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WRLFMD 60th anniversary logo
During November, the Pirbright Institute hosted a two-day symposium attended by over 100 FMD scientists to celebrate the 60-year anniversary of the establishment of the World Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (WRLFMD).

The meeting was opened by Christine Middlemiss (UK, Chief Veterinary Officer), Matthew Stone (Deputy Director General of the OIE) and Keith Sumption (from FAO/EuFMD). Subsequent scientific sessions reviewed the current activities of the WRLFMD (and OIE/FAO FMD Laboratory Network: https://www.foot-and-mouth.org), and discussed new opportunities to monitor, diagnose and control FMD by applying knowledge from fundamental research projects that aim to understand the pathogenesis, host responses and epidemiology of the disease.

Talks from invited speakers and WRLFMD staff were within four themes of (i) Risks & Threats, (ii) Diagnostic Innovation, (iii) Pathogenesis & Immunity and (iv) FMD Control with a Focus on Vaccination. These presentations showcased the synergy between fundamental/basic science and the on-going global surveillance activities undertaken by FMD Reference Laboratories.

In the evening, the meeting delegates (including past and present members of the WRLFMD) were royally entertained at a local hotel by after-dinner “trips down memory lane” talks from Nick Knowles and Dave Rowlands that highlighted key events and personalities that have shaped the history of work at Pirbright.

The presentations (in pdf format) can be downloaded using the links below.

Symposium kindly sponsored by:

 

Agenda

5th November 2018

Introductions

TimeProgramme
13:00 - 13:15Welcome
Bryan Charleston, Director of The Pirbright Institute
13:15 - 13:30Opening
Christine Middlemiss (UK, Chief Veterinary Officer) and Matthew Stone (Deputy Director General of the OIE)
13:30 - 13:55Introduction from FAO: The challenges of FMD control and the role of WRLFMD
Keith Sumption (EuFMD)
13:55 - 14:15WRLFMD history and vision for the future
Don King, WRLFMD, The Pirbright Institute, UK

Session 1: Risks and threats
Chair: Wilna Vosloo (CSIRO, Australia)

TimeProgramme
14:15 - 14:45Molecular evolution of FMDV - using data to provide insights into tracing and disease prevalence
Dan Haydon, University of Glasgow, UK
14:45 - 15:15Understanding the impact of FMD in endemic countries
Tiziana Lembo, University of Glasgow, UK
15:15 - 15:45New approaches to fill surveillance gaps in West Africa
Labib Bakkali Kassimi, ANSES, France
15:45 - 16:15Modelling disease spread: how can we translate knowledge from epidemics to understand endemic circulation?
Mike Tildesley, University of Warwick, UK

Session 2: Diagnostic innovation
Chair: Emiliana Brocchi (IZSLER, Italy)

TimeProgramme
16:45 - 17:00What are the current priorities for diagnostics?
Anna Ludi, WRLFMD, The Pirbright Institute, UK
17:00 - 17:30Simple serological methods to assess correlates of protection
Alejandra Capozzo, INTA, Argentina
17:30 - 18:00New tools for rapid field diagnostics
Emma Howson, The Pirbright Institute, UK

DINNER

including after-dinner talks: Historical perspective – Nick Knowles with Dave Rowlands

6th November 2018

Session 1: Pathogenesis and immunity
Chair: Jonathon Arzt (Plum Island Animal Disease Center, USA)

TimeProgramme
09:00 - 09:30New models of FMDV pathogenesis
Carolina Stenfeldt, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, USA
09:30 - 10:00FMDV control of innate immune Reponses
Teresa de la Santos, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, USA
10:00 - 10:30Dissecting polyclonal responses
John Hammond, The Pirbright Institute, UK

Session 2: FMD control with a focus on vaccination
Chair: Dave Rowlands (Leeds University, UK)

TimeProgramme
11:00 - 11:30What would an ideal FMDV vaccine look like?
Tim Doel (ex industry)
11:30 - 12:00Rational design of new efficacious vaccines
Dave Stuart, University of Oxford, UK
12:00 - 12:30Field use of FMD vaccines and challenges for FMD control
Nick Lyons, The Pirbright Institute, UK