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Co-chairs of the symposium are Professor Michael Good and Associate Professor Manisha Pandey, both from Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics in Brisbane. Professor Good and Associate Professor Pandey have studied streptococcal immunity and developed vaccine platforms and candidate peptide-based vaccines, currently in clinical trials.
As a nation, Australia is deeply impacted by streptococcal diseases with the country’s Indigenous population recording the highest rates of rheumatic heart disease in the world.
Professor Good says the world needs a vaccine more than ever. “There has been a five-fold increase in strep cases globally in the last two years and if our vaccine proves effective, we believe it has the ability to halt/slow the pandemic, particularly in remote overcrowded communities which have a lack of primary treatment and care.”
Associate Professor Pandey said “hosting the conference in Australia will not only provide a platform to showcase the extensive research in this field, but also shine a spotlight on the impacts this disease is having across Australia to generate a call to action for international collaboration for global solutions in this field”.
It is anticipated some 500 scientists, clinicians and health care professionals engaged in the field of streptococci and streptococcal diseases research from around the globe will attend the Symposium in June 2025 in Brisbane, the capital of the State of Queensland and currently enjoying the fastest growth among Australia’s major cities. Brisbane is also one of the world’s greenest cities, having recently attained gold level under the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals Cities Global Initiative.
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