Viral Pathogenesis and Immunity: From Molecular Discoveries to Therapeutics (E2)
June 15-18, 2026  | Herrenhausen Palace, Hannover, Germany
Michaela U. Gack, Michael S. Diamond, Volker Thiel and Pei-Yong Shi
Scholarship Deadline: Feb. 12, 2026 | Abstract Deadline: May. 26, 2026 | Early Registration Deadline: Apr. 17, 2026
* Session Chair † Invited but not yet accepted | Program current as of August 23, 2025 4 AM | For the most up-to-date details, visit https://www.keystonesymposia.org
Monday, June 15, 2026
4:00–8:00 PM Registration
6:00–8:00 PM Welcome Mixer
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
8:00–9:00 AM Breakfast
8:30–9:00 AM Poster Setup
8:45–5:00 PM Poster Viewing
9:00–10:00 AM Welcome and Keynote Address
  Kate A Fitzgerald, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Molecular Mechanisms of Antiviral Innate Immunity and Inflammation
 
10:00–12:15 PM Host-Virus Interactions in Innate Immunity
  Michaela U. Gack, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Innate Immune Sensing and Viral Escape Mechanisms
 
  John W. Schoggins, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Evolutionary Forces that Underlie ISG Antiviral Mechanisms
 
  Kellie Ann Jurado, University of Pennsylvania
Fetal Immune Responses and their Influence on Life-Long Health
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
10:30–10:50 AM Coffee Break
12:15–1:15 PM Lunch
12:30–2:30 PM Poster Session 1
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 1: Late-breaking research presentations selected from abstract submissions
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available
5:00–7:00 PM Species Expansion of (re)Emerging Viruses and Associated Immunity
  Michael S. Diamond, Washington University School of Medicine
Evolutionary Relationships of Entry Receptors and Arboviral Pathogenesis
 
  Maria-Carla Saleh, Institut Pasteur
RNA Interference and Viral Immunity in Insects
 
  Jonathan Abraham, Harvard University
Entry Factors Determining Alphavirus Infection
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
8:00–9:00 AM Breakfast
9:00–12:00 PM Success and Failures of Adaptive Immunity to Acute and Persistent Virus Infections
  Taia T Wang, Stanford University
Antibody Signaling through Fc gamma Receptors as Key Driver of Infection and Inflammation Outcome
 
  David Veesler, University of Washington
TMPRSS2-mediated Coronavirus Spike Activation and Inhibition
 
  Daniela Weiskopf, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Adaptive Cell-Mediated Immune Responses to Vaccination and Natural RNA Virus Infection
 
  Ted C. Pierson, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
Humoral Immunity to Arboviruses
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
10:00–10:20 AM Coffee Break
11:00–1:00 PM Poster Setup
12:00–1:00 PM Lunch
12:30–2:30 PM Poster Session 2
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing
3:00–4:30 PM Career Roundtable
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available
5:00–7:00 PM Genetic and Acquired Immune Factors Modulating Viral Susceptibility
  Shen-Ying Zhang, Rockefeller University
Human Genetic and Immunological Determinants of Viral Encephalitis
 
  Trine Mogensen, Aarhus University Hospital
VZV/herpesvirus and Innate Immunity Defects
 
  Charles Agoti, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Epidemiological Insights into Mechanisms of Respiratory Virus Reinfections
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner
Thursday, June 18, 2026
8:00–9:00 AM Breakfast
9:00–12:00 PM Novel Approaches of Host-Directed and Immune-based Therapies to Virus Infections
  Pei-Yong Shi, GSK
Prophylactic and Therapeutic Viral Vaccines
 
  Liang Shan, Washington University in St. Louis
CARD8 Inflammasome Sensitization as Novel Antiviral Therapeutics Approach for HIV
 
  Lisa Purcell, Third Rock Ventures
Monoclonal Antibody Development and Technologies for Acute and Persistent Viral Infections
 
  Gong Cheng, Tsinghua University
Novel Antiviral Approaches to Control Mosquito-Borne Viruses
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
10:00–10:20 AM Coffee Break
12:00–1:00 PM Lunch
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 2: Late-breaking research presentations selected from abstract submissions
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available
5:00–6:45 PM New Approaches to Optimizing Vaccine-Induced Immunity to Viral Pathogens
  Volker Thiel, University of Bern
Translating Viruses into Vaccines
 
  Penny L Moore, University of the Witwatersrand and National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Novel Platforms and Technologies for Vaccine Development and Boosting
 
  Andrea Carfi, Moderna
New Vaccination Approaches for Viruses
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
6:45–7:00 PM Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers)
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner
8:00–11:00 PM Entertainment
8:00–11:00 PM Cash Bar
Friday, June 19, 2026
12:00–11:59 PM Departure