Meetings

Researchers present an analytical technique that provides new insight into old DNA samples

Hepatitis viruses can cause inflammation of the liver. Of the five most significant virus types, A, B, C, D and E, the latter mentioned hepatitis E viruses (HEV) alone cause an estimated 20 million human infections worldwide each year. However, it has only been known for a few years that humans can also be infected with a variant of the hepatitis E virus that is usually prevalent in rats. Following reports of individual cases, mainly from Hong Kong and Spain, the first infection with ratHEV has now also been described in a patient from Germany. "How the virus is transmitted is still largely unclear", says Professor Reimar Johne, head of the Unit Viruses in Food at the BfR. "However, the results of the investigation suggest that ratHEV has to be considered a new zoonotic pathogen in Germany and Central Europe." Researchers will present the current state of knowledge on ratHEV and new findings on the spread and transmission of the pathogen at the 6th BfR Symposium on "Foodborne Viruses". In addition to HEV, other viruses, especially those that are also transmitted through consumption of food, will be on the agenda of the event. These include well-known foodborne viruses such as the highly contagious noroviruses and hepatitis A viruses. However, the potential risks posed by the transmission of other viruses will also be discussed, for example the relatively little-investigated gastrointestinal adenoviruses, and influenza viruses, which are currently causing a resurgence of bird flu. Experts will provide information on the latest findings on these pathogens in three thematic blocks: "Basic Knowledge", "Detection Methods" and "Hygiene, Inactivation and Evaluation of Results". The symposium will take place on 27 November in Berlin at the BfR site in Marienfelde and is aimed at interested parties from scientific institutions, food safety laboratories and regional authorities in German-speaking countries. Journalists are cordially invited to attend.

City of Hope will present leading-edge findings at the 2025 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition happening Dec. 6-9 in Orlando and online. Across 105 sessions, City of Hope experts will highlight advances in blood cancer research, cellular therapies and precision medicine. 

ESMO – the European Society for Medical Oncology – is proud to launch the first edition of the ESMO Congress on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Oncology (AI&DO), taking place in Berlin from 12 to 14 November 2025.

Meet us at PFF Summit 2025 | Insilico Medicine to showcase generative AI platform and introduce their latest AI-driven Pulmonary Fibrosis clinical research at PFF Summit 2025 in Chicago, IL

Young researchers in mathematics and computer science from all over the world can apply for one of the 200 exclusive spots to participate in the Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF), an annual networking conference. The HLF offers all accepted young researchers the unique opportunity to interact with the laureates of the most prestigious prizes in the fields of mathematics and computer science. Traditionally, the recipients of the Abel Prize, the ACM A.M. Turing Award, the ACM Prize in Computing, the Fields Medal, the IMU Abacus Medal and the Nevanlinna Prize engage in cross-generational scientific dialogue with young researchers in Heidelberg, Germany.