Intro

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.

How to apply

Our conferences has no application fees – registration is free.

Please note that the Novo Nordisk Foundation Science Cluster Conferences offers exclusive opportunities to network in an intimate setting with a carefully selected, limited body of participants. Allocation of seats at this conference takes place through a selection process through which our Scientific Committee chooses the best candidates for the conference. For this reason, we ask that you submit an abstract or, if you are from industry, government or for another reason cannot submit an abstract, we ask that you write a short motivation, so we understand why the conference is relevant for you. If you get accepted for the conference, your participation (excluding travels) is covered by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. We expect all participants and speakers to actively take part in the full duration of the conference.

The call is open.

If you wish to attend our conference, you will need to apply and submit an abstract* in our application system: Oxford Abstracts 

• If you have not used the system before, click REGISTER to create an account. The email you sign up with, will be the email we will send information regarding the conference to.
• You will then receive an email with which you can login.
• When you have logged in, you can apply to the conference under the name: Harnessing airway immunity for next-gen vaccines
• Please fill out applicant info and abstract.

All accepted participants will be expected to present a poster at the conference.

SHORT TALKS & POSTERS: All accepted participants with relevant abstracts will be will be expected to present a poster at the conference. Some applicants will furthermore be invited to give a short talk during the conference. Selected applicants will be notified beginning of July.

Registration fee, accommodation and local costs for all approved applicants are covered by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Only travel expenses to and from the conference venue will be at your own expense.

For more practical details about the conferences, please click here.

Scientific Committee: ​

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