Tuesday, November 10th 2009
Auditorium of the National University of Quilmes,
Roque Sáenz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina

14th April 2009 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Contact and registrations: hevar@ioc.fiocruz.br

Montevideo, Uruguay - 7-14 April 2008

Institut Pasteur de Montevideo - 11400 Montevideo - URUGUAY

The HEVAR midterm Conference was a very successful event. The students and the teachers (both from HEVAR or not belonging to the network) agreed that the lectures were of high level and presented the state-of the-art of the different vector systems and their possible applications as vector vaccines. The three conferences on the innate and adaptive immune responses to virus/vector infection were particularly appreciated, as was also the conference on the molecular biology of rotavirus infections.

The practical trainings were achieved in time and the 22 selected students could participate to the construction of at least one class of vectors and to the assessment of their transgenic expression and their immunological impact in mice. According to their own declarations: this course was of paramount importance in their conceptual and practical training as researchers.

Also from the social point of view the meeting was very successful. All the participants were hosted in the same hotel and were together from breakfast to dinner, and without introducing hierarchical divisions at table, which greatly facilitated the interactions and informal discussions. The contact was easy and warm, as exemplified by the football match planned to be played at the end of the meeting (Uruguayans against rest of the world, without introducing artificial sex distinctions) which should be cancelled at the last minute because of the stormy weather.

In addition, the two-days theoretical part of the conference allowed researchers from different countries to meet and plan new collaborations, both between European groups and between European and South American groups, and appointments were made to prepare novel applications, in particular to fight against South American parasites.

Last, but not least, for many of the participants this was the first opportunity to visit Uruguay, and particularly Montevideo and the old city of Colonia. All the participants agreed that it was a wonderful experience that opened their minds to the existence of this small but delightful country and their people. The charming welcome we received from the groups working at Universidad de la Republica and the Institute Pasteur of Montevideo greatly contributed to these feelings.