Vaccine researchers from across San Antonio and South Texas will gather to exchange their latest findings at the 11th annual Vaccine Development Center of San Antonio (VDCoSA) Conference this week.
The conference, taking place Nov. 9 at UTSA, features headline speakers from across industry, healthcare and academia:
- Ashlesh Murthy, MD, PhD, Director of Bacterial Vaccines and Technology at Pfizer
- Stephanie Watowich, PhD, Professor of Immunology at MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Guangming Zhong, PhD, Professor of Genetic and Environmental Risk at UT Health San Antonio
VDCoSA is a collaboration between four of San Antonio’s leading research organizations: The University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA), The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health), Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Texas Biomedical Research Institute (TX Biomed).
The VDCoSA conference aims to foster synergy, exchange and innovation throughout San Antonio and beyond to accelerate the development of vaccines against a range of diseases, from influenza to tuberculosis to COVID-19. This year’s topics will also include the emerging field of vaccine technologies to fight cancer. While originally focused on San Antonio, the conference has grown to include key collaborators from throughout South Texas, including from Galveston and Houston.
“Each year, the conference continues to grow and we are excited to foster those meaningful conversations and exchanges,” says Tracey Baas, PhD, the Manager of the Vaccine Development Center of San Antonio and Texas Biomed’s Innovations Manager.
The conference provides opportunities for scientists at all levels, including students, early career researchers and faculty, to share their work in posters and talks with their peers. Dr. Baas stressed a key aim of VDCoSA is to support the next generation of scientists working on vaccines.
“This conference gives them an opportunity to present, which is very important for their development moving on the next phase of their careers,” says Dr. Baas.
