As everyone knows, the world has changed considerably in the last 18 months. In March 2020, we were busy getting ready for our third biennial Vaccines Against Shigella and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) Conference—known as the VASE Conference—scheduled for September 2020. That meeting never happened, of course, and we’re now planning to reconvene for the next in-person VASE Conference on November 29 to December 1, 2022, in Washington, DC.

Since we’ve been unable to gather safely in person since VASE 2018, we’re also hosting a VASE Virtual Symposium from 9:00am to 12:00pm EDT on September 28 and September 30, 2021. Registration is now open for this fully virtual event, which will provide key updates on vaccines being developed for Shigella, ETEC, and other emerging diarrheal pathogens, such as non-typhoidal Salmonella.

I’m really excited for this opportunity to bring together the top minds in the enteric vaccine field since there is just so much new research to share since the last VASE. Despite the world’s need to focus on COVID-19, diarrheal disease has not gone away. Children are still dying and facing long-term health consequences due to this preventable illness, and new interventions are still urgently needed. While it’s true that some non-COVID-19 research has had to slow down, there have been some important research advancements in the field of enterics.

We’ve confirmed 18 presentations for the VASE Virtual Symposium, and the agenda includes presentations on: global enteric disease burden; recently completed, ongoing, and planned clinical studies; new tools to support vaccine development; and considering new policy pathways and value propositions.

In addition, Dr. Richard Guerrant of the University of Virginia will provide a keynote presentation on the development of new murine models of disease to evaluate enteric vaccines. These novel tools can help us better understand the pathogens and mechanisms involved in acute and long-term consequences of enteric diseases, potentially having long-ranging impact on the development of new interventions against diarrheal diseases.

I hope you will join us for the VASE Virtual Symposium next month, and please stay tuned for more information about VASE 2022 later this year!