Pandemic Preparedness Symposium 2025
With over 120 participants, the CRC1648 successfully hosted its First Pandemic Preparedness Symposium at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) last week. Under the theme “Breaking Barriers in Virology and Immunity by Learning from Emerging Viruses,” the event brought together leading scientists, clinicians, and public health experts to share research insights and discuss strategies for future pandemic preparedness.
The symposium was opened by Prof. Dr. Blanche Schwappach, Dean of the UKE Medical Faculty, who welcomed guests and emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Prof. Dr. Marylyn Addo, spokesperson of CRC1648, introduced the Collaborative Research Center and its mission to better understand emerging viruses and host responses in order to develop novel interventions.
The program featured six keynote lectures and three thematic sessions focusing on virus structure, pathogenesis, immunity, and global preparedness.
Prof. Dr. Maya Topf, CSSB group leader and co-spokesperson of CRC1648, notes "What today’s symposium made clear is that no single discipline or institution can tackle the challenge of emerging viruses alone. Pandemic preparedness depends on collaboration—across countries, methods, and fields of expertise."
About the CRC 1648 "Emerging Viruses: Pathogenesis, Structure, Immunity"
The CRC 1648 "Emerging Viruses: Pathogenesis, Structure, Immunity"is an interdisciplinary research consortium funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since July 2024. Coordination is based at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), and the consortium unites 26 researchers from nine institutions, including CSSB, across Hamburg, Germany, and Switzerland. Five CSSB group leaders and two CSSB assoicate members are involved in CRC 1648.
The CRC 1648’s mission is to better understand newly emerging viruses that can cause serious diseases such as Ebola fever, Lassa fever, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and other viruses with the potential to trigger future epidemics or pandemics, including unknown pathogens often referred to as "Disease X".
