTOWN, PA, WHICH HAS PARTNERED WITH THE MEETING SINCE 2005. THIS COLLABORATION PROVIDES EXPERT PROFESSIONAL MEETING MANAGEMENT AND HELPS MAINTAIN A STRONG PATIENT-FOCUSED PERSPECTIVE WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSIONS.