Genital infections by human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause many cancers, including nearly all cervical cancers. In young adults, these infections are very prevalent (more than 20% of 18-25 year olds are infected) but under-studied because they are generally asymptomatic and benign. However, these same infections can potentially become chronic and progress to cancer decades later. Furthermore, over the last decade, vaccines are now exerting a new selection pressure on HPV infections. There is therefore a need to better understand the natural history of acute HPV infections, especially the interaction between the virus, epithelial cells, the immune system and the genital microbiota.
The aim of the conference will to put HPV infections back in their ecological context, with a particular focus on the immune response and the vaginal microbiota. It will bring together clinicians, immunologists, modelers, epidemiologists, evolutionary biologists, environmental genomicists and vaginal microbiota experts. In addition to a multi-disciplinary vision, the conference will highlight multi-level approaches by linking intracellular processes, intra-host processes and epidemiological dynamics.
Confirmed speakers
Laia Alemany (Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain)
