Workshops
- Pre-Registration and payment for the workshops is required.
- Workshops can only be purchased by participants registered to the Symposium.
- There is a minimum number of attendees for all workshops, the organizers have the right to cancel a workshop. Fees will be refunded if the workshop won't proceed.
- For all workshops, places are limited and will be on a first come, first served basis.
*To register for the Symposium and Workshops click here.
**To book Workshops after you have registered for the Symposium enter the link you have received in your registration confirmation email.
On-site Workshops:
Sunday, 15 April, 2018 at 14:00-17:00
Location: Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre
Fees: 10 USD
Workshop Information
| Requirements
|
| WS1 - Immunity to pneumococcal proteins - finding the correlates of protection for protein-based vaccines Organisers: Martijn van de Garde, Cecile van Els and Sven Hammerschmidt A highly interactive workshop that intents to generate a new research community that shares knowledge from the different disciplines of pneumococcal biology and immunology to improve the understanding on immune mechanisms to pneumococcal protein. Additionally, it aims to fuel the discussion on concepts of protective immunity, protective pneumococcal antigenome, and protective models. Objectives: - To provide an overview of immunity to pneumococcal proteins in carriage, infection and vaccination
- Interactive discussion on recent developments and innovative tools, assays, and clinical models
- Active dialogue on protective host immunity, the protective pneumococcal antigenome, and models to study protection
Target audience: Primarily researchers. However, clinicians and industry professionals are encouraged to participate.
| Smartphone or tablet
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| WS2 - Evaluating vaccine impact using time series data Organisers: Dan Weinberger and Kayoko Shioda A hands-on workshop that aims you to get familiar with the basics of analysing time series data to evaluate the impact of vaccine introduction. After completing this workshop, you should be able to critically evaluate published estimates and performing analyses on your own data series using R statistical software. Objectives: - An overview the key concepts of hands-on analysis of time series data using R
- Alternative analysis approaches and the strengths and limitations of these
- Learn how to visualize the data, fit alternative models, check and interpret the obtained results and present the estimates of vaccine impact
Target audience: Participants that are familiar with regression analysis and R statistical software
| Laptop
|
| WS3 - Getting to the bottom of herd immunity - assessment of carriage & transmission in high disease burden settings Organisers: Rob Heyderman, Neil French and Daniela Ferreira A highly interactive workshop that aims to generate the basis for a framework that can be applied to the assessment of carriage and transmission in multiple high disease burden settings and informing vaccine strategies that aim to induce herd protection. Objectives: - Interactive exchange of proposed innovative approaches to carriage and transmission evaluation between well-established experts and postdoctoral researchers
- The results of the interactive discussion will be reported by a writing committee and is planned for submission for publication in a peer-reviewed journal
Target audience: Epidemiologists, vaccinologists, clinicians, modellers, molecular microbiologists
| Smartphone or tablet
|
| WS4 - Adult Pneumococcal Vaccines - Strategies, Opportunities & Challenges for Access and Uptake Organisers: Lois Privor-Dumm and David Sinclair In this workshop experts in the fields of pneumococcal adult immunization, infectious disease, vaccine and aging will discuss key challenges to adult vaccine policy raised by audience. Exercises will be given to engage you in developing strategies relevant to your own country while contributing to the global conversation. Objectives: - Review the status of adult immunization, barriers and opportunities to adult vaccines
- Presentation of case studies of countries that have successfully moved forward in making pneumococcal vaccine recommendations and improved uptake
- To establish gaps, potential factors and strategies to help increase awareness and to overcome barriers to adoption and uptake to adult pneumococcal vaccines and adult vaccines more generally
Target audience: Policy makers, researchers, advocates, industry and clinicians with some vaccine experience
| Laptop or Tablet
|
| WS5 - WHO Standardized Chest X-Ray Interpretation as a Tool for Measuring Vaccine Efficacy in Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Efficacy Trials, Current Updates Organisers: Nasreen Mahomed and Thomas Cherian WHO standardized chest X-ray definitions and interpretation methods including primary endpoint pneumonia and other infiltrates. This workshop will facilitate an interactive training for chest X-ray interpretation for vaccine efficacy studies. Including: - Updates to current definitions
- Reference training set of chest radiographs
- chest X-ray quality optimization
Target audience: (Beginning) researchers involved in PCV vaccine efficacy trials and childhood pneumonia epidemiological studies
| Smartphone, tablet or laptop
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WS6 - Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)-based Predictions for Pneumococcal Resistance, Serotype, and Virulence: Practical Applications Organisers: Yuan Li, Sopio Chochua and Benjamin Metcalf A highly interactive hands-on workshop that aims you to understand the basic principles of WGS and analysis. After completing the workshop, you should be able to evaluate the suitability of WGS for your own application(s), to perform simple sequencing data with the provided tools and to interpret the obtained results. The workshop will cover: - a brief introduction of WGS technologies
- current work flow of the typing analysis
- strengths and weaknesses of the WGS-based predictions
- case study of strain characterization
Target audience: Public health professionals, clinicians and researchers
| Laptop with VirtualBox (software package is freely available, here) |
Off-site Workshops:
Sunday, 15 April, 2018 at 10:00-16:00
Location: Murdoch Children's Research Institute
Fees: 20 USD
WS7 - Molecular serotyping of pneumococcal strains using two approaches: a) TaqMan array cards and b) CDC multiplex PCR assays Organisers: Lesley McGee, Srinivasan Velusamy, Fuminori Sakai and Jorge E. Vidal This laboratory workshop aims you to understand the principles of TaqMan array card (TAC) and real-time PCR including PCR assay design and validation. You will learn how to perform molecular serotyping using TAC - which is able to identify ~70 serotypes in a single run - or CDC multiplex qPCR assay protocols. After completing the workshop, you should be able to interpret and report data from TAC and qPCR assays, and to evaluate the suitability of molecular serotyping approaches for your own application. Target audience: Laboratory scientists and microbiologists with basic laboratory skills |
WS8 - Laboratory methods for pneumococcal identification and serotyping Organisers: Eileen Dunne, Paul Turner, Belinda Ortika and Linda de Gouveia This highly interactive laboratory workshop will facilitate demonstrations and small group hands-on work. It will enable you to understand the scientific background, technical considerations, strengths and limitations, and results interpretation of the following methods: - Culture and identification of pneumococcus by traditional methods
- Real-time quantitative PCR (lytA qPCR) for pneumococcal detection and quantification
- Pneumococcal serotyping by using latex agglutination and the Quellung test
Target audience: Laboratory scientists and microbiologists with basic laboratory skills and experience working with bacteria |
