Hosted by Michigan State University (MSU) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
July 20-23, 2014
Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
A Welcome Message from the Organizing Committee
Greetings from East Lansing, Michigan:
The Organizing Committee for the 10th International Symposium on Marek’s Disease and Avian Herpesviruses invites you to attend this event hosted by Michigan State University (MSU) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The International Marek’s Disease Symposia started in 1978 in West-Berlin and used to be held every fourth year since 1984, when the second one was held in Ithaca, NY. Recently, avian herpesviruses other than Marek’s disease virus, primarily infectious laryngotracheitis virus and duck enteritis were included as topics to be addressed at the Marek’s disease conference, now named International Symposium on Marek’s disease and Avian Herpesviruses. Both Marek’s disease, a herpesvirus induced lymphoma, and infectious laryngotracheitis, an acute respiratory disease, are among the most economically important diseases currently facing the poultry industry. Because of the need for dissemination of current information and to share such information among researchers from various countries around the world in a timely manner, the symposia are now held every two years; the last one was held in Berlin, Germany in 2012 and was previously held at MSU in 1996.
The symposia have provided an extremely valuable forum for Marek’s Disease and infectious laryngotracheitis researchers to exchange the latest information and for field veterinarians to provide views on current disease problems. Vaccine companies have found this to be particularly important with the collation, cross fertilization and dissemination of current information to academic communities, vaccine users and regulators.
We are happy to announce our five keynote speakers, Dr. Kenton Kreager and Dr. John Smith representing an industry perspective; Dr. Bernd Kaspers and Dr. Max Cooper representing immunology; and Dr. Hsing-Jien Kung representing viral oncology. In addition to these outstanding speakers, the 10th International Symposium will also feature a special program, Perspectives on Marek’s Disease Breakthroughs since the 1960s. This special presentation featuring important advances that happened over the last three decades of the 20th century with discussion in view of today’s possibilities will include participation from panelists and members of the audience. Panelists include: Dr. Peter Biggs, Dr. Bruce Calnek, Dr. Hsing-Jien Kung, Dr. Karel A. (Ton) Schat, Dr. Jagdev Sharma, Dr. Egon Vielitz, and Dr. Richard Witter.
Please join us in East Lansing on the campus of Michigan State University July 20-23, 2014. We look forward to seeing you and are sure you will enjoy the program, camaraderie, and events. In particular, we are excited to announce that the Monday night reception will be held at MSU’s new Broad Art Museum, which was included on the Wall Street Journal’s list of the year’s best architecture (2012) and appeared in The New York Times Travel section in 2013. This reception will also include a short program to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the USDA Avian Disease Oncology Laboratory (ADOL).
Kind Regards,
Aly Fadly, USDA-ARS-ADOL
Hans Cheng, USDA-ARS-ADOL
Jerry Dodgson, MSU Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Richard Fulton, MSU Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation
Organizing Committee Co-Chairs
Registration and Abstract Submission is now open! Please use the links here to register and to submit an abstract. Please note that you will be asked to create an account to submit an abstract. This will enable you to access and manage your abstract submission.
Important Dates
13 January 2014 | Registration and Abstract Submission Opens
1 March 2014 | Abstract Submission Deadline
15 March 2014 | Abstract Selections Complete
15 May 2014 | Registration Rate Increases
20 June 2014 | Hotel Reservation Deadline
Travel & Lodging Information
A block of rooms is available at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center with a discounted rate ($81.00 USD/night) for symposium attendees. Lodging is NOT included with the price of event registration. To make hotel reservations, please contact the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center at 517.432.4000. The discounted rate is available until 20 June 2014. Please secure hotel reservations prior to that date to ensure availability and to take advantage of the discounted rate.
Map/Directions to Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center
Greater Lansing Michigan Convention & Visitors Bureau
For those attendees traveling from abroad, please note that the schedule for this symposium makes it convenient to attend the 2014 AVMA and AAAP meetings (July 25-29 and July 26-29 respectively, both in Denver, CO).